Evening star., 1940-12-29
Town Hall 10 Present
Variety Of Topics in
Season Opening Jan. 5
WorId-Known Speakers
To Be Heard; Advance
Ticket SuIes Brisk

The Town Hall of Washington,
which next Sunday will begin its
seventh annual season of open forum
programs, at the Shoreham Hotel,
attributes It's success to the fact that
it offers its audience a chance to
speak as well as to hear.
When the plan for such an Or
ganization here was proposed back
in 1884, many skeptics protested
that Washingtonians wouldn't care
for the forum procedure. If the
House and Senate do not keep the
balconies filled with non-paying
listeners at all times, these objectors
declared, then certainly Town Hall
discussions with paid admission re-
quired would not attract large
number Of persons.
But the informal panel discus
sions that followed each Town Hall
lecture soon convinced the audience
that they could take an active part
in the programs. And the method
used here was adopted by New
York's Town Hall.
Advance Sales Brisk.
Advance season ticket sales for
this years Town Hall programs
already exceed the total such sales
for the entire program last year,
according to Mrs. Richard v.
Oulahan, director.
Eight of Is scheduled meetings
will consider some vital phase of
the present world crisis. But the
program is one of wide contrast
and Is in no sense war heavy"
For example, while Leland Stowe,
famous foreign correspondent, will
describe his observations in Europe,
William Lyon Phelps will speak on
the "Art of Living" and John j.
Anthony is to conduct an evenings
consideration of Psychology in
Marriage Problems"
Dramatic performances by Cor
nelia Otis Skinner .and ELISA Landi
will vary the pace of such discus
sions as Archduke Felix of Austria
will lead on rs a United States of
Europe PosSible?" and Nine. Cen
evieve TabouiS will conduct on
Social Aspects of a Hitler DOM
mated Europe"
The initial program on January
5 will mark the first appearance
of royalty before a Town Hall
audience here. Archduke Otto of
Austria is to speak on christianity
and War" The serious minded
heir to the Hapsburgh dynasty is
a graduate of Louvain University
and has made life study of govern
ment. He fed from Paris two days
before the German invasion.
Thomas Mann to Speak.
Other speakers will be Alexander
Kerensky, filling a return engage
ment with Town Hall and pondering
the question, who Will Win-Stalin
or Hitler?"; Thomas Mann, 1929
Nobel prize winner and widely re-
garded as the greatest living man
OF letters. looking into This War
and Democracy; Admiral H. E.
Yarnell. former commander of the
United States Asiatic Fleet and an
authority on his subject, Americas
Problem in the Pacific; Bertrand
Russell, English philosopher, speak
ing on Education for Democracy"
and Dorothy Thompson. newspaper
and radio commentator. who is
expected to select some controver-
sial current problem as her topic.
John w. Studebaker, United
States Commissioner of Education.
IS again Chairman of the Town Hall
board of trustees, with Huston
Thompson serving as president.
Other officers and board members
are Newbold Noyes, vice President;
Frederick Gibbs, treasurer; Mrs.
Oulahan, director; Mrs. Grace Roper
Bohn, associate director; Leo j.
Paulin, executive secretary; Dean
Acheson, Mrs Robert Wood Bliss,
Mrs. Frank S. Bright, Mrs. John
Carruthers, John Franklin Carter,
Wilson Compton, George V. Denny,
Jr.; Mrs. John Allan Dougherty, Mrs.
Emil Hurja, Erward Keating, Canon
Albert H. Lucas, Mrs. Howell Moor
head, Harold G. Moulton, Walter E.
Meyer, Mrs. Bruce Smith, Rev.
Edmund A. Walsh, S. j., and Mrs.
H. w. Wiley.