Black Cow

Sirs:

Shame on TIME for defaming the time-honored "black cow"! (TIME, Nov. 16).

Guzzlers know the "black cow" is composed of root beer and cream. . . .

WILLIAM L. VALLEE

New York City

THE STATEMENT REGARDING BEVERAGE SUPPLIED THE COMMITTEE AT THE METROPOLITAN CLUB CONTAINS IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH OF THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT [on the Navy League's attack on the Hoover naval policy] QUOTE MANY INACCURACIES FALSE ASSERTIONS AND ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS UNQUOTE THE BEVERAGES INDULGED IN BY THE COMMITTEE WERE COFFEE AND CREAM AND PLAIN WATER CHEMICALLY REPRESENTED AS H2O STOP ALAS

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND

New York City

Dry Georgia

Sirs:

We are so thankful here in this South Georgia county that we have had a few light showers of rain in the last several days. It's the first rain we have had since about the 15th of August, 1931. So much dust and such heavy smoke and dense fogs each morning, staying so gloomy all day, and so unpleasant to breathe natural, especially at night. Forest fires have raged continually in all sections of the country, in dry swamps destroying millions of lovely long leaf pines. The Forest Rangers had water hauled from deep wells in cities, trying to stop some of these fires, but found that their work was too feeble to battle with the flames. So there have been in the near counties of Clinch and Lanier 10,000 sq. mi. burned over, according to the report sent in to our local paper Valdosta Times last week. I have been an interested reader of TIME several months, so decided to report this longest dry time which the oldest or middle-aged inhabitants can remember experiencing in this locality. The river Withlacooche is so near dry, hogs walk in centre of river bed just knee deep. The water is generally 15 ft. or 20 ft. deep when of normal depth. TIME is very wonderful.

MRS. L. E. McLExoox

Ousley, Ga.

Georgia's current drought and forest fires are without parallel in the State's history. Mean total rainfall in November was .04 in., surpassed only by the .01-in. low of November, 1922 which, however, was not preceded by such weeks of drought as this year. Fires cut a line through the middle of the State to the coast. Many people were killed in automobile accidents in the smoke pall. Airplane operations were resumed only last week. Wild life suffered badly. Reported the United Press last week: "Bird life including every known species from sparrow to mammoth owls present a pitiful sight with screaming and chattering. The noise is deafening --weird sounds around occasional water holes where wild life flocks and fights for existence. Waters formerly productive of fish are now barren, the fish left baking in the sun on the banks. Suwannee (of song fame), Satilla, Alapaha, and Setto Rivers are now mere excavations with occasional mudholes, wild and domestic hogs feeding upon fish left marooned by drought."--ED.

Boxer Roosevelt

Sirs:

Owing to illness I am forced to do this in long hand at home. Page 55, TIME, Nov. 23 in re Pringle's Roosevelt under paragraph Alice Lee--this is the most barefaced egregious manufactured history ever conceived. The writer saw this only appearance of T. R. as an aspirant for honors in lightweight boxing class. I knew both of his opponents but not him. I was a boxer and soon after a contestant and winner in 1881 and 1882. There is no dispute: the records show it, and I have two cups to show. Incidentally I sat perched atop a partition at this meeting by the side of Classmate Owen Wister. . . .

The contest was held in the old gym, about the size of a small Round House for engines of that day.

No ladies were present.

There was no balcony.

T. R. did not of course strip to the waist while she, Alice, sat in the balcony. This mushy apocryphal tale will be "scotched" by the writer in the proper place and was evidently taken and elaborated from another author who has, or will, also correct it and has written me acknowledging his error. But to me this is ridiculously inaccurate.

The caption under the picture of T. R. is most significant. T. R. in his autobiography says. "I forget whether I got into the finals or semifinals." Your line reads as follows, "As he recalled it he was champion." This brings up an old and unfortunate controversy in about the year 1910 to 1912. The writer took a small part in the newspaper discussion: many others disputed and argued. All the writer adduced was to give the name of actual winners for all the terms T. R. was in college, namely: Hanks (over Roosevelt), Fred Sharow, George Heilbron. . . .

GEORGE F. SPALDING

Newton Center, Mass.

Biographer Pringle cites as his source p. 4 of Roosevelt, the Story of a Friendship (Macmillan, 1930) by Mr. Spalding's Classmate Owen Wister. Biographer Pringle was not aware Classmate Wister stood corrected. For the statement that Roosevelt at one time thought he had been champion, Biographer Pringle refers to the legislative scrapbooks at the Roosevelt Memorial Association, N. Y. C.--ED.

Neutral Academy

Sirs:

I have been a reader of your magazine for quite some time. I have always regarded the information contained therein as accurate and authentic. I note that whenever mistakes have been made, you have generously and willingly corrected them.

On p. 40 of the issue of Nov. 23, under the heading of Cinema, 2nd column, near the top of the page, you state that producers used the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as a weapon to defeat the Actors' Equity Association's attempt to organize the cinema actors.

