In Cincinnati

Sirs:

You may be interested--perhaps unpleasantly--in knowing that the article on Cincinnati, in TIME, Jan. 30, has created in Cincinnati a reaction quite unfriendly to your publication.

I am in a position to sense this, as proprietor of the Fountain News Shop, where your publication is on sale. . . .

ROBERT BISHOW

Cincinnati, Ohio

Sirs:

As a subscriber to your publication, I was very much surprised to read an article in your issue under date of Jan. 30 entitled "Queen City." The whole tenor of this article was so discreditable to a reputable and valuable publication such as TIME, that I feel justified in calling your attention to it as the City Manager and Chief Executive of the City of Cincinnati. The author of the above mentioned editorial seems to take great pleasure in disparaging prominent citizens whose success has been acquired through industry. Moreover, there are a number of gross misstatements in the article, and I feel now that this matter has been called to your attention, that you will, in all fairness, make proper and due apology for the above mentioned article.

I have only been a resident of Cincinnati for the past two years, but in that time have come to appreciate its many splendid qualities from every point of view. There is no city in the country, in my opinion, that has a more beautiful residential district, that has a finer American born population, or that shows an equal interest in music and the fine arts as does Cincinnati. In support of this, one of the most distinguished bishops in America, a citizen of New York, recently made the statement that Cincinnati is the outstanding cultural center of the United States, and I feel in making this statement, he has by no means exaggerated. C. O. SHERRILL

Office of the City Manager

Cincinnati, Ohio.

City Manager Sherrill refers to two stories in TIME, Jan. 30.

One story noted honor done to Citizen George Dent Crabbs for his part ("wise, eloquent") in obtaining for Cincinnati a new railway station.

The other noted honor done to Colonel (Continued on p. 4)

(Continued from p. 2) William Cooper Procter, soap maker, who, like his grandfather and father before him, was made a life member of the Cincinnati Grand Chamber of Commerce. TIME likened this event to a "sort of civic knighthood" and concluded: "Knighthood in 1928 concerned science and philanthropy* more; soap, less." Quite the opposite of disparagement was intended.

In the story headed "Queen City," two phrases may have provoked. The story told how Cincinnati had once been the Queen City of the West. It concluded by reporting that Cincinnatians, animated by a progressive spirit, were ambitious to make it a "Queen City" once more. The two provocative phrases were a) that Cincinnati "has drooped, malnourished industrially:" b) that it "has become bedraggled and dirty." Both sentences were meant in a comparative sense. Comparatively, Cincinnati has drooped, many another midland city having shown a far greater rate of industrial growth in the last 50 years. As to dirt, last fortnight the American Society of Heat and Ventilating Engineers ranked Cincinnati as second-sootiest of 24 large U. S. cities -sootier than Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland.

These stories appeared in TIME under "Business." Nowhere did TIME refer to Cincinnati's residential district or plane of culture, to both of which Cincinnatians justly point with pride. TIME regrets having phrased Cincinnati news in a manner offensive to Cincinnatians.--ED.

Slogan Register Sirs:

. . . We have noticed that you have listed Portland, Ore., as "The Rose City" (TIME, Jan. 30). This city has maintained that title for some thirty-two years or more. However, without research we know of three other cities which have adopted the slogan of "The City of Roses"--i. e., Little Rock, Ark.; Thomasville, Ga.; and Victoria, Texas.

We realize therefore the need of a place to register these slogans, so last month we inaugurated a Slogan Clearing House for communities.

We are listing all slogans of communities, and registering them in our files so that in the future priority of use may be determined. A number of cities, hearing of our Slogan Clearing House, have written us asking that we register their slogans. Our services are absolutely free. This is merely a service of which we have felt the need, and which we are glad to render.

LEO P. BOTT

Bott Advertising Agency Little Rock, Ark.

