Letters, Feb. 11, 1935

Beautiful Carolina

Sirs:

“Not the most beautiful portions of the U. S. are the Carolinas”—TIME, Jan. 21, p. 24.

I take issue with your statement and remind you of the words of John Galsworthy in visiting Magnolia Gardens on the Ashley River above Charleston, S. C. when he said he had seen gardens in Italy and the beauties of the world, but nothing so lovely as the azaleas and japonicas of these gardens.

I grant that parts of my native South Carolina (Ridgeway) are “flat, sandy, scrubby, down-at-heel,” but these parts are offset by the plantation river homes of the low-country, Charleston with the churches, homes and public buildings of unsurpassed architectural charm, gardens, gates, doorways and streets that equal any in the world. The beauties of Italy, Amain, Sorrento, Naples remind me only of Charleston and its surrounding “low-country.”

But that is not all. The pines of Summerville, crape jasmine and myrtle, wisteria and roses, boxwood, live oaks and Spanish moss, palmetto, banana, poinsettias and oleander—only parts of Florida, not California, can compare. Even the low black swamps have a rare appeal. Cypress with spreading trunks and entangling roots.

Or the western part of the Carolinas, the Blue Ridges with their evergreens, myrtle and wild azalea, laurel and rhododendron.

The poverty of certain rural sections of the Carolinas stands in strange contrast to the un-surpassing beauty of certain of the well-kept plantations, gardens and homes.

CHARLES EDWARD THOMAS Indianapolis, Ind.

Sirs:

“Whutchamean” . . . “not the most beautiful portion of the United States are the Carolinas”? What portion of the U. S. is more beautiful than our Great Smoky Mountains—Banners Elk, Linville Falls, Chimney Rock, Tryon, Brevard, Hendersonville, Blowing Rock and other mountain retreats; or our famous winter resorts—Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Camden, Aiken, Summerville; or Myrtle Beach, Kitty Hawk; and the beautiful gardens of Charleston, Orangeburg and Wilmington, to which we might add our world-known hunting and fishing grounds—Ocracoke, Lake Matta-muskeet and Morehead City?

If we are down-at-the-heel, it is due to the speed we are making in recovery.

COLEMAN W. ROBERTS President

Carolina Motor Club Charlotte, N. C.

Sirs:

We resent your referring to our State as scrubby, down-at-heel.

A. R. COLEMAN

Spartanburg, S. C.

Sirs:

. . . Such unpardonable ignorance! . . .

ROY M. BROWN

Chapel Hill, N. C.

Sirs:

… I consider that an insult. . . .

CHARLES FARRELL

Age 12 Greensboro, N. C.

Bite of Pepper

Sirs:

… To err is human and to me a recent error is most embarrassing. On p. 24 in TIME, Jan. 21 I quote from the article captioned, “Beautiful Boxes”—”Before the contest Mr. Britt’s mailbox was propped on a fence rail between tin signs advertising Coca-Cola and a tonic known as DR. PEPPER (‘Good for Life’).”

Obviously the editorial writer knows nothing about Dr. Pepper and perhaps quite naturally assumed it was a tonic, due to its unique name. I hasten to assure him that Dr. Pepper is the oldest soft drink in the South, having been on the market since 1885, originating in Waco, Tex. and getting its name purely by accident.

Dr. Pepper is a carbonated beverage, the syrup being a blend of natural flavors, a blend so subtle that no one flavor stands put yet it is delicious, thirst-quenching and literally speaking, a food, a 6 l/2 oz. bottle of this sparkling beverage containing approximately 103 calories. Although it is a tonic in a measure, at the same time most Americans, I imagine, look on a tonic as a medicine and even though the beverage is called “Dr. Pepper,” it should not be associated with medicine in any way.

Our slogan, which is now famous throughout the Old South, Southwest and Middle West, is “Drink A Bite To Eat At 10, 2 and 4 O’Clock.” This slogan is not merely an advertising catch-phrase but based on a scientific laboratory tested fact. . . .

Eventually Dr. Pepper will be made available to the Editors of TIME in New York and after having drunks just one bottle or glass of Dr. Pepper, one will quickly disassociate it with tonic. . . .

W. V. BALLEW

Sales Manager Dr. Pepper Co. Dallas, Tex.

Sirs:

. . . Let the millions of drinkers of the South’s oldest and finest carbonated beverage establish its rating and may they swamp you with letters to the point of acute embarrassment. . . .

P. W. BULLOCK Dr. Pepper Salesman St. Louis, Mo. They have done so.—ED.

Methodists Left

Sirs:

You are to be commended heartily for your comprehensive, quite accurate report under Religion (TIME, Jan. 21) of “Methodists Left.” It is another sample of the wide-awake, thorough reporting which has made me an ardent “TIMEster.”

The article contains, however, three errors, two of which are comparatively unimportant, but one of which really ought to be corrected in your columns:

1) Francis John McConnell has been Bishop in New York since 1928 (not 1931, as stated in your article).

