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, either supplementary to, or corrective of, news previously published in TIME.
Valdosta
TIME
Titusville, Fla. Feb. 7, 1925.
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
I have read your article in the Feb. f issue concerning the Memorial College in the prosperous town of Valdosta and find it interesting.
But where is Valdosta?
P. S. DAY.
Valdosta is in southeastern Georgia, about 150 miles from Titusville, Fla.-ED.
Travelers' Tales
Paris, France Jan. 24, 1925.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
You don't seem to care where you place the flora of Africa as to temperature or habitat. On page 8, Jan. 12, item Albert A'hunting, with mangroves and coconut palms on the high plains south of Nairobi and monkeys in juniper and olive trees in that section, you are telling us Travelers' Tales that set us, who are familiar with Africa, a-wondering. You ought to have that flight 'of fancy in the "View with Alarm" column.
JAMES P. PORTENS.
Looks Forward
Woodville, Miss. Feb. 5, 1925.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
As the Editor of The Woodville Republican, 100 years of age, and Mississippi's oldest newspaper, and, by the way, is, and has ever been an ardent supporter of the Democratic Party, I want to congratulate the management of TIME upon the excellence it has attained and the high standard it maintains. . . . I read it with interest each week and, as my subscribers often write me, "I look forward to its arrival with anticipated pleasure.
ROBERT LEWIS.
Congratulates
New York, N. Y. Feb. 16, 1925.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
In your issue of Feb. 9. 1925, you state "Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute was founded in Virginia in 1868 by the American Missionary Association, became independent of missionary control under the ," Presidency of General Samuel Chapman Armstrong."
With your usual succinct, crisp and accurate strokes, you call attention to a fact which has been ignored so generally throughout recent months as to be a matter of comment among those who know the history of Negro education. I congratulate you. . . .
HENRY SMITH LEIPER.
Finland
TIME Washington, D. C.
New York, N. Y. Feb. 10, 1925
Gentlemen:
In the issue of Feb. 2, in a footnote (page 28) are several statements giving information about Finland that I know are not quite correct.
You state, for instance, that Finland has seven languages when the fact is that Finland, has only two official languages, Finnish and Swedish; 88% of the population speaking Finnish and 12% Swedish. No other languages are used in general, although most educated Finns speak one or two of the great Western European languages and some 40,000 out of a population of three and one-third millions speak Russian besides Finnish.
You further state that "The season for outdoor athletics is short. Winter lasts from October to June." This statement might be true of the northernmost part of the country but very few people live in this section, while in the southern part of the country that is most densely populated, winter begins about in December and lasts until the end of March.
M. HIRVY
Says the Encyclopedia Britannica: "Everywhere, and especially in the interior, the winter lasts very long and early frosts (June 12-14, 1892) often destroy the crops."
In the International Year Book, the following languages for Finland are listed: Finnish, Swedish, some Russian, German, Lapponic.--ED.
Tardy Mention
TIME
Honolulu, Hawaii
New York, N. Y.
Jan. 23, 1925
Gentlemen:
I was disappointed at seeing no mention of the game played New Year's Day at Honolulu in which Colorado U., traveling 3,000 miles to meet the University of Hawaii, bowed to defeat 13 to 0. . . . Hawaii scored twice in the -- first half on an end run and a pass, spent the third quarter fighting off threatening short passes, hurled with deadly accuracy by Chilson, flashy Boulder half, and resumed the offensive in the fourth quarter. The work of Hawaii's line stood out, especially that of Jim Cruickshank, rated by all who have seen him as the best centre on the Pacific coast.
RUSSEL JOHNSTON.
Threat
TIME
Wilmington, N. C.
New York, N. Y.
Feb. 14, 1925.
Gentlemen:
In connection with some comments on Mr. Bernard Macfadden, world-renowned Physical Culturist and quack-exposer, published in a recent issue of TIME, you refer to the public as a "hydra-headed Amphibian" and as "that Beast." Will you allow me to observe th?t the use of such terms is in extremely bad taste and that the author of them deserves severe criticism.
On several occasions within the last few months, TIME has made unfair and prejudiced remarks about the work of Mr. Macfadden and if the thing is repeated in the future the undersigned will waste no more time on TIME.
