A + B Theorem
Sirs:
Your recent references to A. R. Orage have greatly interested admirers of his trenchant critical pen in his old New Age days. One of the high spots of his editorship of that weekly was the sponsoring and of the the forcing Douglas "Social Credit Movement" and the forcing into spectacular journalistic combat of the famous economic " A plus B" Theorem. This latter declares that the total purchasing power of the community only secured by way of wages, salaries and dividends, is, under the present cost-accounting system, insufficient to buy back the total products of industry.
The Douglas analysis was confirmed by the studies of Foster & Catchings recently used by President Hoover as a basis of his attack on your unemployment problem.
In Great Britain the movement is gaining much headway, despite the boycotting influence of the powerful financial interests. It gains impetus through the timely advocacy in the British House of Commons by the Rt. Hon. John Wheatley of proposals for arriving "Through Consumption to Prosperity."
The pregnant appeal of the movement is due to its recognition that the economic difficulty is a mathematical, not a moral difficulty, and that many of the popular panaceas advanced, like Socialism and Communism, are as futile as the efforts of a society for the prevention of spots in smallpox which refused to take any cognizance of the smallpox germ.
Major Douglas presented a paper at the recent World Engineering Congress at Tokyo in which he expounded the fallacy of Socialists and Communists that the rich are rich because the poor are poor. W. DIAMOND Saskatoon, Sask.
Taste Test
Sirs:
Convinced that much musical hypocrisy exists among our symphonic and concert audiences who, impressed by the eminence of the artists, claim to appreciate what they neither enjoy nor understand, I propose a test. Let Artist Kreisler seat himself, shabbily disguised, on a camp stool at a busy sidewalk corner. A " Blind" sign above his dark glasses, let him draw his magic bow, and play, as only he can play it, the Caprice Viennois. How many, think you, of his applauding audience, as they hurried by, would pause longer than to jangle a few pennies into the tin cup strapped to the Kreisler knee? . . . LYMAX RICHARDS, M.D.
Double Subscriber (TIME and FORTUNE) Boston, Mass.
What says Fiddler Kreisler, or any other artist of rank? -- ED.
Grallators
Sirs:
Having been a devoted TIME reader for five years, especially of your "Miscellany" column, I thought you might be interested in a contribution which I personally consider more interesting and amusing than the fact that so-and-so in such-and-such a place became abusive because his wife wore shoes to bed or that Phil Weidman rides a bicycle around the corridors of a large courthouse. I sent in a photograph of a three-year-old boy who mastered the difficulty of walking a pair of three-foot stilts during the unusually short period of one hour in practice. Some boys of twelve or thirteen years spend three and four hours at it and still do not learn. Others, some older, some younger, lack the nerve and never learn. Nearly every one has walked stilts at some time or other during his or her childhood, but few really master the kind that are bound to the legs below the knee. If you think it's easy, try it some time. Since submitting the photograph, this lad has risen in the world of stilt artists, and now walks with ease and abandon a pair whose foot rests are a foot higher than his own head. Barely will anyone venture that high proportionately to his own height. Here is another photo of this youngster at work. I am submitting it with the hope that competition may develop from some quarter. Fred Wilson, veteran grallator of the U. S., and self-styled champion stilt walker of the world, walks a pair very little, if any, higher than these. I contend that this juvenile amatuer has him beat. Let him look to his juvenile laurels ina few years; for "Happy Jack" Hill, already a "human fly" of no mean ability, wil soon pass him up even during these very tender years of childhood ... KENNETH F. HILL
Grallator
(A High Stilt Artist)
Brockton, Mass.
Covers, Con't.
Sirs:
... At least one TIME reader had long wondered what the scar-faced one looked like, welcomed TIME'S pictorial satisfaction of this curiosity, was surprised at the welter of epistolary abuse . . . marveled at discovering such a high content of ostrich-complex among TIME readers, considered TIME should have at least one message of congratulation on a timely, courageous, TIME-worthy job of reporting, wrote this, his first letter to any paper, signed himself,
D. F. SOUTHGATE
Geneva, N.Y.
Sirs:
The most surprising things in TIME, April 7 are the expressions of horror because Alphonse Capone's picture appeared on TIME'z cover of March 24.
We were not aware that these pictures were supposed to represent paragons of virtue in the Hall of Fame. If that were so TIME would soon defeat its own ends, that of being interesting and of giving its subscribers news, or do these people who protest so vehemently consider only good things news? . . .
I think TIME is to be commended for its firm stand in printing news, whether that news concerns a public idol or a gangster.
ELIZABETH M. BURNS
Evansville, Ind.
