Monday, Apr. 25, 1955

Man of the Year

Sir:

The task of selecting Man of the Year is so simple; it's Sir Winston for your Jan. 2, 1956 cover. Who else?

GEO. M. RICHTER Newton, Iowa

Decision in Asia

Sir:

TIME terms it a non sequitur when those who honestly believe so say that the defense of Quemoy and Matsu "will inevitably lead to a big war" [April 4]. Is it necessarily a sequitur that the loss of the offshore islands will, as TIME believes, mean the loss of Formosa and all of Asia? I have much more faith than that in our Seventh Fleet .

A. KLEIN

Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Sir:

You suggest three major alternatives re Matsu and Quemoy. Isn't there a fourth? In the event of a Red attack, complete evacuation of all civilians and Nationalist troops from the two islands, coupled with a stern warning that any Reds who set foot on either island will be A-, H-and/or U-bombed from there.

W. D. SUTTON Pittsburgh

The Maryknoll Story

Sir:

. . . The copy of TIME, April 11, that arrived in my study, containing an article on the Maryknoll Sisters, along with four pages of pictures captioned "Religious Garb, Uniforms of the Church in the U.S.," I cannot let go unchallenged . . . The Roman Catholic Church is but one of the many churches in the United States, and, as a matter of fact, there are 15 Orders of Sisters in the Episcopal Church, Orders of Deaconesses with definite garbs in the Lutheran Church, and, I believe, there are a few orders of sisterhood in the Russian and Greek Churches in America. I am anti nothing--Roman Catholic, Jewish or Negro--but I believe in playing fair with every organization . . .

(THE REV.) MELFORD LOSEE BROWN

The Church of the Ascension Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Sir:

There has never been a more beautiful face on the cover of TIME than that of Maryknoll's Mother Mary Columba.

(MRS.) C. R. PASSANTINO Middle Village, N.Y.

Sir:

Let me as a Protestant protest . . . The biggest thing that happened that week was Easter, and to put a Roman Catholic on the cover of your magazine (which is carried all over the world) certainly sets the religion of Jesus Christ back pretty far ... At least you could have put a good Protestant missionary on your cover. We don't get enough publicity for the good we do ...

HELEN M. HOFFMAN Philadelphia

Sir:

... It was with intense interest that I read your story. While I am a Protestant and cannot agree with the theology of the Roman Catholic nuns and sisters, I admire them for their lives of faithful service and unselfishness . . .

CHARLES BRITT Hazleton, Pa.

Sir:

The article on Mother Mary Columba and the Maryknoll Sisters is magnificent . . . The accompanying pictures of the habits of the various religious orders in the U.S. brought to mind an anecdote. About five years ago I was converted to the Roman Catholic faith--coming from a long line of Baptist preachers and Seventh-Day Adventists. When trying to explain the mission of sisters and nuns in the religious life to an oldtime Southern Baptist aunt of mine, I seemed to be getting no place until she finally conceded one point: "At least those nuns don't run around half-naked like most women nowadays . . ."

DONALD R. FERGUSON Takoma Park, Md.

Sir:

Thanks for a fine tribute to a fine lot of ladies who give service "without measure" . . . and a special cheer for the women of Maryknoll.

(MRS.) WM. E. BIRCH SR. Miami

Sir:

. . . Following the way of St. Francis, "We must keep on hoeing and await God's will." ... In times such as these, it is surely comforting to be told of the unselfish zeal of the Maryknolls, Carmelites, and many other religious working and praying for our survival. These religious are the hoers in the garden of eternity . . . Many thanks for the fine article.

FRANCIS RODGERS Albany, N.Y.

Sergeant's Friend

Sir:

Your article on Premier Ngo Dinh Diem [April 4] was of special interest to me, since the Premier and I are very close friends; we became acquainted at Maryknoll Seminary, Lakewood, N.J., where I was a seminarian . . . As a man, his humility and understanding of people is admirable ... he found himself at home among the seminarians, who came to respect, admire and love him. My hopes are that he does gain complete control of and independence for South Viet Nam . . .

