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SMAD. An Organ of Student Opinion. 1935. Volume 6. Number 16.

Victoria Victrix

Victoria Victrix.

"The general standard," he said, "was very high indeed, but there were on or two common faults. Miss Forde was the only competitor to make any effective use of gesture. Most of the male speakers did not seem fully to realise the distinction between oratory and debating. The subjects were in some cases too wide in scope, demanding a considerable amount of narrative or explanation. Though diction and pronunciation were on the whole very good, there were some surprising mispronunciations,"

"And what of individual speakers?" I asked.

"I would mention Mr. Hart and Mr. More for their subject-matter. Mr. Bennett for his vigour and conviction, Miss Cahill for her dramatic and emotional intensity."

"And Miss Forde?"

"Mis Forde, I should think," he replied, "was awarded the medal for her oratory."

Fitzgerald.

The applause which Miss Forde (V.U.C.) received at the conclusion of her oration was some indication of the effect she produced on her audience. The introduction, again, was much of a recitation, but in her treatment of her subject she showed a technical skill and oratorical power which seemed to indicate that she was sure both of the effect she wished to produce and of the means of producing it. She made excellent use of a very sympathetic voice, and her treatment of recurring phrases was most effective. The greatest advantage over the previous competitors was that she was able both to use her hands very expressively and to dispose of them when not in use.

Miss Souter (V.U.C.) was almost as unfortunate in speaking last as Mr. Hart had been in speaking first. She was perhaps almost too familiar with her subject and found it had in places to avoid appearing to deliver a recitation. Her emotional ending was, however excellently delivered, and he turned to me with an interested gleam in his eye. "I suppose you realise," he enquired, "that we have just heard the only attempt at humour of the entire evening?"