Accidental Death

Sirs:

In this day and age of football when the "passing" game is quite exacting, I see no reason why in your Oct. 23 issue, you should not be equally as exacting when you refer to me as the "late Big Bill Edwards. . . ." TIME has certainly fumbled the ball. Let me say that my physical condition is pretty good and that I am able to get around with my 282 pounds and not miss much that is going on and around the springboard at my Connecticut camp.

Today has been sort of a resurrection day in my office and a goodly portion of your readers have taken up a lot of my valuable time in telephoning to verify the statement made in your magazine.

I do not consider your article a libelous one but if you desire to square this misstatement and follow out an old-time saying that "it is better to send flowers to the living than to the dead," then send me a box of Princeton's orange colored chrysanthemums. Finally may I suggest that you give equal publicity to the "resurrection" as you did to the "demise."

BIG BILL EDWARDS New York City

> To Big Bill Edwards, TIME's sincere apologies and one locomotive with, nine Nassaus. To the editor who fumbled such a life-&-death fact, a penalty of half the distance to Princeton, N. J.--ED.

Harvard's Problem

Sirs:

Your story on Harvard in the Education section of the Oct. 16 issue carried statements from an article written by a Harvard undergraduate censuring Harvard's President Conant for his policies in the "hiring & firing" of young faculty members. Aside from several errors in the TIME story, among them that Professor Burbank quit the University (he did not), it seems to me that the story fails to make a fair attempt to present both sides of a controversial issue.

The question raised by the TIME story is this: What is the nature of the faculty tenure problem which has confronted the administration at Harvard, and how has the administration tried to solve that problem? The answer might be summarized as follows:

During the 1920's when money was easy and the University's budgets were expanding, a great many young men were taken on the faculty. It was not then calculated how much money it would cost were the University to accommodate the enlarged permanent staff which would result if all these men were promoted. This increase was then possible because of the financial situation, which was very favorable. . . .

These men had hardly been placed with the University on the first rung of the faculty ladder when the depression hit. At that time, every university administrator was reluctant to do anything which would indicate that because of hard times young men should be displaced. The problem of meeting the future was, therefore, postponed.

President Conant assumed office in 1933 with this situation confronting him. Over a period of six years, it has been the purpose oi the present administration to explore every avenue for solving the problem. After a study of the departments in which the crowding of the lower ranks was most acute, the administration decided that unless there was a future opening for a young instructor he must seek a position elsewhere after a period of apprenticeship. An impartial committee of eight professors appointed in 1937 to study this matter arrived at essentially the same conclusion as the administration. Their report submitted last spring has been accepted in principle.

The University had two alternatives when faced with this problem. Either these young men could be kept permanently at a much lower salary than that of their contemporaries at Harvard, thus creating a special class in the faculty (which would be out of accord with Harvard traditions) ; or else the policy outlined above had to be adopted. No one has had less than a year's notice of the University's intention not to reappoint him. . . .

ARTHUR WILD Director

Harvard University News Office Cambridge, Mass.

> TIME knows of no factual errors in its story, apart from the statement that Professor Burbank quit Harvard (he quit the chairmanship of the economics department). TIME amply indicated that Harvard's "young man" problem is a tough one. TIME sticks to its main point: that in dealing with the problem, Harvard has caused widespread dissatisfaction among its faculty and students.--ED.

Enlightened Teachers

Sirs:

I have been interested in the book, How To Sing For Money, since it was in the manuscript stage. I thought your review (TIME, Oct. 9) a very keen analysis, but I wonder if it gave a slightly wrong impression of the function of the voice teacher today.

Henderson and Palmer do warn against the old-fashioned maestro who teaches affectation and artificial pretension but they actually recommend using a teacher who "honestly understands and sympathizes with your goal" (of singing to the masses). There are many enlightened vocal teachers in the country today whose business might be unjustly affected by the mistaken inference that this book, destined to become the authority on the subject, advises against their employment.

RUDY VALLEE

New York City

Venerable

Sirs:

ON P. 71 YOUR OCT. 23 ISSUE TIME CALLS ROGER BABSON VENERABLE. THIS WILL MAKE OUR GREAT AND GOOD PATRON ANGRY FOR WEBSTER'S SAYS THE USE OF THE WORD VENERABLE GENERALLY IMPLIES ADVANCED AGE. MR. BABSON IS ONLY 64 AND IF YOU COULD SEE HIM RIDE WITH US WEBBER GIRLS YOU WOULD NOT CALL HIM VENERABLE. IF YOUR EDITORS USED VENERABLE IN THE SENSE OF BEING RENDERED SACRED BY RELIGIOUS HISTORIC OR OTHER ASSOCIATIONS WE WILL GLADLY WITHDRAW OUR OBJECTION FOR MR. BABSON's LIFELONG INTERESTS AND GOLDEN RULE PHILOSOPHY CERTAINLY ENTITLE HIM TO QUALIFY UNDER THIS LATTER ETYMOLOGY.

