The Symposium entered its 30th year with an aura of established tradition and an imperfect vision of the future. The year began at the meeting of January 21, 1935 with a presentation by George Madison Priest, Ph.D., Professor of Germanic Languages and Literature, Princeton University on the topic: "Modern German Youth." This was a most timely topic, given the events transpiring in Europe.

With the death of Paul von Hindenberg and the election of Adolph Hitler as Fuhrer the previous year in 1935, the Nazi government abandoned the Versailles Treaty and began its systematic persecution of Jews. Chiang Kai-Shek took power in China. At home, the Social Security Act was passed, radar was first used to detect airplanes, American Airlines flew its first DC-3 and Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Pacific. George Gershwin composed Porgy and Bess.

And The Symposium took steps to renew some of its heritage. At the February meeting, a motion was made, seconded and passed to the effect that "The members of the Society believe it desirable to continue the ancient policy of making no newspaper mention of The Symposium activities."

The Annual Dinner Meeting held at Trenton Country Club on May 20, 1935 (23 members, 8 guests) was notable for the fact that it was the first that did not include the traditional cigars following dinner. The cost, totaling $109.20, figures out to $3.52 per person.

The following year the Annual Dinner Meeting on May 11th (again held at Trenton Country Club - 31 members, 9 guests) was the first meeting in The Symposium's history to have more than 30 members in attendance, something that did not occur again until May 1940, another 4 years. Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that the 31 members who attended represented the entire membership (30 regular members and one honorary member). This was also Dr. J. Duncan Spaeth's last appearance with The Symposium before taking up his new duties as President of the University of Kansas City. He spoke on the subject "Thirty-One Years of Princeton Teaching - Where are We Heading?" According to the minutes, "It is not necessary to comment on Dr. Spaeth's address as practically the whole Society was present to hear him and those fortunate enough to hear it will never forget it."

In October, 1939, discussion concerning changing the weeknight of the meeting took place. A motion was made to change the meeting night from the second Monday in the month to the second Tuesday in the month (there is no evidence in the minutes of the reasons for this). A vote was taken at the November meeting, and the idea was rejected.

A year later, on October 6, 1941, a momentous change in the fabric of the organization took place. A motion was made and passed to increase the dues from $10 a year to $15 a year effective January 1, 1942. This was the first increase in dues since the founding of The Symposium in 1904. It should be noted that the dues were expected to cover the costs of the suppers following the regular meetings and the Annual Dinner Meeting as well as incidental costs associated with the operating of the club. In 1941 the Treasurer reported a net deficit of $26.18 with $420 in dues income (3 members delinquent in payment) and expenditures of $446.18 (Annual Dinner $202.50, Suppers $215.05, Miscellaneous $38.63).

Apparently this dues bite was a little too much for some of the members, particularly those who did not regularly attend the meetings because, the following year, at the meeting in October, 1942, a motion was passed, effective January, 1943, reducing the dues once more to $10 but requiring each member to pay for his own meals.

This, however, did not work out as well as expected for on January 3, 1944, Sackett M. Dickenson, the Secretary-Treasurer reported as follows:

"At the present time there are 46 members of the Society. The average attendance at the meetings has been about 28. We have collected for the dinners (including tips) $317.00 and have expended $556.15 thus leaving a deficit of $239.15 which has been paid out of dues. The average cost per meal was $1.50 to each member."

During its fourth decade, The Symposium prospered. The fears expressed in the early 1930's regarding the future were dispelled by increased attendance and pertinent topics for discussion at the meetings.

Eleven members died or resigned during the decade. Edward C. Stokes and Frederick M. Gnichtel died in 1942 after 37 and 32 years of active membership respectively. Malcolm Buchanan died and G. Parry Forst, who had shepherded the organization through the identity crisis of 1932, resigned in 1943 after 24 and 22 years of membership, respectively. Twenty-one new members were admitted. Of these, however, nine died or resigned before the end of the decade, creating a net gain in membership of 2 during the course of the ten years.

