Herewith are excerpts from letters come to the desks of the editors during the past fortnight. They are selected primarily for the information they contain either supplementary to, or corrective of, news previously published in TIME.
Alleged Breach of Faith
TIME Teaneck M. E. Church
New York, N. Y. Teaneck, N. J. Gentlemen: Oct. 24, 1924
On page 1 TIME, Oct. 27, 1924, you refer to Methodism as "that sect." I am aware of the very general meaning of the word "sect," but you cannot be ignorant of the evil connotation of that term. A recent dictionary of recognized authority makes this distinction: "Sect is an opprobrious and denomination an honorable term for the same body."
In soliciting my subscription, you presented TIME to me as an unbiased summary of current news. Is it too much to hope that the magazine will be conducted as advertised? The use of opprobrious terms to describe a church will not make new friends for your magazine, and it may lose many. It is not keeping faith" with your advertising.
M. A. WORKMAN.
According to Webster's New International Dictionary, the terms "sect" and "denomination" are synonymous. TIME is partial to "sect" because it contains only four letters.--ED. Wilbur Wright's Death
TIME City of Rochester, N. Y.
New York, N. Y. Health Bureau Gentlemen: Oct. 22, 1924
In a recent issue of your publication you said that Wilbur Wright died of pneumonia. He died of typhoid, not of pneumonia.
He knew enough to invent a flying machine, but not enough to be vaccinated against typhoid.
G. W. GOLER.
Subscriber Goler is right. The records show that Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever in Dayton, Ohio, on May 30, 1912.--ED. Cain's Wife
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
Terre Haute, Ind. Oct. 23, 1924
You did well to call attention to the question: "Where did Cain get his wife?" As an Illustration, it gives point to much contemporary discussion.
However, I was surprised that you failed to make mention of Genesis 5:4 wherein, as you doubtless know, Adam is credited with 800 years of reproductive life. In those years he begat Cain's wife. Thus your third solution to the problem is the only one biblically permissible.
DONALD McCUTCHEON.
The story of Cain's wife appeared in Vol. IV, No. 17, Page 16.--ED. "Meticulously Correct"
TIME
New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen: Oct. 20, 1924
I have been a subscriber to TIME for two years. I regard it as the most valuable periodical of its class and, in the main, think it is exceedingly well conducted. It was my impression that it was founded with the idea of summarizing the news of the day in an interesting manner in order that business and professional men might be spared the necessity of glancing through a large amount of present day news in an endeavor to cull the essential facts therefrom. . . .
I refer particularly to the footnote on the first page of the issue of Oct. 20, in which the last line refers to the lack of knowledge of baseball exhibited by President Coolidge. It seems to me that in this case a small spirit has endeavored to be meticulously correct, and has succeeded in casting an undeserved slur upon a man who was not selected for the office of Chief Executive on account of his knowledge of baseball. . . .
I have induced several of my friends to subscribe to TIME.
If there is to be a continuance of such a tone in the paper's comments, I shall certainly not continue to recommend it, and shall feel obliged to ask you to discontinue my subscription at the date of its expiration. JAMES E. BUTTS. No offense was intended. TIME pointed out that what Mr. Coolidge had described (in a public statement) as a "hit" by Walter Johnson was in reality an "error" by Shortstop Jackson. The editors agree with Subscriber Butts that to select a Chief Executive on account of his knowledge of baseball would be inane.--ED. Needle in Haystack
TIME
New York, N. Y. Baltimore, Md.
Gentlemen: Oct. 20, 1924
I take the liberty of calling your attention to a slight improvement which can readily be made that would be of considerable benefit to one who has not the time to read the whole of TIME carefully. In the column entitled "View with Alarm," published on the last page, you make a sketchy little synopsis in which frequently an item catches my eye that I would be glad to turn back to and read, but the references are practically worthless. For instance, in your number of Oct. 20, first item, "A bugle call blown upon a proboscis," page 20. I have not been able to find anything on page 20 referring to this, and even if it is there, it is almost never under a heading that connects up with the synopsis. Take any of the others, "A Colossus with feet of clay," there is no heading on page 10 that intimates that this is the one referred to in this item. In other words, when one sees an item here that attracts them and attempts to turn to it it is necessary to read the whole page to find the item. If this is an adroit plan to compel everybody to read the entire paper, it is not very practicable, as I have long since given up attempting to find the item from this summary. Could you not readily add to the item the heading of the article on the given page to which reference is made?