ANNE WRIGHT AND BRENNA HAWLEY

Students at Webber Boston, Mass.

Falsehood

Sirs:

Twice recently I have heard the story which seems to be going the rounds that our Government is paying an exorbitant rental for the land where our World War dead are buried in France. If the rent is not paid promptly, so the story goes, France has threatened to get rid of the bodies by the use of quicklime.

My recollection is that this land was deeded to the U. S. by France as a gift to this country. If this is true I hope that you will help to correct this malicious falsehood.

JOHN A. CLARY

New York City.

> Falsehood it is. The French Government bought the land, gave it to the U. S., tax free and in perpetuity. The story may have arisen from the fact that some U. S. soldiers died in France long after the end of the war, were buried privately.--ED.

Higher and Higher

Sirs:

I think, contrary to TIME, Oct. 9, p. 28, that von Ribbentrop and his entourage recognized the Russian Air Force song, Higher and Higher quite well when it was played by the band of his Moscow honor guard. A song entitled Lied der Roten Flieger (Song of the Red Fliers) was launched by the Communists in Germany in the early 30's, with the chorus (last four lines):

And higher and higher and higher

We are climbing against hate and scorn.

Lift up the bloody-red standard to the sky;

We protect the Soviet Union.

The National Socialist storm troopers liked the snappy tune and text so well that they very soon adopted the entire twelve lines, almost without alterations. Only in the last two lines, the bloody-red standard had to be replaced by the swastika standard, and the proposed reversal of the "Jewish throne" was substituted for the program of protecting the Soviet Union: "Die Hakenkreuzfahne zum Himmel empor; wir stuerzen den juedischen Thron." The choice of Higher and Higher therefore was rather appropriate for the occasion, as hosts as well as guests could silently accompany the band with their own respective versions.

HERBERT BERL Arlington, Va.

Queer World

Sirs:

We have a peculiar feeling in this country of slipping down a declivity. There is always something that is neither stimulating nor desirable waiting just a few days ahead. This has been waiting a few days ahead ever since the war started; and things now look as though they are hurrying up. Perhaps one of the most insane and pathetic things that has happened occurred last week. You don't have news bills in New York: the generous headlines of your newspapers really take the place of our news placards, and your bawling news boys with their "read all about it" trumpet call, really do announce those headlines to everyone within earshot. Our people just yell vaguely and you can never make out what they are saying, but this particular news placard of the Evening Standard just said "Peace Threat." In fact, having already between us killed about 100,000 people, the highly civilized countries of Europe are suddenly threatened with Peace. That such a prospect should be described as a disaster is some small indication of the state of mind to which we are all degenerating. . . .

Meanwhile, there is a gentlemanly reluctance on the part of Germany and this country to start air raids on civilians. We certainly shan't start it.

But it is a queer world to live in when all one's business, all one's plans, indeed all the minute and intimate details of everyday life are governed by this possible disaster of death from the skies, and what is much worse than death--mutilation and disorgan-zation generally. As you can imagine, the advertising business has caught it where the chicken caught the axe. Many of our young men were called up; and we have been engaged in the distressing task of reducing our staff, as well as making drastic reductions in our incomes. . . .

Incidentally, the Balloon Barrage is quite beautiful. We have had such incomparable weather since the war started that every day we can see these "silver fish" swimming into the clouds: because as the clouds approach --a thing you are not normally conscious of -- these balloons appear to swim into them. The latest crack, which I expect you already know, is about the dear old lady who said "The Germans can't frighten me, sitting up there in those balloons." . . . The most succulent rumor I heard the other day was that seven U-boats had given themselves up and were landed on the beach at Weymouth. Why on the beach, God knows ! If they had given themselves up they would presumably be in dock somewhere.

Another rumor started by some pessimistic fool, was that the Rodney had been sunk. This arose because some naval officers were playing Shove Ha'penny, or some equally exciting game, somewhere or other, and one of the players was called Rodney. He was losing very heavily and when at last he gave up, one of his companions cried joyfully "Rodney is sunk." The Mess waiter or somebody somewhere in the room told his best girl -- hence the rumor. . . .

