Friendly Teacher

Sirs:

. . . Recently one schoolteacher said she would do her worst to hurt TIME in the opinion of others. I am sure that there are many of us who boost TIME as much as possible, and who see to it that those under our care have the chance to see all its good points.

Several times I have been on the verge of writing to TIME to ask if it would be possible to follow the names of great men or places unfamiliar to schoolchildren with the pronunciation. This would be very helpful in a class where TIME is used for current events, for if the pupil is uncertain he asks teacher--and who is he to know the correct pronunciation of a Chinese General's name, a Nicaraguan rebel's name, a famed War Minister of France, a potent German financier? . . .

B. ELWOOD FAHL

Clyde, N. Dak.

The suggestion of honest Teacher Fahl will go into effect forth- with.--ED.

Commonwealths

Sirs:

In TIME, Sept. 5, 1927, p. 12, col. 1, paragraph 1, you use this language: "State of Massachusetts," etc.

Under their respective constitutions four political units of the United States style themselves Commonwealths: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia and Kentucky. Since the time of the Revolutionary war under four different constitutions the legal title of Penn's Woods has been the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." To be technically correct in speaking of the United States, it should be said the nation consists of 44 States and four Commonwealths.

Another common error is in stating there were 13 colonies at the time of the Revolutionary war. Pennsylvania was not a colony of Great Britain in the same sense that New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc., were colonies ruled by British. According to the charter granted William Penn his domain was a Province, owned entirely by Penn and his heirs until the time of the Revolutionary war, with the inhabitants paying rental or taxes to the Pern family. While the government con- trolled the Province by certain legislation yet Pennsylvania was a government by a Proprietor until the Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary war was fought by twelve Colonies and one Province.

JNO. C. DIGHT

Harrisburg, Pa.

Baltimore's Streets

Sirs:

. . You wrote last week of the uneven brick streets of Baltimore [TIME, Sept. 5, p. 11]. It has befallen my lot in recent years to examine street paving in various cities from Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chicago and St. Louis, Detroit and Cleveland, to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Baltimore has by far the best paved streets and the cleanest streets. Philadelphia has the worst paved and dirtiest streets, with St. Louis a close second. WM. H. THOMSON

Princeton, N. J.

A Governor Looks at Gary

Sirs:

I have read with interest your biographical sketch of Judge Gary, in the issue of TIME, Aug. 22.

Judge Gary was a great industrial leader and inaugurated many employe welfare plans, but it cannot be said, as stated in your article, that "The abolition of the twelve-hour day was a policy embraced by Judge Gary before others forced it upon him." This is absolutely contrary to fact.

Public opinion--and nothing else--forced this action upon the President of the United States Steel Corporation. In 1920, the Commission of Inquiry of the Inter-Church World Movement published a report entitled, "Public Opinion and the Steel Strike of 1919," which covered an exhaustive study of the twelve-hour day and its non-social effect upon the workers of the United States Steel Corporation. Bishop Francis J. McConnell of the Methodist Episcopal Church was chairman of the committee that made the report. The report was widely circulated and was repeatedly commented upon favorably in the public press. Judge Gary attempted to minimize the effect of this report in every way, and prepared an answer to it, but it was never published. It is said that President Harding tried to persuade Judge Gary to change his labor policy. Judge Gary repeatedly stated that the inauguration of an eight-hour day would increase the cost of steel to the consumer and would reduce the profits of the Corporation. However, the first common stock dividend declared by the Corporation after the twelve-hour day had been abolished was an increase over the former rate.

The Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, which is controlled by John D. Rockefeller Jr., instituted the eight-hour day in their steel works many years before it was put into effect by the United States Steel Corporation. The labor policy of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company is much more democratic than that of the United States Steel Corporation. WILLIAM E. SWEET

(Ex-Governor of Colorado) Denver, Col.

A Chainmaker Looks at Gary

Sirs: You should have called your estimate of the not very late Judge Gary (TIME, Aug 22, BUSINESS) "A Bourgeoisie Obituary." I passed through Chicago on my retreat from Boston at the time he was being returned to less than the ashes of his steel mills. The papers carried pictures of hard-visaged men who attended his funeral --many of them officials in the Steel Trust. They reminded me of inarticulate Nietzsches who pounded "Finis" on the souls of men with sledges. Seldom do I smile over an obituary. But it was really pathetic -- that friend who saw the Judge in a mood of self-pity over the fact that he would never use his hunting bag and gun again. The Judge was moving on to a larger field, and was to bag bigger birds without the use of a hunting bag. The incident is pat enough to be included in Ida Tarbell's inane life of the man who hid a mask of iron beneath a bland smile. To quote the obituary: "Judge Gary refused to receive Samuel Gompers, resenting labor's attempt to unionize the steel industry for ends which the steel industry already had in view." Then later, "A strike was called, but failed." One can read much history between such lines -- can see the spirits of men crushed, and heads cracked, perhaps, and hearts broken. I am by trade a chainmaker-- a welder of iron and steel. I was Government Chain Inspector while more patriotic men were dying to perpetuate masters like Judge Gary. . . . Will the history of steel prove your point when you say Gary abolished the twelve-hour day before others forced it upon him? Did it not come from a slowly enlightened but heartsick public opinion? Do you know the history of the Homestead strike? Did you ever hear it from the lips of a skull-cracked steel worker? I do not expect a man like Gary to be an Anatole France. When despots have grown to that stature the steel slaves will own the mills and not be satisfied like a lot of cattle because their boss allows them a creek in which to wade. . . . There was much in Gary that I admired. The one thing I did not admire in him was the veneer of hypocrisy he put over his acts. Men of his type should be forever ruthless. Out of ruthless men eventually evolves a public good. Unintelligent workingmen will always be satisfied so long as they are given a crust of bread--and a platitude. But I must desist. You say "Biographers praised him. . . ." Yes, yes-- Ida Tarbell is getting old.

