Circulation

Sirs: The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and frequently The Literary Digest print on front covers of their various issues their circulation. Never have I seen a report concerning TIME'S circulation. . . . As close as I have ever come to a good guess is a statement in your own advertisement, issue of June 15, p. 62: ". . . in 350,000 homes." Why not print, just for once, your circulation? ROBERT MILLER

Palmerton, Pa.

In 1929, upon passing 250,000 circulation, TIME announced the fact on its front cover. Average net paid circulation first six months of 1931 was 355,000.-- ED.

Boston Latin's Trophy Sirs: May I inform the managing editor of The Exonian, through your columns, that the Boston Public Latin School for Boys has received the Phi Beta Kappa Trophy sponsored by Harvard University for permanent possession rather than Phillips Exeter Academy?

ELMER B. MICHELSON Dorchester, Mass.

Sirs: I was surprised to see on p. 2 of your issue of June 29 a letter entitled "No Lead Shot," in which the Managing Editor of The Exonian asserts that "Exeter won first place in the competition for the Phi Beta Kappa Trophy sponsored by Harvard University, in which the outstanding preparatory schools in New England were entered." I should like to say that on the Head Master's mantle rests the Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Trophy, which was won by the Lawrenceville School in 1930. Exeter won this in 1929. If the winning of the Phi Beta Kappa Trophy means that "Exeter is more potent scholastically than other schools of its kind" (according to the correspondent) does this mean that Lawrenceville is most potent, since it has won this trophy from New England?

L. W. TOSTEVIN Registrar's Office

Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, N. J.

The Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Trophy, a plaque showing a cap-&-gowned student clenching a diploma in his hand and striding stiffly across Harvard Yard toward the famed seated statue of Puritan John Harvard, was won by Boston Latin School from 1925 through 1928 successively, then by Exeter, then by Lawrenceville. This year's award, the final year of a second term of competition,* has not yet been made. No matter who is the 1931 winner, the Trophy goes permanently to Boston Latin for having won it four times out of seven.

Established in 1915, the Harvard Trophy has been competed for by an invited group of schools, each represented by a team of seven picked students. Scored were the marks made in four subjects (English, a foreign language, mathematics or physics or chemistry, one elective) in the College Board entrance examinations.

--ED.

Needles for Cole

Sirs: In your issue of June 29 there appear on p. 8 what purport to be reproductions of pictures of the Chairmen of the three different groups of railroads . . . Messrs H. A. Scandrett, J. J. Pelley and myself. It so happens that the picture which purports to represent me is one of my friend, Mr. A. C. Needles, President, Norfolk & Western Railway Co. I call your attention to this error not that I think it makes a great deal of difference, or that I think the American Public is particularly interested in my physiognomy, but because of what I understand to be your desire for and claim to accuracy in everything which appears in your publication. I make no claims to physical pulchritude, hence my complacency over the error you have made in substituting Mr. Needles' picture for mine. Under these circumstances, it only remains for you to make your peace with Mr. Needles.

W. R. COLE President

Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. Louisville, Ky.

To Messrs. Cole & Needles apologies for reproducing a picture agency's error. Herewith are printed pictures of both gentlemen with proper labels.--ED.

Busy G-G

Here and there one finds a progressive company that is busy. Grigsby-Grunow Co. (Chicago) under new management since January 1, 1931 has had between 5,000 and 6,000 employers busily occupied. The first three months they made radios to the extent of 3,800 daily and the last three months these employers made refrigerators to the extent of 1,500 daily.

G. S. McKEE

Chicago, Ill.

Grape-Nuts Sirs:

Your report of the American Medical Association's annual session (TIME, June 22) was extremely interesting and is attracting wide favorable comment by physicians. The high lights of the convention are adequately selected and considered.

Only two errors annoy me personally. I never said anywhere that people are going nuts on irradiation. Maybe they are, but I never used this inelegant expression.

The second error concerns Grape-Nuts. You say our Committee on Foods will insist on a change of name because the product is not grapes and not nuts. This is wrong. Some uninformed person must have misled your representative at Philadelphia. Grape-Nuts might have been considered faultily named but the rules of the American Medical Association Committee on Foods permit names longestablished. The committee does not insist on a change of such commercial names. It does ask that a proper descriptive statement accompany distinctive trade names on labels and advertising for the information of consumers.

