Shining Through
Sirs:
Here is an interesting footnote on the Billings affair (TIME, March 28). The art league of Springfield, Mass, has an ace-in-the-hole as the accompanying pages from L'illustration 1936 will testify. You may find Artist Billings' Opus No.1 at the top of a very effective modern stained glass window design by Georges Desvallieres. Joker Billings' little ruse* loses much of its point when it is known that he borrowed his drawing and composition from a recognized modern French artist. . . The joke is on Billings. . . . The jurors showed more discernment than anyone supposed; they saw the good of Desvallieres shining through the bad of Billings. PAUL L. NOTHSTEIN Chicago, Ill.
American Adventure
Sirs:
In reading Das Amerikanische Abenteuer by Bradley (Prentice Hall), I found a paragraph in which you might be interested:
"ZEIT, die woechentliche Kurzzeitung, die in ihrem eigenen Kurz-Englisch die Ereignisse der Woche berichtet, mit maerchenhafter Genauigkeit, Schaerfe in den Einzelheiten und Durchdringung der Probleme. Eine journalistische Meisterleistung, fuer die kein Ausdruck der Bewunderung zu hoch 1st."
PALMER M. SIMPSON
Brownsville, Tenn.
TIME appreciates compliments in
whatever language. Literal translation:
"TIME, the weekly shortpaper which in its own brief English describes the events of the week with fabulous precision, keenness in the details and penetration of problems, a journalistic masterpiece, for which no expression of wonder is too great."--ED.
One, At Least
Sirs:
As a close personal friend of Professor Moritz Oppenheim I was grievously shocked to read, under Death & Doctors, in March 28 issue of TIME, that he had committed suicide. I immediately cabled Vienna and received the following reply: "We are well. Deny it in the papers. . .." JOHN THOMAS
Cincinnati, Ohio
TIME gladly corrects an error due to garbled dispatches coming from Vienna in a week of confusion.--ED.
Progressive Man
Sirs:
Mr. J. B. A. Johnson, 1403 Cherry Street, Pine Bluff, Ark., who farms 800 acres of cotton about 40 miles east of Little Rock, bought two of our one-row machines last year, was in the office this morning and hauled away a two-row tractor-drawn Cotton Chopping Machine [TIME, March 7]. ...
He is going to plant his cotton with tractors, he is going to cultivate his cotton with tractor, he is going to chop his cotton with tractor and the Dixie Cotton Chopping Machine, and he is going to pick his cotton with the Rust cotton picker.
Inasmuch as this is the first time in the history of the raising of cotton that a crop will be made entirely without hand labor of any kind, we thought this might be of interest to you. . . .
He is one of the most progressive men we have ever met. . . . LAURENCE W. LEEPER
Dixie Cultivator Corp.
Dallas, Tex.
Pilgrim
Sirs:
Your account of our Pilgrimage to Washington (March 21) has the dubious distinction of being the most inaccurate I have read to date.
''Unimpressed by foreign crises, nation-wide Recession, or the advisability of attending to their homework" is a characterization no reporter could honestly make. . . .
Any reporter who took the trouble to read our "claims" or ask us about them would know that they are not to "32 affiliates" or "15,000,000 citizens." We are a federation of 53 national youth groups and several hundred local and regional groups. Their gross memberships total 15,000,000, and we estimate that at least 4,000,000 can be subtracted to account for duplication. . . .
To say that "The American Youth Congress is composed mainly of the more militantly left-wing members of its subsidiary groups" is nothing short of falsification. The National Council of Methodist Youth, the Industrial Department of the Y.W.C.A., the United Electrical, Radio and Machinist Workers of America, and 50 other national groups are affiliated through official action of their national executive councils. These national executive councils also designate who is to represent them on our national board. . . .
WILLIAM W. HINCKLEY Chairman of the National Council
American Youth Congress
New York City
In Yucatan
Sirs:
A grueling hike afoot through jungle to San Francisco, village 20 miles from highway, not reached more than once in a year by foreigners. Sat down to rest in thatch-roofed hut where would hang hammock that night. Seeking archeological treasures.
Splash of color on wattled wall. It was TIME. Cover, year old, and some of advertisements and cuts being used to give character and color to native house. Rare perception, that of Indian householder, even though he could not read. Cover was old friend. Came, probe showed, with party of Americanos seeking ruins year ago. LAWRENCE DAME
Chichen Itza, Yucatan
For Fair Play
Sirs:
In the issue of TIME, March 7, you quoted my father, Cornelius Vanderbilt, as having said: "I have been up all night during storms and have never yet seen anything destroyed by the crew. . . ."
