Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-10
New York's Town Hall
by Frederic 7 Haskin

ton or Society that wants to promote or
suppress something can 90 and tell world
about it., DO YOU wish To convert your
fellowmen to vegetarlanismi are you
against compulsory vaccination IN the
schools; is your hobby prison reform;
or cooperative economies, or better pun
lie education2 Then, the Town Hall is
at your disposal, wherein to pour iorth
your great idea or grievance.
OF course, there are lew strings 10 IT,
Won have TO nav n rental of S25 to cover
the cost Of light and heat, and If you must
have ushers TO scat your non-pavlng
guests the charge is $50. You must also
prove the merit and sincerity OF your
cause 10 the renting committee, and prom
Use TO conduct your meeting iii polltc
and orderly way, especially when casting
aspersions on the United States Gov
ernment Aside from tins restriction,
however, your speech can bc absolutely
free. For 1t was 10 encourage Tree speech
that the Town Hall was built
Unlike most other town halls, so thckly
scattered throughout the provinces, TINS
one Is not a municipal institution. III
belongs to the League for Political fdu-
cation, a large New York organization
containing over six thousand members,
who believe that nation $ greatest satcty
valve is discussion.
Open discussions are conducive to
mutual goodwill, says the league "as
well rs fair play They result III fewer
misunderstanding of public OPINION
because II has always been true that
discussion rationalizcS everything 1t
touches
The object Of the Town Hall IS best de-
scribed by one Of the League 5 m' 81
prominent members. Mir Henry W Taft
What is needed IN tins age. according
| 10 Mr. Taft is some reliable has'S fer
| forming opinlonsupon subjects whch more
| or less directly affect our Well-hcIng III the
| community. Many Of us have plenty Fl
| education, some IF us pcrhaI haNe g."
much. There arc lots Il tim $ that We
| ought 70 unlcarn
In a republic it inevitably haTroI
| that public attention IS constantly dI
| rectcd to matters connected with N, t,'n $
| of government which include cccrc mos.
| industrial. financial. ard purely political
| questions We wish q give the cpp' r
tInity fol free discussion of such matters
as these particularly We would found "A
| later Fancul Hall. modern Roman Forum
a Cooper Mon, with an even BROADER
| purpose We would have fairly prCsfn ntcd
both sides in such controversial matters
| as free trade and protection, without adj
vocating either but We DO insist upon ir"
! trade IN ideas
CALI FOR FREE SPEECH
We believe in free speech Nc depicrc
| repression But we want the truth. We
respect the man who honestly holds views
/ we disapprove Il is in the Splnt q thesc
| expressions that We opcr the Town hall
IF our representative institutions are
| 70 be pers>etuated. we must he vlgllart
! in devisinC methods hy which the III
| dividual citizen may be kept informed as
/ 10 the duties of citizenship ard hc stlnnl-
| lated in then performance But 4 is not
| now possible u gather together All 81 th'
| citizens III . republic In one grand mass
| meeting We canno7 lr this age repeat the
| assemblies of the GIech states Or q the
/ New England town some substitutes
must be supplied
| and so We are establishing = Town
| Hall 10 keep alive the spirit q our ances.,
| tors and rs a contribution which Will
| better enable us 10 meet the vital, Il not
/ epochal crises which modern world con-
dItions are bound ~ produce
a single Town Hall can ha dlv II the
/ need Of this great CITY II contains how
ever, the germ Of an idea. ana We hope 7
viii he the model for other similar IN
/ stituti ons not only throughout this CITY
i bur also throughout the land.
/ Mr.. Taft was quite right when he salC
4 that one Town Hall IS not enough ~"vcra
/ would not even be enough t)ne On ever
other block would scarcely he too man
IL meet the elocutonary needs OF New
Workers. For with New Workers taikInl
Is an obsession. More talking prepared an
I Ch AGr
York than in anv other city in this cOun
trv-publc talking, thAt Is. Every hlgI
/ school auditorium has It's lecturer. ever
| club its public discussion corner. nearl
every church its civic forum and III I'd
dition the city Is filed with small nall
whose platforms are never vacant Tier
there are several hundred theatrcs man
Of which are used for lectures IN the morn
ings: and Madison Square Garden. walci
will hold almost n whole borough al ola
time. and Cooper Mon. which Is nu,
completely dominated by radicals. &
all of these facilities are always - uucI
in demand that II is practically IMPOSES bl
for new groups and societies % hire nall
ELEGANT INTERIOR
( And the leagues Town Hall seat
/ only 100 There is but one balloon,
with q row Of lodges In front, and tn
/ doors Of the foyer open directly on tn
| aisles of the lower floor, 50 that there i
no standing room. II Is q rather small ar
| compact and dainty town hall. The ar
! chitecture and interior furnishiE gs are 0
I the early colonial period. The lAteno
walls are Of Caen store IN blocks. Yer,
/ white, and the chairs and prosceuiun
arch are Of the shade known as mulberry
/ At the present time & gorgeous tapestr.
in pastel shades covers the mOvit pic
/ ture screen above the platform, but l
NAV notIbe there ext week. It seems tina
il was loare ed to the hall during the open
ing week by a large New York interio
decorating concern, evidently IN tn
hope that the league would decide I
buy il. But the league cannot afford al
further extrayagances, the hall aLead
having cost over a million dollars
The league intends u use the hall 70
its own meetln IS during the morniu
hours, and it VIII have its club headquart
ers on the floor above the auditorium
The Economic Club Of New York, d
account of the generous gifts Of its men
bers, will also be favored in the use q
the nall, while the Civil Forum ahd tn
Town Hall Club viii occupy offices in th
building It il estimated now that th
hall will be- available for public meeting
about TWO afternoons and two evening
week.
sPEECHEs MILD
50 far, nothing particularly startlin
IN the way Of free speech has occuHe