Herewith are excerpts from letters come to the desks of the editors during the past week. They are selected primarily for the information they contain, cither supplementary to, or corrective of, news previously published in TIME.
Precocious
Blauvelt, N. Y.
Dec. 28, 1924.
TIME.
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
On page 30 of your issue of Dec. 29 you state that "Thomas Alva Edison started life as a newsboy." I was surprised to learn that Mr. Edison had been such a precocious infant. It would not have been so startling had you merely said he started life as a barefoot boy, but a newsboy--that is too much.
ELIZABETH MOORE-SMITH.
"Juicy Scandal"
New York City.
Dec. 24, 1924.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
Here is a juicy bit of academic scandal but you mustn't say I told you or my informant will be annoyed.
You, of 22 December, say rightly on page 21 that Smith College "bethought herself or was reminded of Poet Pierre's (Ronsard's) 400th birthday last week." But the head of the French department did not bethink himself in time to procure a bust of Ronsard to be duly "crowned," during the ceremony. A cenotaph was suggested but turned down. Finally, our professor rooted out of the Fine Arts department a bust that looked rather vaguely like Ronsard's, and it was duly crowned, with sonnets and period songs as you say. But the secret leaked out in advance; and rumor runs that there were many, many giggles in the audience when the professor in question referred during his panegyric to the ensuing ceremony of "crowning the bust of our poet."
X. Y. Z.
X. Y. Z's identity is known to the editors. Investigation has shown him to be a pious man; hence his letter is printed. As a general rule, TIME dislikes to print letters that carry no signatures.--ED.
"Smart"
Miami, Fla.
Dec. 23, 1924.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
It is surprising that one who presumes to be so smart as you do should make such an egregious blunder as that on page 1 of your issue of Dec. 22 in reference to the massacre of the French under John Ribaut by the Spanish under Pedro Menendez on the shores of Florida in 1565. You say that Menendez lined the French up before a firing squad. He did nothing of the kind. He quietly slid a janeta beneath the fifth rib of each. Of course if you don't know history it is just as well to make a stab at it, since so few people know enough to know the difference between truth and error.
JACKSON TAYLOR.
Investigation has shown Mr. Taylor to be right. Leader Menendez wrote a letter to his King, boasted that he put Ribaut and his men to death in the manner described by Mr. Taylor.--ED.
"Weakest Department"
Vedado, Habana, Cuba
Dec. 22, 1924
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
Your periodical has my approval as evidenced by the enclosed card. Not one hundred percent, however. I doubt if the majority of your readers enjoy so constant an inversion of phrases or so much adjectival alliteration. Your weakest department is Sports. Presumably the purpose of such a style is humorous--but there are still those who enjoy the English language.
C. S. SIERUNUTUR.
Deep Channels
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dec. 18, 1924
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
I desire to call your attention to an omission, last paragraph of second column, page 5, issue of Dec. 15, in which you refer to deep water channels under way or being considered or about to be considered.
Kindly publish in an early issue the contemplated deepening of the Los Angeles River from the harbor to the city, so that ocean vessels can come right up to the city proper.
P.W. BANNING.