JIM TULLY Hollywood, Calif. Tully Flayed

Sirs:

Will you please administer a thoroughgoing rebuke to the writer who reviewed Jim Tully's book, Circus Parade [TIME, Aug. 8],

If this book is realistic, then a stake driver's undershirt isn't salty.

His fat lady could never have been hauled to the graveyard in an elephant cage, as no circus then or now ever carried an elephant cage. I have never seen one, nor have been able to find any circus man who ever saw one.

If he caught the last coach of a ten-car train going fast enough to make a mile jump in two hours, Tully performed a feat that has never been equaled. Please ask Mr. Tully why he didn't stop to light a cigaret or write a letter home after being kicked off that train, before catching the last coach. If Jim Tully ever saw a circus train he would know that the last coach of every circus train that ever moved a mile out of the yards was the railroad caboose, not the last coach of the circus. And if he did catch the last coach why did he risk his precious life crawling over the top of the coaches in a vain effort to reach the engineer when it would have been much easier to step into the cupola of the caboose and arouse the train crew, and have them stop the train. . . .

He has this ten-car circus load its tents, stakes, poles and other paraphernalia loosely in baggage cars, when, if he has ever seen a circus in action, he would know that such material is loaded on wagons, which are run on flat cars. . . . According to Tully the wagons were transported empty, and the canvas and other paraphernalia loaded into baggage cars just to give the roughnecks something to sit on.

He has the circus travel "as far inland as Beaumont, Tex." This city is a port, according to Rand McNally, the Southern Pacific Railroad, my own observations, the United States Shipping Board and other authorities. Of course if Mr. Tully insists that it is inland perhaps you can prevail upon these authorities to change their statements.

EUGENE WHITMORE

Chicago, Ill.

Pharisee

Sirs:

In TIME, Aug. 29, under the subhead "In London" TIME omitted one biblical Quotation that might well have been quoted. It is that of the hypocritical Pharisee, Oh, Lord, 1 thank Thee that I am not like the rest of men.*

Bernarrd/- MacFadden and his "PornoGraphic" at its best (or worst) which has frequently received sharp thrusts from 'Holier than Thou' TIME could not have printed a spicier morsel than the "invidious passages" from Potiphar's Wife.

At least, the "PornoGraphic" can humbly pray with the Samaritan "Oh, Lord be merciful to me a Sinner." TIME, the Pharisee, cannot.

A. F. HIGGINS

New York, N. Y.

Boomerang

Sirs:

They all lay down sooner or later!

You may be sure that that has never been a favorite phrase of mine, but I cannot refrain from applying it to its obnoxious creator, Mr. Epstein.

Mr. Epstein has "layed down"! He has not answered his many critics. He writes TIME no more letters--thank gracious. He has seen that his position was entirely false.

He has felt himself--at last--unable to combat intelligent-argument with loud and blatant phrases. They all lay down sooner or later!

GREGORY HARTSCHORN

Louisville, Ky.

A mistake. Morris ("Al") Epstein Jr. has not ceased to write letters to TIME. One or more of his letters have reached TIME every week for ten weeks. But TIME has ceased to publish the letters of Morris ("Al") Epstein Jr. Conversely--in all fairness to Mr. Epstein--TIME must cease to publish the letters of his many critics.

--ED.

Again, Bowling

Sirs:

We were somewhat surprised to notice a very erroneous reference you made to a very high type of sport, such reference appearing on p. 26 of your Aug. 29 issue under the caption of "Bowling on the Green."

In the last paragraph this story refers to one division of the game called " 'bowling' or 'ten-pins,' played now in indoor alleys by barflies and roustabouts."

We take the liberty of taking strong exception to this ill-advised libel of the greatest of all indoor sports, and a sport which is participated in by millions, most of them of a high type citizenship. In fact, we are prepared to prove that no sport on such a large scale has for its participants any higher type of men and women.

We are willing to admit that there are isolated cases where bowling alleys do not have the proper atmosphere, but this is also true of drug, stores, cigar stores, cafes and countless other business establishments. We admit that in the old days prior to the 20th Century, bowling alleys were often associated with bars, but since this great game was organized such association was gradually wiped out to such an extent that a bowling alley with a bar could not prosper as such even before the 18th Amendment.

The bowling game has been adopted by the welfare departments of large industrial and commercial institutions as one of the best health and social mediums for their employes. It has also been adopted by fraternal organizations, K. of C.'s, Y. M. C. A.'s and countless other organizations, who certainly would not adopt a game generally participated in by "barflies" and "roustabouts."

Millions are invested in this game by reputable businessmen, having millions of patrons drawn from the best strata of society. This representation is so strong in numbers that your reflection on this game practically amounts to a reflection on society in general.

We would appreciate opportunity of proving our statements to you if you are interested, but we do not believe this is necessary as we believe that this attitude as expressed in this story was unintentional or was probably written by a person who was guessing at the facts instead of going to the extent of getting at the truth before committing such libelous statement.

The writer reads your publication with interest and if you would desire any material or stories with reference to the great games of billiards and bowling we freely offer you the service of this department.

C. J. CAIN

(The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.) Chicago, Ill.

TIME has already promised a complete and accurate account of Bowling-in-the-Alley on the occasion of next winter's annual tour- ney of the International Bowling League (TIME, Sept. 19, LETTERS), and will welcome material from the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. at that time.--ED.

*A mistake. The Pharisee said: "God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are. . . ." ED.

/-A mistake. The name is Bernarr.--ED