Evening star., 1947-05-10
Auditorium Needed

To the Editor Of The Star:
Recently, appalled,, as were so many
others, at the recent Texas City disaster.
wired friend. C.. E. McClelland, man
aging editor of the Galveston News
Tribune, that would produce benefit
show in Washington of a very high type.
with every penny Of the proceeds going
to the News-Tribune fund for the VIC
tins of the disaster. Mr.. McClcllani,
who is member of the board OF men
organized to administer the funds (ard
on this same board is Mayor Traham ct
Texas City, wired me to go ahead with
the project-to Use the newsp aper's
name-to raise whatever could to ale
viate the suffering that is still going On.
Whereupon got busy and made coatac r
with the management Of Washirgtoa's
largest auditoriums .. Cons titut.c,l
Hall and others. The Response WAS TIE
same: The old brushcF. Rentals from
5000 to $500 were In order, and 10 gratis
arrangements under any circumstances.
Then it was suggested that perhaps TIE
schools would permit one Of their avI-
toriums, possibly Roosevelt, to be ussS.
The answer from the schools was sbso-
lutely NO, n capita! letters.
With the shameful deart,l Of suitable
auditoriums in this, the Nations Cap.ts'
prevailing, as It IS, those IN charge os
: these auditoriuIus are certsi7'y being
either mercena1y or selfish.
In my state, Texas. any auditorium
desired would be thrown open !1lrleI'-
ately absolutely fire. Of charge for a
benefit Of this nature lave seen tie
occasion wherein the Municipal Audi
torium IN San Antonio, seating 5000
persons, was Immediately granted for g
worthy benefit: the City Auditorium In
Houston. seating 3,A0o, the same; school
auditoriums anywhere in that State can
be obtained for worthwhile purposes;
and the amazing thing about it all Is
that they have not suffered from the
added wear and tear, since an auditori-
UNI cannot be used more than 365 nights
in year. to begin with. The City of
Beaumont has fine municipal audito-
rum seating more than 1000, which Is
worthy project.
It is also very strange to me that city
as modern and as beautiful as Washing
ton can have so very few really suitable
auditoriuns for cultural activities. Your
Constitution Hall Is farce :. no opera
can be presented therein in an entirely
successful manner, and every one realizes
this. The National Theater seats pal
try few over 1000, and is the only legiti-
mate theater here. There are in Texas in
cities as small as, for example, Sweet
water, population about 10000, beauti-
full civic auditoriums with exceptional
acoustic properties, wherein almost any
type New York show can be presented.
Furthermore, they are, with rare ex-
ceptions, air conditioned for summer
comfort. And as hot as Texas sum-
mers are, they cannot compare with the
sweltering, sultry. humid, almost un-
bearable days Of which Washington D.
c.. can proudly boast.
have made hundreds of telephone
calls with regard to this proposed bene-
At for Texas City. There are many of
the city's finest artists who have indi-
Gated willingness to appear on the
program Of such benefit. But where?
Just where? Maybe you or some citizen
of the Nations Capital can tell me.
This I should like mace clear: The
benefit Is my own idea; Texas City is
not holding out begging hand. Yet,
believe me, there is still untold suffering
and need in that stricken community.
GENE THOMAS.