Cast, Not Chorus

Sirs:

My attention has been called to an article on p. 56 of the April 22 issue of your magazine. Without a word of disparagement for chorus girls, I wish to correct the statement made regarding me. I have never been a member of Mr. Ziegfeld's chorus or of any other producer's. I was, however, a principal in four Ziegfeld productions, a featured performer in Arthur Hammerstein's Golden Dawn, and the leading ingenue in the same producer's Good Boy earlier in the season, when I left to again be under Mr. Ziegfeld's management, and am contracted to play the ingenue in his production of East Is West.

I feel sure you appreciate my feelings in the matter, and will not resent, in any way, my calling your attention to this matter.

BARBARA NEWBERRY

New York City.

Greatest Schmidt

Sirs:

In your issue of April 22, under the heading "Chicago Fuss" you slight, if only in a footnote, the other most distinguished of the famous brothers, Dr. Otto L. Schmidt. According to many, Otto is the most distinguished. A noted physician (Chicago, Wurzburg and Vienna), consulting physician to several large hospitals in Chicago, he has been for many years president of the Chicago Historical Society, president of the Inland Yachting Association, but, more important than these, is one of the greatest philanthropists in the country. Quietly he directs amounts, great and small, into channels where the need is most. The money is from the estate of the late Mrs. Seipp, wealthy brewer's widow, Dr. Schmidt's mother-in-law. Also, Dr. Schmidt (born Chicago, 1863) is the leading German-American of the Middle West, the great presider when distinguished guests from the Central Countries visit here.

JOHN WINTERS

Chicago, Ill.

Kreider-Bruce Crash

Sirs: I am very sorry to see the item in the Aeronautics section of your April 22 issue, under the caption "Bungles.". . . You say that the accident was inexcusable. Maybe so--but it was unavoidable, nevertheless, so far as the pilots of both ships were concerned. The thing, perhaps, that is inexcusable is the lack of air traffic control at large air-ports like the Ford Airport. You can figure out for yourself, very easily, that a ship nosed up going at a rate of per-haps 60 miles an hour, has a clear field ahead so far as he can see. But above him, and some distance back of him, could be another ship flying straightaway at perhaps 120 or 160 miles an hour. Blind spots (lack of visibility in all directions), open cockpits, closed cabins, and several other factors would be responsible for these ships coming together through absolutely no fault of the pilots; and that's exactly what happened. The next mistake you made was your statement that Mr. Kreider was coasting about in his Challenger. That's not true. It was Mr. Kreider who had been stunting; had just completed a lot of barrel rolls, and zoomed up -- crashing into the bottom of the All American monoplane piloted by Captain Bruce. The next mistake you made was in stating that Captain Bruce's ship was an experimental plane. That is not true. The experimental plane had been flown around here for several months. The ship that Captain Bruce was in was out of regular production, fully licensed by the Department of Commerce. . . . Aviation needs all the help a publication like TIME can give it. C. T. HUTCHINS Manager, Advertising Department The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Inc. Akron, Ohio. I find, on making a further check, that the regular Department of Commerce license has not been received but is expected shortly. The ship has met all the requirements of the Department of Commerce. The local Department of Commerce representative checked over this, flew it, tested it -- -and, pending the arrival of the regular license, an experimental license was issued. TIME'S correspondent did not eye-witness the Kreider-Bruce crash. Practically all accounts agreed that the rising ship had just taken off. Reports conflicted as to who crashed whom. TIME did not apply "inexcusable" to the pilots specifically but to the accident as a whole. -- ED.

"Stuff" v. Vodka Sirs: Anent statement of George Reeves-Smith, Esq. (TIME, April 22), that "the vilest, most scorch ing, absolutely abominable drink I can call to mind, is Russian vodka." Let our British friend depart briefly from the legal U. S. mineral water which he intends to stick to strictly for a fortnight, keeping a tumblerful within reach, and try some of our plentiful, genuine pre-War "stuff." VORIS D. SEAMAN Chicago, Ill.

Not Pestiferous

Sirs:

The "pestiferousness" of life insurance agents has added 100 billions of dollars to the wealth of the United States; will add this year 20 billions more; has doubled the life insurance in force in seven years; will double it again in the next five years! . . . We of the profession object to being classed with "porch-climbers, telephoners, buttonholers" (TIME, April 22). A. H. BENNELL (Chartered Life Underwriter) The Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York, Youngstown, Ohio. TIME did not say all insurance salesmen were pestiferous, but only ones such as pursued Farmer Walter Cyr until sui cide appealed to him (TIME, April 22). --ED.

Plumbers Praised

Sirs:

In the April 8 issue of TIME, your paper did an injustice to an industry, which was an innocent party to a personal controversy (Priest v. Plumber) between Mr. J. T. Sanders (a man some years ago in the plumbing business) and Father Will Whalen of Ortanna, Pa. You allowed Father Whalen to lambast the plumbing industries over a personal argument, although the industry had no part in the matter.

