"PERFECTION."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1271, 28 October 1911, Page 5

"PERFECTION."

A STANDARD OF CRITICISM. In yesterdays Dominion mention was mado of tho high standard taken by Mr. C. N. Baeycrtz, tho judge in the elocutionary competitions being held in the Town Hall, somo surprise having been expressed that tho trenchantly drrmatic and intellectual performance of Miss Lilian Prichard in tho "Macbeth" speech on Thursday should have been, given a place so far below the possible number of marks (146 out of 200). Last evening Mr. Baeyertz referred to tho remark from the platform, and said ho was very glad it had been made, as it gave him the opportunity to explain. At the samo time, ho remarked that ho had now judged sixteen or seventeen times in Ballarat, and other places, and nowhere had the newspaper reports been so good as in Wellington. But they (the reporters) did not quite know how it was that Miss Priehard had only received li(i marks out of 200. Tho standard he took was perfection—no other standard was possible. If he had set a standard when he commenced judging at Dunedin, Miss l'acey would have now reached 109, and there would be no room for those who were better than that lady. What Bernhardt or Duso might do (with tho speech) would be 209.