The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-12-24
JUDGE STAFFORD
FIRST SPEAKER
IN SUNDAY FORUM
Talented Vermonter Here on
Evening of Dec. %
FIRST IN SERIES OF SIX
Addresses by Prominent Men to se
Followed by Open Discussions
of suhieeta
FIRST IN SERIES OF SIX

For six weeks a Sunday Evening
Forum will be tried out in Bennington.
The Forum idea is spreading and
many churches have latterly been TAX
ing il up with great success. The
plan is to have speaker Of reputation
and an authority in his line give an
address IN some subject of vital cur
rent interest which afterwards will
be discussed by the audience. Usually
questions are asked of the speaker
and his answers serve to clear up
doubtful points or bring additional in
formation. Ford Hall in Boston is a
famous center of such popular discus
sion, the Platform an6 program OF
which will be adopted as a model.
Several OF the local churches are
uniting in the brief series of these
meetings to begin next Sunday even
ing. The meetings will be held each
night in the auditorium Of the Second
Congregational church, beginning at
1880 The Mems class of this church,
Hiram L. Hall, president, and Philip
T. II. Pierson, teacher, is sponsoring
the Forum
The order of program will be a
brief devotional service, the address,
and then the free discussion within
strict parliamentary limits, with simple
rules to be announced by the chair
man.
1t is planned to have free platform
for the speaker and free floor for
those who take part in the discussion.
The aim is that the whole spirit CT the
meeting shall be non-sectarian, nom
partisan. and unprejudiced. lit is to
be understood, however, that the
Forum management which rests with
the pastors of the uniting churches
and certain laymen from these
churches who are specially Interested
is free from responsibility for utteran.
ces by speakers from the platform or
the floor.
1t is hoped and believed that this
experiment for Bennington in clear
ing house of public opinion through
pcpu ar discussion under these ac-
credited auspices for a succession of
Sunday nights, will prove very stimu-
la,ing and valuable,
The single doubt with regard to the
plan relates to its financing. That
must be done by the collections. There
is the cost of the speakers sfee
or expenses and the advertising 1t
is thought the plan can be carried
through with financial success IL the
public will kindly bear in mind that
while there is. of course, no admission
charge, the management of the Forum
trusts to their interest and generosity
in freewiil offering to help it pay the
bills
John Spargo, who is much Interested
in the project, and who Sc counsel re-
garding 1t has been very helpful has
most generously volunteered to- con-
tribute his services elsewhere as
Forum speaker so that one or two
speakers might be secured for Ben
nington in the way of exchange for
their expenses only. 1sg Pan jsdi
The list of speakers and their sub.
jects follow Ia asd t1s9
Dec 2S.-Wendell Phillips Stafford,
LII. ID. Associate Justice of the Su.
preme Court of the District of Colum.
bia Some Necessary Limitations on
the Right to Combine"
Jan. 4.-Rev. Caleb f. Gates. D. D..
LII. d. President of Robert College
Turkey: Americas
Responsibility in the Near East"
Jan. IA. j. Sack, Director of
Bureau of Russian Information. New
York City: THE Question of Russia"
Jan. 1S.-Beatrice Forbes. Robertson
Hale, Actress and Writer: "The Fu-
ture CT the Woman Movement in
America"
Jan. 25-A. S. Dennison, Manufac.
turer, F'ramingham, Mass: Justice in
Industry"
Feb. Ito be announced,