Philadelphia's Solution

For 24 hours last week Philadelphia was faced with the prospect of having no grand opera next season. The New York Metropolitan announced that it could no longer afford its weekly trips there. Philadelphians, it seemed, had been sluggish about contributing to the Metropolitan's life-or-death drive last spring. Day later, however, the Philadelphia Orchestra Association took most of the sting from the Metropolitan's action by announcing that it would put on opera itself, three performances a week during ten of its 30-week season.

Conductor Leopold Stokowski's worst enemies grant him his tremendous enterprise, his gift for dramatically making the most of a bad situation. Stokowski's hand was seen in the promise to give new as well as standard operas, in the report that there would be double-cast experiments presenting comely actors on the stage while the voices of expert singers would come from behind the scenes by electrical transmission. Such ventures require money and Stokowski's Orchestra has had trouble enough paying its routine way this season. Most Philadelphians felt that they had Mary Louise Curtis Bok to thank for sav ing their city's opera reputation. She has been quietly attending all the Orchestra's board meetings. She still owns the scenery and costumes used by the Philadelphia Grand Opera. Only a professional com pany can give her Curtis Institute pupils the experience they need. The Philadelphia Grand Opera dis banded when Curtis Publishing, earnings were about at their low. Now Curtis no longer owns the money-losing New York Evening Post* And the Saturday Evening Post was 1 24 pages thick last week. In 1930 it went under 100.

*Last week's Philadelphia rumor: The Curtises plan to dispose of the costly morning Public Ledger, continuing only the evening and Sunday editions. Overhead saved from the morning Ledger would pay the installments on the more profitable Inquirer.

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