Most people of intelligence know that the plumbing industry has done much to raise the standard of living. By making more comfortable, healthier living conditions, they have done much, as an industry, to lengthen the span of human life and make this country a better place in which to live. As an industry the men connected with it are of as high a type as those of any other industry or business and the editor of TIME did them an injustice by letting Father Whalen unjustly abuse the plumbing industry. We of the South Dakota Retail Plumbers Association do not favor such abuse.

The members of any organization or church to say nothing of the leader of a church should be for constructive criticism and constructive citizenship instead of that which is destructive and dishonest. We of the plumbing industry stand for better moral and economic conditions.

Furthermore, the writer of the article referred to South Dakota as a wilderness which, of course, is not true. Such a statement shows in itself that the writer is ignorant of the beauties and the economic conditions of one of the finest if not the finest state in the Union. . . .

CLIFFORD F. SMITH State Secretary South Dakota Retail Plumbers Ass'n, Sioux Falls, S. Dak. In publishing letters, TIME does not consider itself a party to disputes which may arise among the letter-writers. If Father Will Whalen flayed plumbers or insulted South Dakota, both have now been ably revenged. -- ED.

Private Phinnizee

Sirs:

Your article anent Mexican affairs along the Border in the issue of April 15 was one of garbled facts, gleaned, possibly, from the imaginative writings of the poorest lot of correspondents I have ever encountered. . . .

I happened to command the small patrol that night, having but seven privates with me. . . . At about 2:30 in the morning we first ran across a sack of bombs (certainly no hand grenades as alleged unless modern Hercules were to hurl them) close by the Southern Pacific right of way. . . . Not being able to carry off all these bombs on our horses, the patrol went into ambush with the led horses sent off some 300 yards under cover, and sent to Camp for aid in bringing in the bombs. . . .

Ere additional men arrived, some 20 rebels appeared on the sky line of the railroad fill and the patrol opened fire. The rebels were routed, but Private First Class (no buck private as you put it) John Phinnizee was shot through the chest.

Troop E, 10th Cavalry, under First Lieutenant Drury, coming to the rescue of the patrol, was fired on by cavalry of Yucopicio then going into position to attack Naco under Topete. When the error was discovered after a pack horse had been shot, the Mexican officers very kindly offered hot coffee. International relations!

At dawn the fuses with crimped fulminate of mercury caps attached were found on the north side of the railroad right of way. Hence, the location of bombs was not part of a smuggling plot diverted from Agua Prieta to the east, but a plot to bomb the train of Mexican Federals (due between five and six that morning in Naco) who had been interned at Fort Bliss after the Ciudad Juarez fall and recently released and shipped to Xaco under protest of the Governor of Arizona.

The matter has been turned over to the Department of Justice, the bombs have been destroyed and Phinnizee is getting along very well.

H. JORDAN THEIS 1st Lieut., 10th Cavalry Camp U. S. Troops, Naco, Arizona To Lieut. Theis all thanks for a TIME-worthy report. To First-Class Private Phinnizee apologies for misreporting his rank. -- ED.

Ask a Lover Sirs: The "eyes'' have it. Some hundreds of years ago, Leonardo Da Vinci, who was an inventor, engineer, poet, sculptor, musician and painter--and therefore qualified to speak--had an argument with a poet on the streets of Florence, as to the relative strength of painting and poetry. That night, Da Vinci wrote in his journal the following paragraph: ''The eye giveth to man a more perfect knowledge than doth the ear. That which is seen is more authentic than that which is heard. In verbal description there is but a series of separate images following one another; whereas in a picture, all images, all colors, appear simultaneously, blending into one, like to sounds in accord, which makes possible in painting, as well as in music, a greater degree of harmony than in poesy. Ask a lover which is more delectable to him -- a portrait of his beloved or a description." EDGAR WEBB Director of Unit Managers Training The Equitable Life Assurance Society, New York City Mr. Webb refers to the "Ear v. Eye'' letter of Publisher Hecht (TIME, April 15) and to Professor Pitkin's prediction that the "talkies" will elevate cinema because "the ear is more moral than the eye." -- ED. Favors Giants Sirs: I quote from TIME, April 15. "Experts everywhere predict that the Cubs will sweep through the National League." Certainly TIME'S baseball fans will agree that newspapers and experts all over the country (with the exception of Chicago) predict a tight race between the Giants and the Cubs-- not a clean sweep for the latter. A list of these experts includes non-partisan baseball men and prominent sports writers. Betting odds as the season opens favor the Giants slightly. . . . W. J. LODGE Westfield, N. J.

Only One of 40

Sirs: I review 22 magazines at office, scan 18 at home. TIME is only one of 40 literally read from first to last page. Arriving on Friday it receives undivided attention until absorbed. Wife, brother and wife's parents also read it thoroughly. Then to office lobby table. Your style draws me through sections I am ordinarily uninterested in, generally scanned: sports, science, medicine. Have loaned and given many copies to friends boosting your circulation for their sake not yours. Only criticism -- too few photographs. G. E. RUSSELL Advertising Manager Oilman Fanfold Corp., Ltd. Niagara Falls, N. Y. TIME averages 24 pictures per week in 40 to 44 text pages (including Letters). Do subscribers agree with Subscriber Russell, want more? -- ED.