Letters, Mar. 22, 1937

Harding’s Negatives

Sirs:

I noted with interest TIME’S triple negative (TIME, Feb. 1) called to your attention by Mrs. C. I. Wurster of Denver, Colo. [TIME, Feb. 15], but still believe that I have the world’s finest example of the triple negative.

It was produced by the late Warren Gamaliel Harding in a speech he made here after his election and before the inauguration. He was sounding off to Latin America that his Administration would have no imperialistic policy and he said most emphatically, “We don’t want nobody’s territory nowhere.”

I doubted my ears but checked with three stenographers who were taking the speech verbatim and each one found the expression in his notes exactly as I had heard it.

C. H. CALHOUN

The New York Times Balboa Heights, C. Z.

Goliath’s Cubits

Sirs:

Measuring Goliath’s height in feet and inches had never occurred to me, so when I read in your March 1 issue that Goliath was 9 ft. 9 in. tall, I immediately desired to know where you obtained this exact information.

After a thorough and exhaustive search of various Bibles, Bible dictionaries, abridged and unabridged dictionaries, the works of Josephus, The Bible Concordance, etc., I found that Goliath could have been anywhere between 6 ft. 6 in. and 11 ft. 4½ in. tall. His brass breastplate weighed between 156 and 312 lb. His iron spear tip weighed about 20 or 40 lb.

The Bible states that Goliath was six cubits and a span in height. Josephus says he was four cubits and a span in height.

A cubit is the distance from a man’s elbow to the tip of his ringers and a span is the span of the hand or approximately one half of a cubit. These units of measurement are of course variable as the size of the person doing the measuring.

Please confirm your assertedly authoritative statement concerning the height of Goliath in feet and inches.

WILLIAM P. STOKES

Greenwood, Miss.

British Toxicologist C. J. S. Thompson, honorary curator of the historical section of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons and author of The Mystery and Lore of Monsters (Macmillan, 1931) takes the Bible’s version of Goliath’s height, computes it at “about 9 ft. 9 in.”—ED.

Alkalized Notre Dame

Sirs:

Your interesting article “Bicarbonated Energy,” relating the experiences of the Germans with alkalinization of athletes to improve their stamina [TIME, March 1], does not do justice to one of America’s most famed trainers of athletes, the late Knute Rockne, who for years before his leath insisted on the use of citrocarbonate, which is an alkalizer, for just this purpose throughout the athletic department at Notre Dame University. Often the consumption of alkali there amounted to 100 lb. in a year, which seems to indicate Mr. Rockne’s belief in the alkalinization theory was established a number of years prior to its publication in Germany.

J. W. SCHMA Niles Center, Ill. Notre Dame continues Knute Rockne’s prescription for offsetting acidity caused by strenuous exercise, uses more than 200 Ib. of citrocarbonate a year. Principal ingredients: sodium & potassium bicarbonate.—ED.

Friend of Fairness Sirs: I have never read a more unjust letter, “Friend of Franco,” TIME, March 1, aimed at a brave people, proven by the terrific fighting against trained and well-supplied troops from Italy and Germany; also thousands of barbaric Moors from Africa.

No greater wrong has been perpetrated against a nation, a government voted for and established by a large majority of the people of Spain. Are we reverting back to times when no country or people are safe from the ambitious covetousness of cruel kings or powerful armies?

All informed people know of the condition of the common people of Spain, prior to the establishment of the Republic, subjugated by government, church and the military.

She (E. M. Fromkes) states, she is appalled and crushed by America’s public opinion. We should thank our Creator every day for that public opinion. Fairness to every honest man and every honest endeavor, that is what makes our government the freest and best in the world today.

CHARLES C. HOUCK

Los Angeles, Calif.

No Novelty

Sirs:

The Hispano-Suiza motcur canon (TIME, Jan. 11 and March 8) which taxed the credulity of one of your correspondents, is no novelty in air warfare. Precisely such a weapon, of 37 mm. calibre, was mounted in the shaft of the 300 h.p. Spad supplied to leading French pursuit pilots, back in September, 1918. De Turenne, my escadrille commander, had one. So did foremost French ace Fonck, who on one occasion had fired the canon, was easing away in a power dive to shake off some Fokkers behind him when one of the empty 37 mm. shell cases jammed his stick control, so that he could not pull out of the dive. At the risk of falling out, Fonck threw off his safety belt in order to reach the stick mounting, pry the shell case loose, finally succeeded, under fire from German planes above.

The motcur canon had other drawbacks. Being a single-loader, it was hard to handle a Spad, keep a weather eye around and keep the canon fed. The fuses were supersensitive, for balloon work, likely to explode if poked hastily into the gun in the excitement of a brawl. If the pilot was not to miss with his single shell, he had to climb practically aboard the enemy plane before firing. If the Spanish Loyalists insist on World War ordnance, they might be better pleased with the 11 mm. Vickers-AIaxim machine gun, which heaved incendiary slugs of impressive size in a rapid, reliable manner, even more useful on pedestrians than on hostile pilots, practical in disposing of Spanish natives. GEORGE DOCK JR.