Grape-Nuts is thus a baked cereal composed largely of wheat and malted barley. Justification for the name may lie in the taste and feel of the food on the tongue and teeth. The term Grape-Nuts was in use before the passage of the Food & Drugs Act and no official objection has ever been taken to the name of this product. It has been accepted by our committee without change of name.

Please publish this letter in justice to General Foods, which is cooperating fully with the work of our committee.

MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical Association Chicago, Ill.

TIME erred in regard to Grape-Nuts, extends apologies to General Foods Corp. Grape-Nuts, which is made of wheat and barley, has a longer history than any cold cereal now on the market. It was invented in 1897 by Charles William Post, soon after he invented Postum. Today the housewives not only of the U. S. but also of 51 foreign lands serve it for breakfast. In the U. S. many a sweet-shop has concocted a ''Grape-Nuts" ice-cream.-- ED.

Shod Shah Sirs:

In its article on Persia (June 8), TIME did not follow its usual praiseworthy habit of exploiting the interesting implications of a situation. Certainly the report that the entrance of the infuriated Shah was announced by "the ring of spurs on the stone mosque floor'' and his exit accompanied by the sound of "clinking spurs" is worthy of comment. By going shod into the holy mosque did His Majesty mean deliberately to flout an old Moslem custom or was he merely exasperated beyond the point of taking thought? In either case, was he not furnishing quite as much food for scandal as did his queen by her surreptitious veil-lifting? Or does he rely on the edge of his biting lash to clip the wings of gossip? No Mohammedan, I yet am curious.

HAROLD COY

St. Louis, Mo. .

TIME'S correspondent did not attempt to analyze the Shah's state of mind, simply reported his action, including spur-clinking which seemed sufficiently indicative.--ED. Chinese General Cohen

Sirs:

Your issue of June 22 under Foreign News, China. You refer to Morris Cohen having recentlv been gazetted a brigadier general in the Chinese Army. General Cohen is intimately known to me and some facts about him are as follows:

He served in the Canadian Expeditionary forces all during the War and was made a sergeant early in 1915. his knowledge of Chinese was gained through having charge of Chinese imported to France during the War for clean-up work. He is British-born and speaks with a decided English accent. He went to China in 1918 and became Dr. Sun Yat Sen's right-hand man or body guard. He is very shrewd and a good talker, speaks Chinese fluently. He is the only white man to my knowledge ever to become a Chinese Mason, which is considered among Chinamen a great honor. He is not a trick pistol shot.

During a visit to Canada sometime in 1924 I met him again and we visited Chinatown in Vancouver, B. C. As soon as the Chinamen found out who he was. they certainly showered him with attention giving us a special dinner for which we were not permitted to pay.

LEE SERETH

Houston, Tex.

Chapter & Verse

Sirs: In TIME of April 27, p. 23, "barbaric Lord [N. B. only War-Lord] of Manchuria, Chang Tso-lin, he who reclined elegantly [sic] with one or more of his wives [sic] on a couch of tiger skins while an executioner, for his amusement, chopped off a head--any head would do." (Ah, those barbaric Orientals!) Pray, will TIME be good enough to quote chapter and verse of the authority for this fine specimen of yellow journal sensationalism? Eh, perhaps someone has been delving in Roman History of circa A. D. 37-41. Vide: Caligula. Is TIME aware of the difference between polygamy and concubinage? The Chinese are not polygamous, though concubines abound among them. Rather a fine distinction, what! Nevertheless, a distinction. (Jang Sun) Shanghai, China

TIME has told of the able rule, the high achievement's of Marshal Chang Tso-lin. Subscriber Jang Sun well knows that in Manchuria the word of the "Old Marshal" was law, and chapter & verse into the bargain. His English and his Russian women called themselves "wives," and he whose word was law permitted it. At a dinner which he gave "In honor of Ching Chuen-chen" he had Guest of Honor Ching shot dead at table. On meeting a retainer whom he had not seen for some days the Old Marshal would say as a joke: "What-- didn't I order your head cut off yester-day?" His executioner, a powerful man with a great broad sword, was always near, frequently functioned in the manner TIME has indicated.--ED.

*First term (1915-25) Trophy went to Springfield, Mass. Central High School.

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