PAUL HESS.
Busy Student
TIME Fort Collins, Col.
New York, N.Y. Feb. 15, 1925.
-- Gentlemen:
You seem to have so many fault-finding , letters sent you, that my father requests me to write you in regard to how much we appreciate TIME.
I, as a High School student, have read as much as I have had time for of every copy. Your news is brief and to the point. It is "peppy" and interesting, thus giving a busy "T student the news of the day in a pleasant I way, without long hours of "combing articles." Besides getting bits of useful information, not to be found in other magazines, for history class, I have used material from your publica- tion as a basis for almost every oral and written theme I have been called on for this year.
I especially like your comments on Books, The Theatre and Music.
FRANCES E. CARPENTER.
Some Names
Minneapolis, Minn. Feb. 16, 1925
TIME
" New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
Your issue of Feb. 2 was filled with as inane a set of letters as I have ever read. 1 am one of an increasing majority who ) find in your terse, sane and interesting paragraphs a thoroughly brilliant commentary on World Affairs.
I am one of your Original Subscribers--continuous since! Friends of mine have read your magazine in my home, have gone home and subscribed! Seven people of whom I know. Here are their names: Walter Gooch, Minneapolis; B. F. Bullard, Cambridge, Mass.; H. B. Van de Bogert, West Medford, Mass.; Walter F. Gushing, Medford, Mass.; Phillips Byefield, Newtonville, Mass.; Warren Scribuer, Minneapolis; M. R. Lauritzen, Minneapolis.
No praise for me--but certainly a whole lot of credit is due to you.
Maybe this will assuage some of the pain that the knocks you get give you.
ROCKWOOD W. BULLARD.
Shower of Sermons
TIME New York, N. Y.
New York, N. Y. Feb. 12, 1925
Gentlemen:
Last year you were good enough to note the fact that I was editing a volume of Best Sermons, and the notice brought me a shower of sermons from all over the land--which shows how far-flung the influence of TIME is.
I wonder if you would be good enough to do the same this year? The book closes the middle of June, but any sermon sent before that time will be carefully considered.
JOSEPH FORT NEWTON.
Last year's notice: "An anthology of the best sermons of 1923-24 is now being collected and edited by Joseph Fort Newton, pastor of the Church of the Divine Paternity, Manhattan. The first volume is announced for September publication by Harcourt Brace & Co., who brought out Papini's Life of Christ. The collection is open to ail creeds and all varieties thereof. Readers of TIME who desire to nominate sermons should address Dr. Newton at 76th Street and Central Park West, Manhattan."
Lauds Horthy
Cleveland, Ohio Feb. 10, 1925.
TIME
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
I was surprised to read in TIME, en page 10 of the Feb. 9, 1925, issue, the article entitled "Hungary." In it Admiral Nicholas Horthy, the governor of Hungary, is said to have been shot at; and the writer of the article fairly chuckles in proclaiming to the world that: "The would-be assassin made good his escape."
The news of the attempt to assassinate Governor Horthy came from Vienna: at least it was so labeled. A few days after this news was published in the U. S., another despatch, apparently originating in Vienna, has denied that any shot was fired against Governor Horthy. You might know by this time, that after the Bolshevik leaders, 95% of whom were Jews, had fled from Hungary to Vienna, Vienna became a rather unreliable source of news relating to Hungary.
The present governor of Hungary is . . . well liked and highly respected by all the Christians of Hungary-Catholics and Protestants. His only enemies are the Bolsheviki and international Jews. But Bela Cohen and his ilk will never again rule Hungary.
LOUIS K. BIRINYI.
P.S.--Unless your paper is in control of the Jews who occasionally take a whack at Horthy and Hungary, I would appreciate it if you would give space for the above in your paper.
The item in question:
Narrow
Crack! went a revolver. Ping! went a bullet. Plop! answered the woodwork of a Hungarian train as the lead buried itself.
Inside a compartment, Admiral Horthy von Nagybanya, Regent of Hungary, removed his hat, wiped his brow. He had narrowly escaped assassination.
The would-be assassin made good his escape.
See also pages 10 and 11, Feb. 9 issue.-ED.