Scarsdale, N. Y.

No Ransom

Sirs: In your issue of March 8, Foreign News section, and under the heading “Golden Frame” you give various figures regarding the prices in force for seats from which to view the Coronation Procession in London next May.

Whilst the range of prices that you quote— from a minimum of $94.50,up to a maximum of $262.50—are no doubt correct as being those offered by the company whose name you mention, the impression given to the casual reader is that the minimum rates quoted are the lowest in force anywhere. As such, they are likely to appall the person of moderate means who is contemplating a visit to England at this time.

My company, acting in conjunction with the Anchor Line, has an excellent range of first-class seating accommodation, ranging originally from $17.50 up to $105, of which, however, only seats from $46 upwards now remain. Whilst these seats are primarily designed to meet the needs of passengers traveling to Glasgow in the Anchor Line vessels, a certain surplus is available for the public.

A further impression created by your article is that hotel accommodation in London is virtually unobtainable, and that conditions are chaotic. Here again I beg to correct you, as my company has a good supply of medium-class space available at prices not ridiculously high.

Figures are above normal admittedly, but there is no reason whatsoever why the American desiring moderate accommodation should be stampeded into paying fantastic figures, either for hotel space or seats.

Admittedly, accommodation is unobtainable at the first-class or de luxe hotels in London, but I have found little difficulty in accommodating the type of passenger desiring this grade of hotel, in service apartments where he will find an equivalent degree of comfort at rates within comparatively reasonable limits.

The impression that I wish to correct is that the American of fairly modest means desiring to view the Coronation must first possess himself of a king’s ransom, and then be satisfied to sleep on a billiard table, and I am sure that you will be willing to cooperate with me in removing any such impression that your article may have tended to create. . . .

G. H. YOUNG

New York Representative Roxburgh. Colin Scott & Cox, Ltd. Xew York City

DeYine Predicament

Sirs:

No! No! A thousand times No! to the suggestion of Roland Moncure [TIME, Feb. 22] that TIME and LIFE reach their destinations on different days! What with one’s husband, a 15-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter to pounce upon them, it sometimes happens that I am able to seize one! But for only ONE to be arriving at a time—I surely hope not for there would then be two days a week to endure the suspense which I only have to experience one day now! Let the management of both TIME and LIFE consider the many other readers in my predicament! MAUDE E. DEVINE St. Paul, Minn.

Turner’s Figures

Sirs:

I believe that TIME should be informed more thoroughly concerning the North American Figure Skating Championships which were held in Boston last month. It is apparent that TIME has muffed one of the most interesting stories of figure skating this year. When, three days before the opening of the championship, Erie Reiter, America’s second ranking skater and almost Robin Lee’s equal, was discovered to be the only American entrant who might come anywhere near “pushing” Canada’s Montgomery (“Bud”) Wilson, Roger F. Turner, 36-year-old Boston lawyer, was asked to compete. Out of active competition for over two years . . . Turner was given two hours to brush up on his “school figures” and the following day ended up in second place, a good 30 points over third-placer Erie Reiter. The following night Turner maintained his lead by a sparkling free skating performance while Reiter dropped back into fourth position.

JOHN ALLEN LEITH

Providence, R. I.

War Guilt Sirs:

TIME, Feb. 8 speaks on p. 21, third column, erroneously of “the ‘war guilt’ of Germany as admitted, signed and ratified in the Treaty of Versailles.”

There never has been an “admittance.” The theory of the war guilt of Germany was construed by some of the Allied Governments and inserted into the draft of the final peace treaty. The German delegation to the Paris peace conference delivered a substantiated contradiction against that theory on May 29, 1919, duly received by the Allied and Associate Governments and never revoked. Therefore, when the unamended draft was signed June 28, 1919. these Governments were fully conscious of the fact that the German Government held the reverse opinion toward the so-called “war guilt.” As a matter of course, no signature obtained by violence from a contracting party can pretend to mean “admittance.”

DR. GEORGE W. NEUMEISTER

Berlin

The clincher which proves that Germany admitted “war guilt” in signing the Treaty of Versailles is that 18 years afterward Adolf Hitler found it necessary to repudiate officially this German admission by renouncing Article 231, Section I, Part VIII of the Treaty which reads: “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm, and Germany accepts, the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.”—ED.

Pigeons

Sirs:

I wish to take this means of personally, and in behalf of the officers and directors of the National Pigeon Association, thanking you for the interesting article entitled “Pigeons In Peoria” which appeared in TIME, Feb. 1.

From the information received by me this article was read and enjoyed by readers far and wide, not only pigeon fanciers but the uninitiated.

PETER TRELEAVEX

President

National Pigeon Association Lansing, Mich.