2) Harry F. Ward is professor, not of theology (as stated in your article), but of Christian Ethics, in Union Theological Seminary.

3) Contrary to the statement contained in your footnote, the New York Post carried a rather extended notice of the protest of the 50 churchmen in its issue for Tuesday, Jan. 8. The notice is part of an article on p. 26, headlined “J. W. Wise Calls Hearst ‘Fascist.’ ” Not thoroughly acquainted with journalistic ethic, I am not sure just how badly the Post has sinned in the eyes of the profession. I think, however, that it should be congratulated upon a good piece of reporting. . . . J. THOBURN LEGG

Port Ewen, N. Y.

P. S. A medal of some kind should be struck off in recognition of the achievement of Professor Ward and Miss Winifred Chappell, under whose joint editorship the Social Questions Bulletin (formerly the Social Service Bulletin), during many long years of campaigning on the social-economic front, has never been known to make a misstatement of fact.

To Editors Ward & Chappell, awed congratulations.—ED.

Virgins & Time Sirs:

“To the Virgins, to make much of Time” was written by Robert Herrick (1591-1674) and not by Richard Herrick as stated in your issue of Jan. 28. I am surprised at you.

PALMER BRADLEY

Houston, Tex.

Sirs: TSK! TSK! TIME! Such ingratitude! Such treatment of your immortal advance agent! Almost three centuries ago he wrote ”To the Virgins, to make much of Time,” and now you filch from him his good name! Tsk! Tsk! TO TIME TO MAKE LESS OF THE “VIRGINS.” Gather allusions where ye may, Old TIME is near to lying. Must Robert’s name to Richard, pray, Be changed by Herrick’s flying?

J. R. TOMBAUGH Head of the Department of English The Manlius School Manlius, N. Y.

Unlike the Social Questions Bulletin (see above), TIME has fallible proofreaders, to whom a stinging rebuke.—ED.

Ancient Tale

Sirs:

The story of the native’s return (TIME, Jan. 28) is much older than the writer of the article

(and perhaps Messrs. Woollcott and Williams too) seemed to indicate. It is the theme of The Fatal Curiosity, by George Lillo, first acted in London in 1736. The plot is the same as in the later versions. The son returns, meaning to surprise his parents; they murder him, discovering just too late who he is; the father kills his wife, then himself. The time of the play is in the reign of James I, and the plot has been traced to a pamphlet printed in 1618. The story may probably be much older. The original title under which the play was acted was Guilt Its Own Punishment, or Fatal Curiosity and the announcement for the first performance read “by Pasquin’s Company of Comedians. Never acted before. Being a true story in Common Life, and the Incidents extremely affecting. Written by the author of George Barnwell.” The latter was Lillo’s most famous play, The London Merchant, or the History of George Barnwell, a great success that held the boards for more than 100 years.

The Fatal Curiosity, although not so popular as its predecessor, had a real influence on English drama. It was adapted by the German dramatist Werner . . . [which] led to a whole host of plays that became extremely popular in Germany during the 19th Century. They were known as Schicksal Dramen (fate plays). The fate plays came over to England in translation, were enthusiastically received and were in part the forerunners of the romantic melodrama, so characteristic of the last century both in England and in this country, and still in evidence today.

MILTON MARX

Ithaca, N. Y.

Hobart’s Bonus Sirs:

Why can’t TIME come out with the truth once in a while? Commander Hobart [TIME, Jan. 21] did apply for his bonus, and cashed same . . . to finance the fight against the poor veterans who are in need.

ROBERT G. DOUGLAS

Veterans Hospital Outwood, Ky.

Sirs:

On my return from a Southern trip, I read with great interest the article in TIME and hasten to call your attention to what evidently was a misunderstanding when we discussed the matter over the telephone.

You will recall that you asked me whether I was in receipt of compensation from the Government, and I answered that I was not. How-ever, your article states in part: “He got no wounds, has no bonus certificate because he refused to apply for one.” This, unfortunately, is not correct since several years ago I was forced not only to apply for the certificate but to borrow against it to defray necessary surgical expense.

The Association, of course, takes the position that the face value of these bonus certificates should not be paid before maturity in 1945. I am personally in full accord with the Association’s stand in the matter, and if interest payments practically wipe out any balance due me on my certificate in 1945, I have no criticism since I have had the value of the loan at a time when it was greatly needed. . . .

DONALD A. HOBART

National Commander The American Veterans Association, Inc. New York City

U. S. Art Inserts

Sirs:

If there are any more U. S. Art color prints available I would appreciate it if you would send me a set. . . .

JAMES J. REGAN

New York City

After the original 2,500 reprints of the U. S. Art color insert were exhausted, TIME offered an additional 5,000 (TIME, Jan. 21). The new flood of requests from readers consumed still another 5,000—a total of 12,500 copies. In deference to the artists, galleries and museums who share the primary interest in the pictures, TIME was then obliged to call a halt.—ED.