Sirs:
. . . Evidently Messrs. Leonard, Geiger, Markham, Keebler, Hopkins, Chamberlain, and Smith feel that they no longer like or respect you because you published the picture of Al Capone on the cover of March 24's TIME. I should think that you would be ashamed of yourselves for infringing upon the supermundane attitude that these individuals obviously are possessed of! ...
B. WINSTON BARRETT
Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pa.
Sirs:
Just read the howl that the Capone Art kicked up. As compensation may I say, that we have filed the cover in our 'morgue.' It is easily the best photo of Capone that has ever come into our reference department.
H. C. LEVIN
Cleveland Plain Dealer Cleveland, Ohio
Sirs:
See p. 8, issue April 7 last paragraph your comment re: " Capone''--which I quote.
" TIME will continue to publish whatever seems to it nationally newsworthy and significant."
When you cease to do this. I shall not read your wonderful magazine. Thanks for Capone's picture. . . .
E. H. MORRICE New Orleans, La.
Sirs:
... In the first place: a spade is a spade!
In other words: no honor to Capone but truth to the public! I was indeed shocked to see the little boy's picture on your cover--not because it was a crime but because few people have the nerve!
Don't worry--we real Americans are with you! What's more, for each of the " discontinuances" published in TIME of April 7, I will solicit--and get--twelve new subscriptions for you. And for God's sake and the sake of the U. S.--keep up the work! W. MARO WESTON JR. Boston, Mass.
Sirs:
... The extreme narrowness of some otherwise normal minds is both amazing and amusing. But I will wager that these same injured martyrs nearly burned the pages getting to the article to read it. Reminds one of the Senate book censoring comedy-farce.
Compare most of those letters that appear, to the really intelligent one of Peter S. Ellis. However, I can add but little to your courageous comment below the letters. It is short, sweet, correct. My vote of thanks here for one magazine not afflicted with a Reform-Complex nor the ostrich tactics of some individuals.
. . . . Credit TIME with its dominant and avowed purpose--NEWS, good or bad.
F. H. ARISMAN
Chicago, Ill.
Sirs:
Like the reputable deacons of many churches in these United States, prudish, attempting not to teach the seventh commandment lest the word adultery contaminate our youth, so TIME readers fear the bullish features of No. 1 Thug.
May I stand with Ellis, and others, who are willing to set the candle in a candlestick rather than hide it under a bushel.
My subscription runs until December 1931, and if TIME continues to portray truth with its present small percentage of human errors it will continue to run while there is a five-spot to buy it.
Congratulations on a TIME-worthy report of "thugishness!"
REV. WALTER F. FREY
Jamaica, L. I.
Arizona Copper
RE MAP UTAH TIME APRIL SEVENTH STATEMENTS INACCURATE STOP UTAH GREAT BUT ARIZONA LAST YEAR PRODUCED NINETY TWO MILLION DOLLARS MORE COPPER THAN UTAH FORTY EIGHT PER CENT ALL COPPER FAR WEST SIXTY ONE MILLION DOLLARS MORE TOTAL COPPER GOLD SILVER LEAD ZINC THAN UTAH STOP YOUR MISINFORMATION HURTS FINANCING.
R. H. WALKER
Phoenix, Ariz.
Laughter Bros.
Sirs:
Among other interesting items in your column of the March 10 issue of TIME, there appeared the following:
Doom.
In New Carlisle, Ohio, citizens continued to be appalled by a hearse lettered DOOM BROTHERS UNDERTAKERS.
It occurs to this writer that you might render a unique service if you could prevail upon these brothers from Ohio to form a partnership with
THE LAUGHTER UNDERTAKING COMPANY
of Abilene, Texas.
Everything is joyous in Texas.
CHARLES LEDWIDGE
The Village Postmaster
Beaumont, Tex.
Medals, Cheese, Sprouts
Sirs:
Is Subscriber Sutton correct in his assumption (TIME, Letters, March 10) that pinning foreign decorations on the breasts of our citizens is undermining the patriotism of the nation?
If this is true, shouldn't there be an embargo upon such things as Swiss cheese, Brussels sprouts, French peas, Turkish cigarets and Old Dutch Cleanser? Surely these are more dangerous and insidious than mere crosses and ribbons. If I wear the order of the Golden Fleece, it never comes in actual contact with my body, being separated thereby by my Scotch Tweed Weskit and one, perhaps, neutralizes the evil of the other.
However I do not think we need be unduly alarmed. Many of the boys who wear French Crosses still refer to our late, great allies as the Damned Frogs, and I have eaten much chop suey and caviar and felt no inclination either to open a hand laundry or join the Third International. . . .
BASIL DICKEY
Los Angeles, Calif.
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