The Washington times., 1935-11-23
NOW
TOUn Hall Has
Great Season
FOR SCIENCE
BY HELEN ESSARY

BY HELEN ESSARY
Whenever contemplate the
public activities Of women in
Washington-and where, my chill
dren, is there a better field for
such contemplation?-T think OF
the fine job Sue Oulahan and
Grace Roper Bohn have done with
the Town Hall. Last year, com
pletely inexperienced as Chau-
tauqua conductors, Mrs. Oulahan
and Mrs. Bchn succeeded in put
ting on a show that might have
made P. T. Barnum enviouS.
They got first-rate and often
temperamental lecturers on the
stage of the Shoreham ballroom.
They filled the ballroom with the
right people at every meeting.
They provided a panel of brisk
obiectors to heckle each lecturer.
And they emerged at the end Of
the season cheerful and free from
care. And with an enthusiastic
public waiting for another year
of the Town Hall.
This seasons first Town Hall
meeting will be held tomorrow
night when Frank SimondS talks
about the International Situa'
ton. Since Mr.. Simonds always
says what he thinks and always
thinks a-plenty, the evening
should be good.
I sat in the office Of the Town
Hall the other afternoon and
learned a little about the Dear
Public. People were coming in to
discuss "the program" Most OF
the visitors said they liked the
selection Of speakers tremend-
ouSly.
But some said, "I am subscrib-
ing, but I do think your program
is much too conservative. Others
looking at the same list declared,
IT am sorry you have selected
such radical speakers. but OF
course, I cannot afford to get out
Of touch. So give me two season
tickets, please.
In Norway few drunken people
are behind the steering wheels OF
automobiles.
One reason for this idyllic state
Mr.. Carl j. Hambro, president OF
the Norwegian parliament, ex-
planned to me while he was in
Washington. The driver of every
car in an accident in his country
is taken promptly to police sta
ton There his blood is tested
for the alcohol it contains. If an
undue amount is discovered, the
driver is fined heavily. And
clapped into a cell to stay a while.
A dentist we know has a radio
which he will turn on at the re-
quest of his patients. During the
last football game in which Notre
Dame played, the radio was on
while a sister from the Convent
of the Sacred Heart was having a
tooth filled. Two other sisters
were in the waiting room.
When Notre Dame was Strug-
Cling hardest to hold the line, the
sister in the chair and the two
in the waiting room got so excited
that the dentist said he'd either
have to turn off the radio or stop
filling the tooth.
So he stopped filling the tooth.
A friend of mine with Whimsi-
cal twist of mind and muscle has
perfected an invention guaranteed
to see anybody through Wash
ington season.
He calls it his "air-c cooled smile.' -
That's all I know about it.
I keep hearing things about the
people of the Carnegie Institution
that set me to wondering why SO
much of Washington'S social
strength is spent on political per
Sonalities when dozens of interest
ing scientific characters are wan
dering about the place.
My last piece of news about
scientific exploits has to do with
the expedition of Mr.. j. Wilbur
Green, his family and staff, to
the terrestrial magnetism station
nea. Perth, Australia. For three
years Mr.. Green will study the in
clination and declination of the
earth's surface in their RELATIVELY
to each other and to much else
besides. I haven't the foggiest
idea what that means.
But I've a hunch that before
he starts for his station, Mr.. Greer
ought to taxa a few minutes of
and give official Washington q
lesson or two in values and pro
portion.
Mr.. Johnny Wheeler (beau and
bon vivant) says his French pro
fesSor at Princeton was a man
of moods. He got bored from
time to time correcting the test
papers of his students.
So he would stand at the tor
of the steps of his house ano
toss all the papers down the
stairs. The papers that went the
farthest he marked perfect.
Those that fell next he marked
passing" And those that trav
eled only a short distance and
fell nearest to him, he marked