"Pah!"

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.

TIME, Apr. 6, 1925.

New York, N. Y. New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

We have been hearing opera singers at the Metropolitan for a number of years. Also we have heard a great deal of petty gossip about them; back when Amato was greeted with favor, tongues were no kinder than they are today. Jean de Reszke had his enemies! So we are most interested to hear what you say about Caruso's "large paid claque." (TIME, Apr. 6.) Who, we ask, ever accused Caruso of a claque? We agree that, in his youth, Caruso loved Bronx Park, he was no moral stickler, he was fond of his spaghetti, his jokes may have been coarse, his "abdomen large." But Caruso had a voice, whoever gave it to him, God, Lucifer, or Nature -it was there as natural as morning, as awe-inspiring as the elements. A super-voice needs no claque, sirs, and what's more, this voice had none. Ask the box office of the Metropolitan Opera House who was the only tenor they had that could draw a capacity house or an overflowing one! Ask the standees who was their God! Ask anyone who had anything to do with the Metropolitan Opera House - chorus, orchestra, scene-shifters, soupers, who it was they adored?

Does Helen of Troy need Pond's Cold Cream or Mars Nuxated Iron? A claque -Pah!

EMILIE BUSHNELL.

TIME did not say that Caruso had a paid claque, but reported a rumor from reputable musical quarters to that effect. If the alleged fact be true, it is neither extraordinary nor particularly reprehensible. Many, if not most, Italian singers have paid claques, regardless of how successful they may be. A claque is a sort of musical insurance against an occasional unresponsive audience. Not infrequently it is more a parasite upon an artist than his tool. If there had been Pond's Cold Cream on sale in Troy or Nuxated Iron on Olympus, what is more likely than that Helen and Mars respectively would have availed themselves of these things ? Queen Marie of Rumania uses Pond's Cream (according to advertisements) and Jack Dempsey takes Nuxated Iron (TIME, July 16, 1923).-ED.

Webster Speaks

TIME, Springfield, Mass. New York, N. Y. Apr. 1, 1925. Gentlemen: One of our friends has just told us that a letter in TIME of a recent date says that the word "Airedale," meaning a kind of terrier, is not in Webster. Although we have a copy of TIME every week, we didn't happen to see this letter; but we hope that you will tell your correspondent that "Airedale" is in your copy of Webster, which, of course, is a genunine Webster's New International. G. & C. MERRIAM Co.

"Publishers of Genuine Webster Dictionaries since 1843."

The letter referred to (TIME, Mar. 30, Page 18, col. 3) asked for the origin of the Airedale terrier, and of his name. -ED.

More Truth

Gallaudet College, TIME, Washington, D. C. New York, N. Y. Mar. 30, 1925. Gentlemen: In the discussion on Page 20 of the Mar. 30 issue of your magazine, entitled "Truth in Advertising," I note an editorial remark which ends up with the statement that many students at Gallaudet College are taught to be chauffeurs and that many people who desire privacy prefer deaf drivers to any kind. I wish to say that this statement is entirely wrong, if it means that graduates or student; of this college are quite often employed as paid drivers and are taught this kind of work at our institution. Some institutions for the deaf do teach automobile repairing. Many deaf people drive automobiles with safety and skill, many of them our own graduates. I understand a few of them have driven automobiles for hire; but, in our own institution, we do not encourage students to own automobiles, as we feel that it is too great a drain on their resources. Nor do we teach automobile repairing or driving. A number of our students have driven their own cars during the summer or driven for their parents, and I have never heard cf any who had any serious difficulty in driving successfully. I have been glad to give my testimony from time to time against proposed laws restricting deaf drivers from using the public roads when they can show ability to handle an automobile skilfully. I am glad to say that, at the present time, all the states and the District of Columbia have removed restrictions against a fair test for deaf drivers. PERCIVAL HALL,

President.

Raise Razzed

TIME Saigon, Indo-China

New York, N. Y. Feb. 15, 1925.

Gentlemen:

Please refer to your issue of Jan. 5, 1925: Page 2, col. 1 -"a large part of the

raise . . ."

Page 2, col. 2 -"combining the pay raise

with a rate raise. . . "

Since when has "raise" been a noun?

W. MAYHEW.

Webster gives "raise" as a noun, with the meaning: "The act of raising or the thing raised."-ED.

How Long Round?

TIME

New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Florence, Ala. Mar. 28, 1925.

In your issue of Mar. 23, P. 18, col. 1, you say:

In the latter part of the 15th Century, the idea began to get about that the earth was a sphere. . . ."

Encyclopaedia Britannica declares, however, that "the earliest astronomers universally regarded the earth as a sphere." It is also said that, according to Aristotle, the mathematicians of his day computed the circumference of the earth to be 400,000 stadia. The length of the stadium being variable, this figure is rather indefinite.

Erastothenes, a Greek geometer and astronomer who flourished about two centuries before Christ, is credited with being the first to entertain an accurate idea of the principles on which the determination of the figure ot the earth really depends. It is said that "his results were inaccurate, but his method is the same as that which is followed at the present day." He suggested 250,000 stadia as the earth's circumference. . . .

MARCY B. DARNALL.

Subscriber Darnall's statement is correct (except that the name of the

"Greek geometer and astronomer" is spelled "Eratosthenes"). TIME, how- ever, was referring to popular conceptions : "For long men thought the earth was flat. In the latter part of the 15th Century, the idea began to get about," etc.-ED.

'Foul Propaganda"

TIME, Clarks Summit, Pa.

New York, N. Y. Mar. 24, 1925

Gentlemen:

In the Mar. 2 and Mar. 16 issues of your magazine, I have noted the advertisement of the Haldeman-Julius Co. of Girard, Kansas. Of the list published in TIME, 14 of the first 21 books are sex books. Then again, scattered throughout the rest of the list, one finds many more books on sex, morality and women. Furthermore, if one were to purchase some of these books, he receives for months afterwards a bi-weekly newspaper (socalled) full of advertisements on these sex books.

Now, as far as I can judge, the authors

of this scheme are using an underhand method

of spreading their foul propaganda all over

this country, attacking Christianity, morality

and our present form of Government. I am

not alone of this opinion, for I have heard

others remark the same. One need only

glance over the list to see the books meant

for this purpose. Of course, there are good

books scattered here and there but they are

few and far between. But even these are not

worth the paper they are printed on, so small

have the contents of these good works been

condensed.

So it is with exceedingly great regret that I see this advertisement in your little weekly.

REV. HUGH LAVERY

TIME has referred Subscriber Lavery's criticism to Subscriber E. Haldeman-Julius and awaits a reply.-ED.

Pro and Con

TIME, Fort Amador, Canal Zone

New York, N. Y. March 21, 1925 Gentlemen:

Your magazine has the merit (to me) of being impressionistic and vivid. . . . Paucity and eclecticism of detail and connective render it eminently readable. . . .

On the other hand ... it errs in being the somewhat prolix promulgator of impertinent puns. Its jeux d'esprit are sometimes not in the best of taste. J. F. AGEE.

Chairs Missing?

TIME, Washington, D. C.

New York, N. Y. Apr. 6, 1925.

Gentlemen:

In your Apr. 6 issue, Page 3, you mention a "nine-chaired" table at which members of the Interstate Commerce Commission are supposed to sit. Since there are eleven members of the Commission, I am wondering how they are going to dispose themselves over the nine chairs. Will you please elucidate?

MARGARET FISHBACK.

TIME erred in regard to the number of chairs. Miss Fishback is right as to the number of members. All are allowed to sit down.-ED.