Letters: Jul. 20, 1925

Herewith are excerpts from letters come to the desks of the editors during the past week. They are selected primarily for the information they contain cither supplementary to, or corrective of, news previously published in TIME.

“Mighty Achievement”

TIME Albany, N. Y.

New York, N. Y. July 11, 1925

Sirs:

I have just finished reading the derogatory, fault-finding letters of several of your self-styled “charter subscribers.” They have roused my ire—me, a mere newcomer to the ranks of TIME readers. I feel it my duty to mount the rostrum of Free Speech, to defend TIME, once more to proclaim the independence of the Press—its inalienable right to be frank with its readers and itself. Truth is the only legitimate censor of the Public Press. Errors (not lies) find their way into the printed page as they do in the spoken word. In speech, they are excused as “slips of the tongue”; in print, they are inexcused and hastily defamed as “libel.” Why the two standards? TIME is to be patted upon the back for printing the letters of its readers pointing out its errors; it is to be more heavily patted for not trying to excuse its faults as “typographical errors” or the result of “conditions over which it exerted no control,” as the average Press so often does.

TIME is frank with itself; TIME is likewise frank with its readers. Frankness breeds discontent at times; discontent brings complaint, sometimes valid, more often invalid. TIME, in its unique way, says things at times that hit home with a bang—its criticisms are harsh —its adjectives ever are pointed as daggers— it portrays the world a bit cynically yet interestingly—it sees good in some, bad in others, worse in a few, and in so doing pacifies the thinker and makes the gullible thing. That is a mighty achievement; certainly it should overshadow the minor errors that too often arouse petty sentimentalists to complaint.

Keep up the good work, TIME; you are the quintessence of Life.

JEROME H. WALKER.*

Official Title

TIME Franklin, Mass. New York, N. Y. July 13, 1925 Sirs:

In TIME, July 6, Page 18, in a footnote you say the official title of the Roman Catholic Church is “Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” This would be quite correct and altogether true but for the omission of one most significant and necessary word. That word is Roman. The official title then of the Roman Church is “The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church.”

Authority: A Manual of Prayers For Use of the Catholic Laity, P. 413,415, John Murphy Co., Baltimore, Md., 1889. Will you please make this correction for the truth’s sake?

CHAS. F. WESTMAN

(Original Subscriber)

P. S. “Easter Saturday,” Page 18, col. 2, should be “Easter Even” or “Holy Saturday.” There is no such day as “Easter Saturday.”

TIME believes that if Original Subscriber Westman will inquire of the John Murphy Co., he will find that the manual was technically incorrect and that TIME was correct.—ED.

Howie Scored

TIME Coronado, Calif.

New York, N. Y. June 30, 1925

Sirs:

It is human nature to enjoy appreciation; therefore I am giving you visible evidence of mine. Your weekly makes what is often a dull affair (keeping up with the news) a positive pleasure. This is undoubtedly due to your style of rendition, preserving, withal, the unbiased truth.

Such objections to the contents of TIME as that of Mr. John McF. Howie (issue June 22, Page 26) do not, I take it, cause you sleepless nights. Can this be the gentleman mentioned in the May number of the American Mercury?* One of the fattest, paunchiest men I know is a hotel proprietor—also one of the most humorous. If a sense of humor and a paunch are closely allied, as some claim, Mr. Howie could probably do with a bit of a paunch himself.

Since my initial contact with TIME I have discontinued a subscription to a more bulky periodical and have become a subscriber to TIME in thought as well as deed.

P. N. JACKSON. Lawrence Scored

TIME Hobson, Mont.

New York, N. Y. June 30, 1925

Sirs:

TIME came this morning and, after enjoying the first columns, I encountered the book reviews on Page 13 (issue of June 29). Just why did the editors find it necessary to review St. Mawr? Since they make no attempt to review every book published, what was the idea in selecting that collection of nastiness? We who live out in the w. k. open spaces find it not only uninteresting but disgusting. We breed pur animals, it is true, but we do not make it a dinner-table topic nor do we romance about it in novels. We have some good breeding stock in Montana and once in another state I knew a farmer who owned a red-gold stallion, but never in all my experience have I seen one that spouted a “dark invisible flame.” Just how did they know he did it; anyway?

The critic says the author would lead men back to the birthday of the species “lest they forget the elements of their nature.” Lest they forget! Rot! Believe me, they’ll not forget as long as Davy and his kind keep ’em stirred up!

Let us hope Lou found the place where she could “be very still,” so still that David Lawrence will not find it necessary to write a sequel to this horse book. .

Unless you can make a wiser selection than St. Mawr and That Nice Young Couple, why not cut out the book reviews for a while? CASSANDRA* O. PHELPS.

D. H. Lawrence is not an inconsequential figure in the literary world. TIME felt that his book merited a review.—ED.

Proper Credit

Time Denver, Col. New York, N. Y. July 11, 1925 Sirs: This is my first opportunity to pick a flaw in TIME, simply because, after two years of careful reading, it is the first which has come to my attention. On Page 30, column 2. of your issue of July 6, you state that Edward G. Chandler of the University of California won the Intercollegiate Tennis Championship from Cranston Holman of Stamford. Mr. Holman is a student at Leland Stanford Jr. University at Palo Alto, California. We Californians get more pleasure from winning any athletic event from Stanford University than from any other college for two reasons. In the first place, the universities-are traditional and dearly loved enemies. In the second place, it’s a mighty big honor to beat Stanford. So, will. you give California the proper credit, please? RALPH P. STIEHL

University of California, 1921

Paper Money

TIME Lake Placid Club, N. Y. New York, N. Y. July 12, 1925 Sirs: TIME, June 22, Page 2, gave four ways to decrease the rapidly growing cost of $1 bills, but omitted the most desirable. The chief wear on bills is from crumpling them up in pockets and wallets. Very few carry big wallets that will take bills flat. Women wad and jam them into their tiny purses. Most men and boys merely stuff them in pockets where they are quickly worn out. Expert studies for 50 years have proved that cards or slips can be handled much faster if about the standard international card catalog size; 7.5 x 12.5 cm. (just under 3×5 inches). We all know what a nuisance are the bedquilt Bank of England notes. Our the smaller bed-size is vastly more convenient. If this were again reduced to postal size,, it would still give space ‘for all needed printing and would be much quicker in handling, much more compact in money drawers. and safes and, constantly kept flat, would wear five times as The original library card catalog was on ¼ sheets of foolscap. Experience, showed it to be very wasteful of both time and space. Why can’t we profit by this experience and make our paper currency at once better and cheaper? During the Civil War, we had shin-plasters of even smaller size and everyone had made a them cheap most folder that convenient kept and them flat durable. . If and the Treasury can’t be induced to reduce the size of all bills, it might at least give us $1 and 50c bills of postal sizes. MELVIL DEWEY.

* Subscriber Walker is Managing Editor of the Albany Sunday Telegram. — ED. * Yes. The Mercury’s comment was favorable, as follows: “Buffalo’s Touraine, of the good Howie—gay and generous, for all he be a Scot.”—ED ” *The original Cassandra, legendary daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, tricked Apollo for a gift of prophecy. In revenge, Apollo ordained that none should believe her. In vain Cassandra prognosticated the ruin of Troy, in vain the death of Agamomnon.