Ritchie's Financing

Sirs:

In your issue of April 28, there occurs on p. 15 the statement that the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment ''finances such Wet speakers as Maryland's Governor Ritchie." The reference, of course, is to testimony before the Senate Lobby Committee that this Association contributed to the expenses of a meeting which I addressed in Boston last December, and which, I believe, was held under the auspices of the Liberal Civic League. That is a matter about which I have no knowledge, but the inference from the statement is that the Association Against Prohibition has in some way been financing me. That is quite incorrect. With the exception of one honorarium which I accepted from an open forum some years ago. I have never accepted any compensation at all from any source for any speech I ever made and have never accepted reimbursement for any amounts expended by me for traveling or hotel expenses.

ALBERT C. RITCHIE

Governor Annapolis, Md.

Post Office Bondholders

Sirs:

In your issue of April 21 under "National Affairs" you reported investigation in Congress of alleged frauds in the Post Office Department resulting in certain Post Office leases being attacked as fraudulent. Neither Congress nor your magazine has apparently considered the innocent bondholders who are the real sufferers in this controversy. I am writing this letter to you from the bondholder's standpoint and trust you will publish it.

The holders of the bonds issued by the owners of the buildings leased to the U. S. Government through the Post Office Department are largely the small savers of the country, the same people who bought Liberty Bonds and who look with confidence on any instrument signed by the Government. These bonds were sold on the fact that, particularly in the St. Paul Post Office issue which is most under discussion, the Government had signed a non-cancellable 2O-year lease, the income from which was sufficient to pay out the first mortgage bonds. No one denies this or, I believe, disputes the moral right of the small bondholder to rely on an instrument of the U. S. Government, but in the political melee that has followed, the rights of the bondholders are entirely ignored. If the leases in question were fraudulent, then certainly the parties both in and out of the Government should be held responsible, but bondholders who bought bonds secured by such instruments should be protected. Bondholders feel that it is just as if the U. S. Government had said to them "we cannot pay the Liberty Bonds because one of our Departments issued them fraudulently and illegally."

EUGENE B. FAVRE

Spokane, Wash.

Oboe Outbursts Blatted Blithely

Sirs:

This is a letter of gratitude. I have been amusing myself this winter by taking a correspondence course in Versification. After a time there came a lesson on tumbling alliterative verse. This is a very peculiar form and requires a subject rather out of the ordinary. It rolls along in voluminous strides, and I was at my wit's end for something to write about. It seems to me that it was in February while reading your magazine that I chanced upon a little paragraph telling about an elephant's stampede in India. Here I thought was the longed for material for my verse, so I wrote up the incident in the required ponderous style and sent it in. TIME proved to be my lifesaver, at any rate it seemed to please the Professor. ... I received a gratifying grade for the assignment. So thanks for TIME, we look forward to its coming each week, it is just a little different from all the other periodicals.

To recall the paragraph to you I will enclose the poem. M. ELIZABETH DEMARY (MRS. A. C.)

Rupert, Idaho

Excerpt from Mrs. DeMary's tumbling alliteration:

Now in India the natives, naively do sometimes hold That savage elephants are sobered, (so at least I have been told) By a camel's bitter biting of their thin ears flapping fold. Once from Agra and from Oudh, all the people came to feast And to stand in glamorous gazing at grandees from out the East. Allahabad's ancient altars, Allah ruled, were not the least. . . . Oboe outbursts blatted blithely, beating drums too, bellowed near. Bedizened elephants and camels, caused a ringing round of cheer. This was time for fun and feasting, flout all thought of foolish fear. But a monarch of the forest flung his head in furious rage, Naught he cared for sovereign sahib, sought some foe now to engage; While the crowd in panic parted, perilled pundits sought a sage. . . . Through the throng just then there thundered, Than upon his tawny steed. Here the crowd went wild with clamor, dauntless courage met their need; Cameleer charging onward, urged his camel to high speed. Elephant raging, saw his coming, cowed, careened and fled in haste, Trumpeted loudly, sought the river, riven ears weren't to his taste, Floundered through the murky water, and was lost in jungle waste. . . .

duPont's Life Sirs: TIME, of March 17, under "The Press," states that Publisher John Charles Martin's life is insured for $6,000,000--the U. S. record. It is my understanding that Potent Pierre Samuel du Pont, of Wilmington, Del., is insured for $7,500,000. Am I right in this belief? GERALD H. OGAN

Pleasantville, Iowa

Subscriber Ogan is nearly right. Mr. duPont, the recordholder, is insured for

$7,000,000. Some other great lives: John Charles Martin, $6,540,000; William Fox, $6,500,000; Joseph M. Schenck, $5,025,000; Jesse L. Lasky, $5,000,000; Adolph Zukor, $5,000,000.--ED. 100 Glasses Cold Beer