(Sgt.) HECTOR A. SOUCY U.S.A.F. Fort Bragg, N.C.

The Senators & the Squirrels

Sir:

Senator Capehart disguised "as an ancient Roman senator" [ March 21] ! Senator Mundt disguised as Wild Bill Hickok and a picture of Senator Neuberger feeding a squirrel [April 4] ! ... Our $22,500 (plus perquisites) congressional beauties sure can think up some weird excuses for earning their money.

HARRY P. SWEENY

Thomaston, Me.

Sir:

I'm not sure why Senator Neuberger is so interested in the squirrels, but the interest of the squirrel in the Senator is understandable.

R. G. COLE Chicago

Well Done in Bangkok

Sir: TIME, March 28, carried a very good story about the school for the blind children here in Bangkok. By coincidence, the previous day the children from this school were enter tained at an ice-cream-and-cake party given aboard the U.S. destroyer Kyes ... It was a very touching and heart-warming sight to see the sailors pick up these children and carry them up the gangway. Officers and men took up a collection of $500 for the school, and sent the children off with some good things to eat for the future. Like TIME, they felt that Miss Caulfield deserves "well done" for her work.

EARL J. WILSON Bangkok, Thailand

Marriages in Israel

Sir:

Re ''Mixed Marriages in Israel" [April 4]: my hat is off to Moshe Barak's courage and determination to defend what he believes in. I am appalled to see a government founded by people for whom personal liberty has been a 3,000-year tradition sacrifice its basic principles for political expediency at a time when the eyes of the world are upon it. Israel has earned a very bad press lately; we had hoped it would become a cornerstone of democracy in the Near East. Now I wonder.

DON SHERMAN Brandeis University Waltham, Mass.

Correct Summer Wear

Sir:

I refer to your March 28 review of One Summer of Happiness: would TIME care to name the "14 states where nudity is permitted on the screen"?

DAMON KNIGHT (will travel) Canadensis, Pa.

P: California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.--ED.

Caudillo & Commentator

Sir:

TIME, March 21, reported the experiences of Fulton Lewis Jr. in Spain ... It was fun to know that he "huffily" ran out of the country--only 72 hours after he had arrived--without having seen Franco.

Recently there cometh over the radio a word-by-word interview given Lewis by Franco ... Is it possible that TIME erred in its original account? . . .

V. A. ROBERTSON San Diego, Calif.

Sir:

. . . Madrid's papers showed pictures of Lewis shaking hands with Franco . . .

VICENTE OLMO Madrid

P:Radio & TV Commentator Lewis took off for Germany, where he attempted to interview Chancellor Adenauer (who was ill). From Germany he requested a new interview with Franco. Later (after TIME'S story), Lewis flew back to Madrid, where he and the Generalissimo met.--ED.

Churches in Rome

Sir:

Your March 14 article on Cline R. Paden and the Church of Christ in Rome . . . gave a very unfavorable impression of the church and its efforts to have freedom of religion in Italy . . . The struggle which the Church of Christ is having is not unique; it is parallel with the struggle of other non-Catholic religious bodies in Italy . . .

M. NORVEL YOUNG Editor 20th Century Christian Lubbock, Texas

Sir:

Freedom of the press does not give you the right to slander, ridicule and injure . . . Such hit-and-run journalism will create the need for the pronouncement of the fifth freedom--freedom from the press!

CLINE R. PADEN Rome

State of the Sketch

Sir: TIME [March 21] is in error when it reports that the London Daily Sketch's circulation has jumped "from 600,000 to 1,000,000 in 18 months." The figure when Herbert Gunn took over from me was 803,000. In the previous nine months, the circulation had risen by 175,000.

HENRY CLAPP Wimbledon," England

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