Among the new members were James Kerney, Jr., Editor of the Trenton Times, who replaced as a member his father who had died the previous year, both Albert E. Mickelwright and Samuel Mountford of the law firm Mickelwright and Mountford, Paul Morton, the City Manager of Trenton, John H. Bosshart, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, and W. Enos Wetzel who was to remain a member of the club for 46 years,

Attendance at meetings improved dramatically over the previous ten years. Compared to an average attendance of 16.1 per meeting or 43.7% of the active membership from 1925-35, the 1935-45 period produced an average attendance of 20.9 per meeting or 53.2% of the members.

The topics presented at the meetings reflected the times - all highlight the concerns and interests of the members at the time. In all, 30 of the 78 programs held during the decade focused on topics of World Affairs and Public Policy Here are some examples:

" "Conditions in Germany at the Present Time" (1937)
" "Germany of Today" (1939), "Finland Faces Russia" (1940)
" "The Significance of New Zealand in the Present World Situation" (1941)
" "Greece and the Drama of Democracy" (1941)
" "Is Our War Program Being Endangered?" (1942)
" "The Arab and Moslem World and Its Relation to the Present Conflict" (1942)
" "China's Place in the Future" (1943)
" "The Last Days of Singapore" (1943)
" "The Chinese-Japanese Situation" (1944)
" "Problems of Freedom in a Modern World" (1944)
" "The Philippines - Economic and Political Problems" (1945)
" "Russia and the World Situation" (1945)
" "The United States and the Army" (1945)

In March, 1945, a proposal to have a member of The Symposium give a five or ten minute book review preceding the speaker of the evening was adopted. As far as can been determined from the minutes, it was not a terribly popular decision. At the following meeting, on April 2nd, William B. Duryea provided a review of "Lee's Lieutenants" by Douglas S. Freeman but the occasion was never repeated.

Also at the March 1945 meeting, a proposal was made to prepare a forty year history of the society. It was approved and Mr. Howard L. Hughes was requested to supervise its preparation. Unfortunately, nothing came of this proposal and a "Forty Year History" was never written though, as pointed out at the beginning of this document, the anniversary had been celebrated at the meeting held on December 4, 1944.

Following the end of the War, in early 1946, the meetings of The Symposium began to grow shorter. Previously, they typically began at 7:00 PM with dinner followed by a presentation and discussion and adjourned around 10:30 or 11:00 PM. But beginning in April 1946, the meetings convened at 6:30 PM and usually adjourned at 9:00 or 9:30 PM. Also, the cost of the dinners began rising. In 1946, the cost of dinner at the Annual Meeting held at the Trenton Country Club for 29 members and 2 guests was $83.85 -- $2.70 per person.

During the meeting of April, 1947 a spirited discussion took place on the question of whether or not to dress for the Annual Dinner Meeting. A motion was made to make it optional and passed "in a close vote." Tuxedos were no longer required!

In 1948, the Trenton Country Club announced that it would no longer serve dinners on Monday evenings and the meeting dates of The Symposium were changed to the first Tuesday of each month. The meetings were held on the first Tuesday until November, 1950 when The Trenton Country Club apparently reversed its decision and meetings began again to be held on Mondays.

On May 9, 1950, the group met for its Annual Dinner at the Nassau Tavern and then walked to the home of Mr. Elmer Adler, an Assistant Professor at Princeton University, at 36 University Place, to view his collection of masterpieces of printing and graphic arts.

The Annual Dinner Meeting on May 7, 1951, attended by 23 members and no guests, was the first annual dinner meeting in the history of The Symposium at which Symposium business was conducted. In an excerpt from a letter from Oliver E. Montague, Managing Director of the Trenton Country Club to Sackett Dickinson, Secretary-Treasurer, he stated, "the price of your menu will be $2.75 per person and will consist of the following: