Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-20
BY CASPER NAMES
Religious News Editor Of The Star

HARRISBURG, Pa, Oct. IT,
The State educational building
forum where the United Lutheran
Church convention was held this
week is an unusual place.
The spacious hall is designed
like an ancient Roman forum
semi circular with the ceiling
decorated SO as to suggest the
open sky. More than a 1000
stars are shown. and numerous
electric lights are varied in in
tensity to give the stars diff
ferent magnitude.
Seven maps. each 20 feet high
and 35 feet long. are on the
forum walls. They are separated
by eight chronological tables
with 10000 words outlining the
history of civilization.
The stage can accommodate
a full orchestra. It's Angora
plush velvet curtain is operated
by eight motors.
More than 1900 seats radiate
upwards from the orchestra pit,
where the press sat during the
convention. The front section
accommodated the TOT delegates
The rest OF the seats were set
aside for visitors who filled them
all at most evening sessions.
Feat OF Memory
DR.. Franklin Clark Fry, presi-
dent of the United Lutheran
Church. is a remarkable man
His endurance at these meet
lngs constantly evokes exclama-
tons Of wonder. He presided
at all the sessions. They began
at 8:45 am. each day, broke of
at noon and resumed at 2 pm,
ran to 5 pm, started at 7:45
pm. and ended at 10 pm.
Probably the intellectual
quality that astounds those first
watching DR.. Fry in action is
his memory and command OF
parliamentary procedure. A
delegate will arise and the
church head will not only call
the mans name but also give
the city where he lives. This is
true even for those attending
their first convention. When
there are TOT delegates, that is
quite a feat.
Raised on Roberts Rules
DR.. Fry's command of parlia-
mentary procedure is even more
impressive. He rarely consults
Roberts Rules of Order. yet i'm
mediately comes up with the
exact ruling on a complicated
point of order.
There is a story behind his
mastery of parliamentary rules.
AS a child he was brought up
in an atmosphere that related to
such details. His grandfather
was DR.. Jacob Fry, a professor
at the Lutheran Theological
Seminary in Philadelphia. His
father was DR.. Franklin F. Fry,
for many years secretary Of the
denominations board of Ameri-
can missions. Both men were
convention figures, and talk
about parliamentary procedure
at home was frequent.
The small boy heard the talk
with wide open eyes and eager
ears 1t inspired him to study
Roberts Rules with the same en-
thusiasm other boys studied bat
ting averages.
1t might also be added that
DR.. Fry has not. neglected the
American boy habit of memoir
izing batting averages. He is to-
day a master in this field and
can give not only the batting
averages but the fielding per-
centages and the pitching earned
run marks of all major league
players. He is a Yankee fan.
X \
Welcomed by Governor
Gov. George M. Leader Of
Pennsylvania. member of
st. Pauls Lutheran Church,
York, Pa. in welcoming the dele
gates on opening day apologized
for the long speech he was going
to give.
1T is not often I get chance
to speak to ministers, especially
my own minister, SO if am
little long -winded you will for