As a member of Equity and as Vice President of the Academy at that time, as well as at present, I beg to inform you that the Academy remained absolutely inactive and did not side either with the actors or producers throughout the attempted Equity strike two years ago. The Academy was most careful at that time to maintain an impartial and absolutely neutral attitude throughout the entire strike. . . .

You can confirm these statements by communicating with M. C. Levee, Paramount Studio. Hollywood. Calif.. President of the Academy, or with Doctor Clinton Wunder, c/o The Academy, Hollywood, Calif.

CONRAD NAGEL

En Route

Advance 20th Century Limited

Frog Taft, Fish Swanson

Sirs:

A big frog in my fish pond answers readily to the name Bill Taft. Our favorite pet however, was a large flying fish christened Gloria Swanson. Her diet was difficult, but this was offset by a most affectionate disposition. Gloria visited the house frequently, flying from her pond through a patch of bamboo, between coconut trees, entering open windows and doors, frequently alighting at the canary's cage, exchanging chirps with the imprisoned singer. Gloria's death was a natural one. She "caught cold" while moulting and all efforts to rescue her from double pneumonia were vain. Bill Taft was chief mourner.

ED TOWSE

Honolulu, Hawaii Hobo Harrington

Sirs:

With interest I note in your issue of Nov. 23 a statement made by James" J. Harrington to the effect that Northwestern University had made a hobo of his son. And yet the same story sets forth the information that not the University, but Mr. Harrington himself, had given this youngster a $3,000 automobile! I graduated from Northwestern, and in four years there (the expensive years of 1919-23), my total expenses were less than the cost of above-mentioned automobile by several hundred dollars. . . .

ADA C. ROSE West Lafayette, Ind.

Rolling Sister-in-Law

Sirs'

The lead-off letter of your Nov. 23 issue caused me deep chagrin when I learned that for four years an Oregonian miss has been rolling on the floor each week with MY gift of TIME.

I am going to request that from 1932 on she pay you direct for her weekly roll as she is merely my sister-in-law.

JOHN C. POWERS

Cleveland, Ohio

& Sirs:

Would TIME'S editor kindly publish the rule for the use of the ampersand (&) in TIME'S text? Does TIME employ a printed style book and is it available to readers interested in both TIME and the printing art?

V. C. SHERWIN

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

TIME'S rule is to use & only between words commonly twinned, as "pepper & salt," "more & more," "Gallagher & Shean." TIME has a style book, but no spare copies.--ED.

"Saoul Comme un Americain"

Sirs:

I observe that Dr. Clarence True Wilson is quoted (TIME. Oct. 19) as saying, in explanation nf having seemed to insult the American

Legion in some earlier remarks, that some of the American Legionnaires have "dropped . . . their Christian standards of decency, dropped into French customs."

Is Dr. Wilson the only American not to be aware that among the French there is hardly any drinking to excess, and that if a Frenchman sees a "staggering drunk" in Paris, he assumes that it is an American? American customs, as observed in France, have even enriched the French language by a new comparison: instead of ivre comme un Polonais, the familiar expression is now (alas!) saoul comme un Americain [drunk as an American].

RUTH MORAND

Paris, France

Princeton Boy Cheered

Sirs:

Good for the Princeton boy who had the courage to stand up for culture and refinement against pure muscle and brain (TIME, Nov. 16). We need more of such boys in our colleges today.

MRS. WILLIAM R. WHITMORE New Haven, Conn.

Candid Cameraman

Sirs:

Dr. Salomon and the Candid Camera (TIME, Nov. 9) are interesting to the writer who has done a bit of concealed camera shooting himself in these parts, but on spare time only and therefore limited. . . .

You may recall the Earl Carroll trial some time ago. The State spent much money and time trying to convince a jury that one Faith Bacon was inadequately clothed. I felt the police department had been inefficient. The extent of Miss Bacon's drapings could have been photographed and all the verbal testimony rendered unnecessary. For that reason I selected soon after a nearby theatre, the Columbia (burlesque) and took several shots, one of which is accompanying this letter. It is convincing, I believe, as to the extent of the lady's trappings or lack of them. All censors should have a Candid (or equivalent) camera. It would save the taxpayers' money. . . .

LEON HARTMAN

New York City

Candid Cameraman Hartman's "shot"' from the Columbia burlesque is convincing, unprintable.--ED.

Big Peoples Wayne

Sirs:

In your issue of Nov. 30, in speaking of the proposed consolidation of Peoples Wayne County Bank of Detroit and First National Bank, you state that the consolidation will make the new institution "the largest bank between New York and Chicago."

Simply in the interest of accuracy, I wish to point out that Peoples Wayne County Bank is already and, for a period of upwards of a year and" a half, has been the largest bank between New York and Chicago.

WILSON W. MILLS Chairman

Peoples Wayne County Bank

Detroit, Mich.

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