TIME-reader Roess

Sirs:

The following article, published in the Los Angeles Record, of Jan. 31, 1928, with respect to TIME-reader (Mrs.) Virginia L. Roess, a juror in the celebrated (?) case of People 'vs. Hickman, may be of interest to you. . . .

MILTON OFFNER Office of Board of Public Works Los Angeles, Calif.

The article:

BAR MAGAZINE FROM JURY BOX

TIME Magazine was ruled out of the jury box today to the discomfiture of Mrs. Virginia L. Roess, a juror who lives in Sierra Madre.

Entering the box after the 11 o'clock recess, Mrs. Roess turned the pages of the weekly journal of comment with interest.

"Take that magazine away from the juror," Bailiff George Le Fleur shouted across the court room to Deputy Sheriff Jim Hogan. Deputy Sheriff Hogan said no reading matter was allowed in the jury box. "Look here, you're going to get in trouble with me," the juror said. "I'm going to tell the judge on you." "I hope you do," he said, as he walked away.

Frank & Fearless

Sirs:

It may interest you to know that while we have had references to our job heretofore in such magazines as the World's Work, American, Country Gentleman and feature stories in the New York Times, we have never received so many inquiries and comments as we have from the TIME publicity. This will, undoubtedly, interest your Circulation Manager,* as the inquiries have come from so many different sources.

Your page on "Farmers" was most fairly and independently written and it came at a time when the entire country is much interested in the agricultural situation. There is no doubt but that we have a very serious economical farm problem and, until it is solved, we cannot hope to have a continuation of our national prosperity. We have prepared an article for the March issue of the Country Gentleman, explaining our position in the matter, which may be of some interest to you. No one can doubt the sincerity and frankness of TIME, as well as its fearlessness and I do not know of a magazine today which has any more intelligent and enthusiastic readers than TIME.

(Signed) CAMPBELL

Campbell Farming Corp..

Hardin, Mont.

Altitude

Sirs:

Kindly inform me as to the maximum altitude obtained by any aviator whether in airplane or free balloon.

DANA LATHAM

Los Angeles, Calif.

The maximum altitude was 38,559 ft., reached by Lieut. C. C. Champion in 1927. Capt. H. C. Gray of the U. S. Air Service was credited with a, balloon altitude of 44,000 in 1927, but this figure cannot be verified as Capt. Gray was killed during the flight.--ED.

Dignity

Sirs:

Permit me to express my appreciation of the quiet and reserved dignity with which you referred to the meeting of the Chicago Dental Society. ...

Although dentistry twenty to twenty-five years ago was not ranked very highly as a profession, the tremendous strides that have been made both in research and educational requirements in the last two decades have raised dentistry to its proper scientific and social plane, as one of the most important instruments in the preservation of health, happiness and longevity. The failure of poorly informed or unobservant reporters (if I may be permitted this paradox) to realize these facts, leads them occasionally to still refer to dentists in the press with gross and distorted humor as "tooth carpenters," "tooth yankers," and such. Therefore., this letter of regard for your aptly reported article. . .

A. M. ROCHESTER, D.D.S. White Plains, N. Y.

Endorsement

Sirs:

I thought it would be of interest to you to know that The Edward A. Woods Company, General Agent of The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, held a meeting of twenty-seven district managers today.

Our President, Mr. Wm. M. Duff, in talking about reading the right kind of books, papers, magazines, etc., mentioned especially TIME. I (Continued on p. 29) personally remarked that I had been an original subscriber. We asked for a call of hands and found that fourteen of the twenty-seven are subscribers to your magazine and everyone was very enthusiastic in his endorsement. C. J. WESTERMANN

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Suggestion

Sirs:

To add to the tang and news value of your inimitable periodical, why don't you consider running a weekly best seller list? We make this suggestion, strangely enough, not as publishers but as devoted readers.

M. LINCOLN SCHUSTER

Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York City.

Simon & Schuster ideas are almost invariably happy: this one will be pondered.--ED.

*Reference to Col. Procter's great benefactions to hospitals, etc. *And Advertising Manager.--ED.