Sirs: Two American newspaper reporters in Panama have just locked horns over a matter of grammatical construction and each being desirous of securing the wager--which amounts to no less than 100 glasses of cold beer which is in no way affected by the 18th Amendment--we finally agreed upon you as the only suitable authority. The disputed sentence is as follows: "In landing on a rough and muddy field at Tela, the propeller of the plane was broken, necessitating a delay of two days while installing a new one." Our argument centers only on the grammatical correctness of the sentence structure. We both admit that the rhetoric of it is somewhat faulty but wish to know only if the sentence is grammatically incorrect and, if so, in what particulars. Thirstily awaiting your decision, we are, HOWARD LITTLEFIELD RUFUS HARDY

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

To him who bet the sentence was ungrammatical: 100 glasses of cold beer. "In landing on a rough and muddy field at Tela" is a dangling phrase, since "propeller" and not "plane" is the subject of the sentence yet it was obviously the plane that did the "landing."--ED. Pornographer Stravinsky

Sirs: After thoroughly perusing your commentary on Sacre du Printemps (TIME, April 28), we find something to which we object strenuously. Namely, the application of the word "pornographic" to the music of Igor Stravinsky. That word suggests something cheap, showy and vulgar. Brutal he may be--savage and colossally dechirant in his treatment of Sacre du Printemps, but never pornographic! Please retract--you do him a grave injustice. JOSEPH STAPLES JOHN H. HARNEY

New Haven, Conn.

Let Yalemen Staples and Harney rid their minds of the idea that pornography connotes cheapness, showiness, vulgarity. TIME applied "pornographic" to Composer Stravinsky as it would to Writers D. H.. Lawrence or James Joyce.--ED. Thanks from India

Sirs:

I am an Indian sojourner in the Western Hemisphere. . . .

After reading your article on our leader (Mahatma Gandhi) and his present activities in India (TIME, March 31), I have to congratulate you most heartily on the thorough grasp and clear understanding you manifest of the true spirit, morals and significance of our movement, as also on the coining, as only an American can, of the very happy and expressive term ''Recpolism'' to convey in a word to your readers a comprehensive idea of the movement. As an Indian I beg to express my gratitude to you, sir, for this enlightening article which is so different to the unconscious or deliberate misrepresentation of facts or the stupid jibes or fun-poking that I have seen in some English journals on the subject. . . .

T. P. DAVER

San Francisco, Calif.

Check from Chile

Sirs:

An incident that I feel sure you people will find as interesting as I do myself, came to my attention today.

I received a letter from Santiago (Chile) from a member of the American Legion who is living down there, in which he states that in reading TIME for Feb. 3, he ran across the article therein on the ''Cathedral of the Air," and was so inspired upon reading it that he felt he would like to contribute, and enclosed his check.

So you see, your little magazine's kindly and long-reaching arm is gathering in contributions for us from even eight thousands of miles away. HERBERT H. BLIZZARD

President

American Legion Memorial Chapel Association Trenton, N. J.

Salute from Java

Sirs:

Every now and then I find in your publication where your attention-calling readers have checked up on some erroneous statements previously appeared, and your deep contrition therefor.

The marvel of it is not that you are wrong, but that you are wrong so seldom. With the entire world to call upon each week for information, it seems remarkable that you are able to give such meaty and concise reports. Many times we on the ground, in such places as China, have not the first hand news you give to your readers. Whoever your correspondents are, I salute them as a body. . . .

W. J. GARRITY

Soerabaia, Java

Moonbeam from Bengal

Sirs:

". . . Dr. Hancock says in effect that the mocking birds learned 'The Star Spangled Banner' from hearing 'the buglers' play it so often" (TIME, Feb. 10).

I am not up on birds and their abilities and accomplishments. If the Dr. had said he heard birds play the piano I would probably raise my eyebrows and go on with the tasks that the day had set before me. But when he speaks about playing "The Star Spangled Banner" on a bugle he leaves the world of reality behind and enters on a course of fiction. It can't be done. You can no more play the "Star Spangled Banner'' on a bugle than you can play it on a moonbeam with a banjo pick. . . .

D. P. MACGREGOR

East Bengal, India

Old Uncle

Sirs:

I have an uncle and aunt in Riverton, Mr. and Mrs. Morris Smith, who when visiting at my home saw and read their first issue of TIME and talked so much about it that I sent it to them (year's subscription) as a birthday present.

Inclosed his answer. They think it great.

RALPH LOVELADY

Sidney, Iowa. The answer: Dear Ralph: TIME--Time--What a time--Coming on time, ending on time--Living on time--Thanks all the time. Your old uncle for all time, MORRIS

"Home"

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.