My father has been ill for several years, and has never made any such statement as you quoted.
The excerpt which you misquoted came from a telegram which I sent to Senator Bailey of the U. S. Senate Commerce and Labor Committee in Washington, in which I said: "... Have had much contact American sailor at sea and have never yet run into any conditions some of those testifying your committee claim occur. Have been up all night during storms and talked civilly with seamen. Have never yet seen an American seaman intoxicated on duty. Yours for fair play." CORNELIUS VANDERBILT JR.
New York City
Reader Vanderbilt's telegram reached the press via a release of the National Maritime Union which reworded a few of his phrases, neglected to indicate that the telegram had come from Junior.--ED.
No Hand
Sirs:
May I make a correction, please, of your story (TIME, March 21) regarding the advent of the new magazine, Ken? It is not a correction, exactly, for, so far as I know, your facts are correct when you say, "By last week Ken's direction had largely devolved on Messrs. Smart & Gingrich with the assistance of Messrs. Hemingway, Seldes, John Spivak, Raymond Gram Swing, Critic Burton Rascoe, Manuel Komroff, Sportswriter Herb Graffis."
I did considerable work at Mr. Smart's request toward a magazine he had originally conceived. But I must decline any responsibility, either as an editor or contributor, for whatever Ken turns out to be. This is not a criticism of the magazine. I haven't seen it. I haven't the slightest idea what it is going to be like. . . . This is merely a declination of an honor I do not deserve, if it should turn out that the first issue of Ken is a great success, which I hope it will be. But I had no hand in it.
BURTON RASCOE
New York City
Ho! Ho!
Sirs:
TIME, March 21 ... "The California Supreme Court handed down a verdict. . . ." Ho! Ho! Only juries arrive at verdicts. Supreme courts reach decisions, then affirm, modify or reverse judgments of inferior courts, except in such cases in which they have original jurisdiction; utilize juries at no stage in their procedure and at no time "hand down verdicts." IRVING HILL Editor
Harvard Law Review Cambridge, Mass.
Net Worth
Sirs:
TIME (March 21) contains a statement relative to efforts of Johns-Manville's Brown to clarify his company's financial statements, resulting in what TIME calls a "notable simplification of a balance sheet." [In his statement, Mr. Brown points out that the balance sheet is the statement of "what we own, what we owe and what we are worth."]
According to Mr. Brown's balance sheet of December 31, 1937, "what we own" amounts to $51,281,512.56 and "what we owe" amounts to $4,845,554.69. On the basis of Mr. Brown's exposition, the company is "worth" the difference, or $46,435,957.87.
The interests of the company's stockholders are represented by 75,000 shares of preferred having a market value of about $9,375,000, and 850,000 shares of common stock having a market value of about $60,000,000. Thus, on the basis of the composite opinion of investors as reflected in market prices, the company is "worth" $69,375,000. ... To put the matter another way, according to Mr. Brown's exposition each share of common stock was "worth" on December 31, 1936, about $31. Yet Mr. Brown's report points out that the company in March 1937 was able to sell 100,000 shares of its common stock at $100 per share. Let Mr. Brown explain how he was able to sell stock which he says was "worth" $31 per share for a consideration of $100 per share. . .
JAMES L. DOHR Associate Professor of Accounting Columbia University New York City
Reader Dohr does a notable job of muddling Lewis Brown's notable simplification. Mr. Brown is not yet far enough ahead of general accounting practice to carry his firm's stock on its balance sheet at market instead of book value. If he had followed the professor's advice he would have had to say "This is what we will be worth if the people who buy and sell in Wall Street are guessing right about our future earnings."--ED.
His Lordship
Sirs:
Usually accurate, TIME errs in its March 28 issue in referring to Mr. Justice Branson [the London judge who decided against Bette Davis in her contract difficulties with Warner Brothers] as "His Honor." English usage confers this title on a County Court Judge, the correct reference to a Supreme Court Justice being "His Lordship."
A. M. HARLEY
Brantford, Ont.
To His Lordship, apologies for an unintentional demotion.--ED.
Deeply Moved
Sirs:
I was deeply moved by the letter of Brother Henry Eliot [TIME, March 21] concerning the latest literary effort of Tired Tom the family poet--albeit surprised that he did not write in his native Sanskrit. For that I praise his adaptiveness. . .
R. C. CADY
Washington, D. C.
*He submitted a painting for a show of the Springfield Art League, resigned when it was accepted, giving as his reason that he had deliberately painted the worst picture he could.
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