Town Meeting of the Air interest increases

Title

Language

English

Year

1940

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

TOWN MEETING OF THE AIR INTEREST INCREASES The debate held on May 27th has probably aroused more interest than any other topic yet discussed on this program sponsored by Marsman Trading Corp. The topic for debate was "Should America join the European war now?", F. Theo. Rogers, publisher, traveler and keen student of world affairs on the affirmative side; and John R. McFie, Jr., former president of the local American Bar Assn. and a World War veteran, taking the negative. A large and cosmopolitan crowd witnessed the debate. The program for June 2nd sidestepped the usual debate, and instead, President Roosevelt's address before the Pan American Scientific Congress and the resignation speech of Neville Chamberlain before the House of Commons were offered in a dramatized presentation of the backgrounds, beginnings, developments and prospects of the worl'd war. This was the first Philippine broadcast of these speeches, which aroused so much interest throughout the world. Roosevelt's speech came in the wake of the Nazi blitzkreig in the Low Countries, his originally prepared speech being scrapped at the last moment in order that he could more fully and vigorously express himself against this iatest German outrage. Chamberlain's speech marked a historic day for the British empire as the dramatic climax of a long period of hesitation and divided effort and ushered in a new period of determined leadership. Leon Ma. Guerrero, moderator of the Town Meeting of the Air, provided the running comment. The possibility of developing other foreign markets while at the same time keeping our American trade is the ques8 tion that was discussed on the program of June 9th. Mr. Arsenio Luz, insurance executive and economist took the affirmative side, while Dr. Andres V. Castill'o, professor of economics and secretary of the National Economic Council, took the negative. The feasibility of using the national language (Tagalog) as a medium of instruction in the elementary grades of the public schools beginning 1946 is a question over which there is a sharp division of opinion among local' educational experts and laymen alike. The first public discussion on this subject was held at the Town Meeting on June 16th in a debate between President Florentino Cayco of the National University who took affirmative, with Dr. Gabino Tabu:fiar, executive officer of Union Col'lege taking the negative side. President Cayco, formerly a ranking man of the Bureau of Education and for years superintendent of the Manila city schools, is one of the ablest school'men of the country today. Dr. Tabu:fiar was formerly acting president of National University, and dean of its college of education. This feature program oJ Marsman Trading Corp. is we11-received abroad, according to Daniel Z. Romualdez, Manila lawyer, recently returned from Hongkong. He stated that a friend of his, Dr. K. B. Vaidya, who is managing director and chief editor of the Canton "Daily Sun" and "Truth", wished to send his impressions of this program, mentioning in particular the debate held during Foreign Trade Week between Dr. Celeste and Mr. Robb on M~y 19th, saying that it was a most interesting debate, very well presented. THE MARSMAN MAGAZINE for June, 1940

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