I hope and pray that America will not come into the war: that it will not be necessary for her actively and under arms, to help the cause of democracy. You will, by remaining a great and friendly neutral do more to preserve the spirit of democracy, and do more to help the world to mend itself after the present trouble is over, if you yourselves remain untainted by the febrile emergencies of war making. . . .

I have had for many years (to be exact since about 1925) this haunting apprehension of another world war, which has at least given me a little more fortitude to meet the demon when it arrived. . . .

(Name deleted by request) London, England

Pope's Nose

Sirs:

"Pope's nose to Reader Wiswell" (TIME, Oct. 9).

That age-old gratuitous insult to our Holy Father is not unknown among bitter anti-Catholics like the Orangemen of Belfast or renegade Catholics of whom Hitler and Goebbels are two up-to-the-minute specimens.

The Knights of Columbus denounced your magazine for its anti-Catholic "bias" last August at the Seattle Supreme Convention, which I attended.

"TIME marches on." Is that so? But where is it going?

JOSEPH SCOTT Los Angeles, Calif.

> Let thin-skinned Lawyer Scott, able Catholic layman, good friend of Herbert Hoover, be less umbrageous. No insult to Catholics was intended by a good old English term. -- ED.

First Field

Sirs:

TIME, Oct. 16, p. 32: "The oil industry . . with the pumps slowly chugging in the exhausted fields of Pennsylvania. . . ."

If a daily yield of crude oil (80,000 barrels) as great as that of its boom days in the 'gos and an output of motor oil sufficient to supply 35% of America's cars, 90% of American aircraft, 75% of streamlined trains, a substantial portion of the marine and industrial lubricants market and 20% of foreign motor oil exports -- if this rate of production indicates exhaustion, your dictionary or mine needs revision.

The Pennsylvania grade petroleum region not only provides the world with more motor oil than ever before but a committee of geologists and petroleum engineers has reported to the Cole congressional committee that the future available supply is many times greater than the total yield since the Drake discovery 80 years ago.

TIME, I fear, has fallen prey to a widely circulated fiction that the world's first commercial oil field is depleted whereas all the facts show that it remains the principal storehouse upon which the nation must draw for its premium automotive and aeronautic lubricants.

J. E. MOORHEAD Executive Secretary

Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Association Oil City, Pa.

> "Exhausted" was an over-violent word. Still well-oiled is Pennsylvania, though its oil now lies so deep that primary drilling has given way to "water drive"--pumping water to force oil through the wells. Pennsylvania's reserves on January 1, 1939 were 200,000,000 barrels, as compared with more than 9,000,000,000 for Texas.--ED.

Buck

Sirs:

In TIME, Sept. 18, p. 62, you published an article entitled "Gott Sez Mit [/MS" containing the following false statement concerning me, namely:

"In San Francisco, Presbyterian Dr. John Hayes Creighton, onetime chaplain, announced that he had oiled his army rifle."

You have attributed this language to me without the slightest warrant and, by placing it under the heading, "Gott Sei Mit Uns," by contrasting it with the contrary sentiments of "the vast majority of U. S. churchmen" and by various other devices and innuendoes you have created the impression not only that I am urging that this country become involved in war, that I am invoking the aid of the Deity to affect its outcome, but furthermore, that I seek publicity by startling and sensational means, all of which are utterly false, malicious and libelous. . . .

As you undoubtedly know, your make-up editor employed the device of deleting part of a sentence sent to you. It is true I did oil up my rifle, but for the purpose of shooting a buck. I killed a 96-lb. buck and regaled my men's club with it. Since my honorable discharge as chaplain in the last war, I have preached in season and out of season against the sheer folly of war.

JOHN HAYES CREIGHTON San Francisco, Calif.

> TIME'S sincere apologies to Dr. Creighton. TIME's religion editor was misled by a dispatch, had no idea that he was distorting the incident.--ED.

Long Sermons

Sirs:

"Germans and colored folk like their sermons long" (TIME, Oct. 16). Let me say, first, that I like your usual use of similes, metaphors, and adjectives and it is probably true that a great many colored folk like this type of sermon. But in a world sick with prejudice, I hate to have TIME help prejudice along in one of our most pressing domestic problems. To generalize upon the colored people, putting them alongside of Hitler and the Germans ... is not a way to work for democracy.

RUTH CAROL HARLOW East Northfield, Mass.

> Chipmunks and children both like nuts, but TIME does not consider chil dren rodents. -- ED.

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