Beaverishness

Sirs:

Has TIME, usually long of memory, forgotten the well-turned epithet with which, during the campaign, it tabbed Nominee Herbert Hoover-- "Beaver Man"? Has TIME, usually alert of perception, been blind to the snug fit of this same epithet to President Herbert Hoover, Virginia vacationist, as he "totes stones" and builds dams about his Rapidan camp? In the campaign, Beaver Man had only a secondary meaning-- hard working. Now it has a primary significance which TIME has failed to emphasize-dam builder. If ever there was a Beaver Man, it is this 195-lb. castor canadensis (without tail or palmated feet) who toils so pleasurefully in the Blue Ridge to stem the very stream that lulls him to sleep-which is pretty close to biting the hand that feeds you. . . . Now children dyking the sea, damming country brooks, will know that their sport has been ennobled by presidential beaverishness. . . . Perhaps, if properly publicized, dam-building could be made the Sport of Tycoons (very good for the waist-line!) . . .

MARSHALL S. ELLIS Philadelphia, Pa.

Drummer Dawes

Sirs:

Some years ago a friend ,of mine encountered General Dawes in a Paris hotel, was introduced to him for a second time, and recalled an earlier meeting with the impudence, "Why of course, General Dawes! I heard and saw you play the drums at the Charity Ball, Evanston Country Club, 1916." It is quite true. Our Ambassador to the Court of St. James's is a drummer as well as banker, violinist, politician, student, diplomatist, orator, composer, lawyer. But he drums only for charity.

ALFRED LUEVENHOCK New York City

Pershing Needed No Senator

Sirs:

Due evidently to a misunderstanding, my good friend Dr. Gallagher, in his letter published in your issue of July 22, has credited me with an achievement I never claimed-one which I have no right to claim.

El Paso hails General Pershing as its own for the general was long stationed there. Some-time ago I told an El Paso audience how he happened to be selected as commander of the Punitive Expedition against Villa, adding how very natural it was for the Wilson administration, a few months later, to look to him for its commander overseas.

Shortly after Mr. Baker was made Secretary of War, the President decided to send an expedition into Mexico to operate against Villa who had raided Columbus, N. Mex. This was one of the first serious problems Mr. Baker had to meet. He called a conference in his office in which I took part. Upon the suggestion of General Bliss, who was present, General Pershing was selected as commander of the Punitive Expedition. In making this suggestion General Bliss pointed out briefly how Pershing was the logical man as he was on the ground, knew the situation and was thoroughly competent. General Pershing did the best he could notwithstanding the many embarrassing handicaps which .were placed upon him. He demonstrated to the complete satisfaction of the administration that he was a soldier through and through, one who would loyally obey the orders of the Commander-in-Chief without question or complaint. How natural it was a few months later when the same administration was looking for a commander for the A. E. F. that it should turn to this soldier of ability; of great force and dignity who would not play politics. The details as to just how he was selected to command the A. E. F. are unknown to me but I do know this-Mr. Baker needed no Senator to tell him about Pershing. Mr. Baker did not work that way. Pershing needed no Senator to present his claims for he did not serve his country that way. Further, if anyone is interested in the record behind Pershing's original promotion from captain to brigadier general he should study the history of Mindanao, where Pershing as a captain had a general officer's command and where he was repeatedly recommended for promotion to brigadier general by his military superiors distant several thousand miles from any political field.

The law which enabled the President to promote Pershing from captain to brigadier general has unfortunately been revoked-the law that "ave us such men as Pershing, Wood, Bell, runston. Now the Government can do nothing to Accelerate the promotion of a brilliant soldier it finds down the list but such a man must wait or those above him to die off or retire.

Dr. Gallagher is certainly right in the purport of his letter where he claims Pershing was selected on his record. Throughout his wonderful administration as Secretary of War, merit vas the governing principle with Mr. Baker in all his appointments. GEO. VAN HORN MOSELEY

Brigadier General, U. S. A. Honolulu, T. H.

Not a Criminal Nation

Sir: Commissioner Chisolm's remarks in TIME, Aug. 26, regarding CELLS and CRIME, in U. S. are pertinent and logical. Rigid laws are not needed and fail their purpose. Too many laws today make "criminals" out of unoffensive citizens. Under our present system the most law-abiding citizen breaks on the average of 20 laws, and ordinances, each and every 24 hours. Over-crowding of prisons in U. S. is due to large extent to persons being made "criminals" by law, without possessing criminal intents and propensities.

Administration of so called "criminal" justice can be greatly improved by fewer rigid laws such as those of the Jones 5 & 10 calibre. Bigger and better prisons and jails would not be needed if our present laws would demand that the intent of the accused to commit crime be established as per requirements of malum in se laws, rather than the laws which our "overworked" and zealous legislators hand out known as malum prohibition laws, where criminal intent is not essential to commit crime and to become a "criminal." .

My humble suggestion is to make fewer of our Americans criminals, as on the whole the

U. S. is not a criminal nation, President Hoover's declarations to the contrary notwithstanding. What is needed is less laws making us all "criminals."

Thru TIME let us hear from others on the vital subject of CRIME.

MANUEL M. WISEMAN

Attorney at Law Alton, Ill.