WALDO NEWCOMER.
Subscriber Newcomer's point is well taken. See Page 32 for "Point with Pride" and "View with Alarm" columns altered to accord with his suggestion. -Eo.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
TIME 120 West 14th Street
New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Oct. 23, 1924
On page 18 of Oct. 20 issue of TIME it is noted that you use, in connection with a notice of the Salvation Army's work, pictures of General Bramwell Booth and Commander F.vangeHne Booth. The General's picture is quite all right but we cannot quite imagine where you get the picture of the Commander. Probaby it is a snapshot. At any rate, it does not do the Commander credit; and it will be a pleasure to send you an approved picture at any time you may need one.
It is quite evident that you wish to deal not only fairly but kindly with the Salvation
Army, for which the Commander feels very thankful. However, there are one or two points of misinformation that have crept into your article that the Commander feels she would like me to correct. . . .
In your footnote upon the question of salaries, you say that the male Colonel gets $29.50 and that a female Colonel gets $28.50; and that, as the wife may rise to a Colonelcy, the family income may conceivably total $58.00. This is inaccurate inasmuch as no married woman gets a separate salary from that of her husband. . . .
W. F. JENKINS Colonel, National Secretary.
The picture of Commander Booth was purchased from the International Newsreel Service (picture agents) for $3. TIME will be glad indeed to receive an approved picture of the Commander. --ED. Stigma Removed
TIME New York, N. Y. San Francisco Gentlemen: Oct. 16, 1924 I have been an admiring reader of every issue of TIME . . . and I have felt that one of the most appealing features of the paper is its apparent accuracy--a factor not always present in the daily press. Accordingly, I was much disappointed to see the statement on page 2 of the issue of Oct. 13 that the Searchlight on Congress is a "K. K. K. journal." Having also been a constant reader of the Searchlight on Congress for many years, I am hopeful that you will remove this stigma from that interesting and valuable periodical. . . . CARL I. WHEAT. There are two "Searchlights": The Searchlight on Congress (published in Washington) and the K.K.K. Searchlight (published in Atlanta). Lynn Harris, editor of the former, used the name long before the hooded knights started their sheet. To Editor Harris TIME offers an apology.--ED. From Pasadena
TIME
New York, N. Y. Pasadena, Calif.
Gentlemen: Oct. 18, 1924.
A few weeks ago you called me a Bolshevik, which I am not. Now 'I notice that you call the Searchlight' on Congress a Ku Klux Klan organ, which it is not. The Searchlight on Congress has nothing to do with the Klan. You have, since it appears that you are sup-porting the Klan Kandidate Koolidge. UPTON SINCLAIR.
The charge that TIME supported Candidate Coolidge (or any other candi- date) during the campaign seems to the editors to be baseless.--ED. "HocusPocus"
TIME 100 Fifth Avenue
New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Oct. 27, 1924
I like the job you fellows are doing, and I am therefore concerned when you stray from the unbiased path. The article on Spain in the issue of the 20th is an editorial, not news. And it is a bum editorial at that.
Who let that loose on you? And by what hocus-pocus are you an apologist for royalty at this late date?
Or were you just humorous, and forgot to label it for serious reformers like me? ROGER BALDWIN.
The item in question was descriptive of Vincente Blasco Ibanez's attack on his King. "Alfonso must go!" cried Blasco. In that the item favored reform by constitutional methods as opposed to revolutionary means, it was biased--and therefore in violation of TIME'S traditional policy of disinterestedness.--ED.