Shaw's Recantation

In TIME of Aug. 19, (P-47) the adage is quoted in its popular form, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, Teach." In view of your characterization of this as "bitter and unfair" you may be interested to know of Bernard Shaw's recantation or at least modification of that caustic remark in his Preface to The W. E. A. Education Yearbook (1918) pp. 20, 21 : "This, by the way, is the best answer to my famous gibe, 'He who can do, does: he who can think, teaches' is just as true as the other formula."

MAX FARRAND* Bar Harbor, Me.

Coast-to-Coast Orders

Sirs:

On p. 56, TIME, Aug. 12, appears a statement of comparative time required by rail and steam shipments from coast to coast. To help keep TIME accurate I submit this information.

Several times a week I place orders with New York firms for goods of perishable nature, and the orders, placed by air mail, are delivered in our receiving room exactly 14 days to a day after the order is mailed. Several days faster than you state, and this service is available daily by Mr. Shoup's Southern Pacific as well as the Santa Fe.

The average steamer time from dock to dock, New York to San Francisco is 18 days, time between steamers in addition. True, we have 16-day delivery by Panama Pacific Line steamers, California, Virginia and soon the Pennsylvania, but sailing every 14 days, the average becomes much longer.

In justice to your article, otherwise quite correct, I should add that 75% of my orders are routed via steamer, even from points several hundred miles inland from Atlantic seaboard cities, for economical reasons.

Louis C. MAGNUS

San Francisco, Calif.

Colorado's Ellsberg

Sirs:

Another "kudo," doubly merited.

Commander Edward Ellsberg, U. S. Naval Reserve, the man who raised the sunken submarines S-51 and 54, only man to have received the Distinguished Service Medal in peacetime had conferred upon him the degree doctor of engineering, honoris causa, Aug. 24, by the University of Colorado, the institution he left in 1910 to enter the U. S. Naval Academy.

Annapolis honor man in 1914, Commander Ellsberg is an expert diver. To raise the 54, he donned the diver's suit, was dropped to the ocean floor, and there personally supervised the work. When the S-4 went down, he was in civil life. He rushed to Boston and volunteered. In an hour and a half he was back in the Navy. Today he is in civil life again.

'Tis reported he is the only Annapolis graduate in the history of the Navy to become a proficient diver. ZELL F. MALEE

University of Colorado,

Boulder, Col.

P. S.: Of course this is publicity. It's also news. The University of Colorado holds a Summer Quarter Commencement because of the size of its summer school. On Aug. 24, 144 degrees were conferred by President George Norlin. Total degrees conferred in the last 12 months by the U. of C. is 605.

"Negative Pregnant"

Sirs:

The appellation "word-wangling" whereby TIME for Aug. 19 assesses defendant's answer in Willebrandt versus Burke, is a delicious contribution to modern American philology. Equally descriptive of Helper Burke's in haec verba denial would be the term "negative pregnant"-

teeming as it is with admission that the h--

raising text was OKd by the GHO staff.

EDWARD C. EICHER

Washington, Iowa

Swan on the Marines

Sirs:

. . . On the second editorial page (TIME, Aug. 19) under "Army & Navy News," you have the story-"Greatest Advertisers."

You quote me as having said in connection with the Marines-"They are the greatest bunch of advertisers in the world."

I guess about everybody has said things in good faith to friends that were not intended for general publication. In talking with a friend of mine who represented one of the Boston papers a short time ago, I did make this statement about the Marines, but I didn't know that it was to be published in the press of the country.

Having admitted making this statement, I claim that it is true, and moreover I frankly admit, as an advertising man, that they have a splendid product to advertise. I don't think any soldier in the A. E. F. has a greater respect for the Marines than I. ...

. . . We conceived what we thought a most beautiful tribute, not only to our beloved comrades who died in action, but to the French people.

It was the rebuilding of this old church in the town of Belleau which we had destroyed by our own artillery.

. . . This money was not collected from the general public, nor was any civilian asked for a contribution. The money was entirely subscribed by the officers and men of the 26th Division as a tribute to their comrades. Thousands of our men have given their money--in many cases where they could not probably afford it. In some cases the men gave 50-c- or a dollar from their pay. . . .

CARROLL J. SWAN

Boston, Mass.

Philatelists Not Fooled

Sirs:

In TIME, August 12, page 24, you inform your readers as to the method used by de Rivera of Spain to pay for the entertainments provided for the Council of the League of Nations.

True, Spain issued recently a series of "commemorative stamps." True also is the fact that Spain sold many abroad, sold many in this country, made much money. Untrue is the belief that "the sale of these bits of paper to philatelists abroad has already brought in more money than it cost to champagne and caviar thoroughly the statesmen of the League."

Philatelists have been fooled often. They have become wise. They realized that some motive prompted Spain to issue such a long "commemorative" series of stamps. When the stamps appeared few real philatelists bought-many turned their nose! Unwise collectors and juniors bought the new Spanish issue-and later wished they hadn't. Well known stamp dealers that have sold these stamps will tell you that they sold "rather slowly." They will also inform you that the new Vatican stamps sold fast, at good prices and caused much interest among collectors.

ERNEST C. MILLER

Philatelist Warren, Pa.

--Director of Research, Henry E. Huntington Library & Art Gallery (San Gabriel Calif.), brother of President Livingston Farrand of Cornell University and of Headmaster Wilson Farrand of Newark Academy.