War Between the States

Sirs:

In the "G With the W" article (Dec. 25) you refer to the "War Between the States." Can this be a Hollywood inspired designation for the Civil War? Or what is its origin?

I've heard the Civil War called the "War of the Rebellion.". . .

DALE WYLIE Cleveland, Ohio

>> Let Reader Wylie try calling it that in Charleston, S. C.--ED.

Sirs:

Re TIME Dec. 25, p. 32:

"The destruction of the South's civilization in the War Between the States . . . had been better told before."

Can TIME name three instances?

JOHN H. CARNES Atlanta, Ga.

>> 1) Mrs. Roger Pryor's Reminiscences of Peace and War, 2) Douglas Southall Freeman's R. E. Lee, 3) James Boyd's Marching On.--ED.

Sirs:

In the last issue of your magazine in that part dealing with the premiere of Gone With the Wind at Atlanta, Ga. recently you report the mayor of Atlanta as cautioning the people of the city not to tear the clothing off of the movie stars as was done at the premiere of Dodge City. A letter has been dispatched to the mayor requesting him to prove his statement or publicly retract and apologize; in other words, "to put up or shut up."

Since reading that extraordinary disclosure this organization has made inquiries of newspapermen, business men, and others associated with the premiere here last spring, and not a single person can recall a single incident of the sort reported by the Mayor. Of course, the stars may have been pushed around some. . . .

This great city needs no defending. . . .

JAMES A. WILLIAMS The Dodge City Junior Chamber of Commerce Dodge City, Kansas

Weinribbentrop

Sirs:

As you know, Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi Foreign Minister, used to be a liquor salesman. I enclose for the delectation of your readers a letter he wrote in 1928 to a Jewish friend of mine about the purchase of some Pommery Champagne. On the letterhead von Ribbentrop's telegraphic address is given as "Weinribbentrop, Berlin" and the chief brands he represented were Pommery & Greno Champagne, Meukow Cognac, Johnnie Walker Whiskey and Grande Chartreuse Liqueur; note also that he refers to the firm of "Schoeneberg & Ribbentrop." Von Ribbentrop, the future Nazi, winds up his letter by asking to be remembered to the wife of his Jewish client and with "best regards."

GILBERT MILLER New York City

I acknowledge your kind letter and thank you for the friendly interest you are showing for my Pommery brand.

I have forwarded your inquiry to the firm of Schoeneberg & Ribbentrop, G.m.b.H., representatives for Berlin, and asked them to contact you by telephone to arrange details and delivery, which can be effected at the same price.

Please remember me to your wife and accept my best regards.

Yours very truly, (signed) J. v. RIBBENTROP -- In Germany, 1939's wine, which is thin and sour, is contemptuously referred to as Ribbentropfen.--ED.

Helenius, Seppala, Trygg

Sirs:

TIME, Dec. 25, p. 5, states that in the seven centuries when Sweden ruled what is now Finland, where the Swedes controlled the cities, Swedish names were given to such cities. In that manner, Helsinki (Finnish) became Helsingfors (Swedish).

Correct. But how did these cities get back to Finnish names? After the conclusion of World War I, the spirit of nationalism, inspired by Wilson's famed Fourteen points, became rampant. The ancient Finnish names were restored. Helsingfors became Helsinki. Viborg became Wipuri and so on down the list. . . .

This ambition to restore ancient geographical names went even deeper. About 40 years ago, the Finnish people resolved among themselves that they would abolish all foreign names of their families, substituting therefor the ancient family names of their forefathers. It was agreed that on a given day, all Swedish and foreign family names would be dumped into the discard and their ancient family names, which had prevailed for centuries, should be restored. This program, carried out with terrible Finnish efficiency prevailed in spite of the chaotic situations developed thereby.

As an example: my good friend, the late Matti Helenius, who had published several books under the name Matti Helenius, was well known under that name all over Europe. He sought to avoid confusion by attaching his Finnish family name to his accepted name, Helenius, and thus became Matti Helenius-Seppala.

But. In 1897, prior to this eruption of family names, Helenius had married a school teacher, Maria Alexandria (Alii) Trygg. The family names became more and more confusing. It was finally decided part of these names should be dropped and that the bride should be known as Alii Trygg-Helenius and let it go at that.

But even this failed to iron out all of the family complication. Helenius had an unmarried sister who insisted that she was not a Helenius and not a Trygg. So far as she was concerned there seemed to be no way of solving the problem except to discard the two family names and limit her name to Seppala. This was done.

So now Matti Helenius-Seppala, Alii Trygg-Helenius and Madame Seppala are all dead, but they have left behind them a record of social and philanthropic activities that will carry their names down through many generations of Finnish history.

WILLIAM E. JOHNSON

McDonough, N. Y.

Finns & Russians

Sirs:

I subscribed for your magazine relying on your promise to give unbiased news from a reliable source, and in the very first issue, Dec. 18, you state that the Finns almost to a man hate the Russians as bloody oppressors. Do you know this of your own personal knowledge ?

JOHN R. WEBSTER

Blytheville, Ark.

>> Yes.--ED.

Pudding

Sirs:

In the Dec. 18 issue of your magazine in your musical column you make a very nasty crack in which you say "as indigestible as Yorkshire pudding."

Mr. Editor, I've eaten in three continents and in 20 different countries and I think I know something about eating. My wife and I were both born in Yorkshire and when you make a crack like that you are treading on very thin ice.

Maybe the brand of Yorkshire pudding you get in New York is indigestible, but the kind of Yorkshire pudding such as my wife makes is a feast for the gods. After living in China and Alaska my stomach is not too strong, but I could eat my wife's Yorkshire pudding every day in the year and never suffer from indigestion.

English history records that a bitter civil war known as the Wars of the Roses fought between the House of York and the House of Lancaster really arose from a similar remark made by a member of the House of Lancaster. The scurrilous knave was compelled to eat his words, and to the time of his death he was never allowed to taste real Yorkshire pudding. This was considered as a form of medieval torture.

W. E. PRIESTLEY

China Club of Seattle Seattle, Wash.

Ultimate

Sirs:

Time minded TIME readers would like to see TIME mind time. Whatever 1939 was, it was not "the penultimate year of the 20th Century's fourth decade" (TIME, Jan. 1). Being the 40th year of the 20th Century, 1939 was definitely ultimate. So, drop the pen, spread the fingers and count.

BORIS SHISHKIN Alexandria, Va.

>> The abashed editor who penultimated will drop his head as well. -- ED.

Obsquatulate

Sirs: TIME Dec. 25, p. 26: "obsquatulate his opponent." NUTS. Webster's 20th Century Unabridged Dictionary does not even give "obsquatulate," does give "absquatulate" meaning to leave suddenly, to decamp. Says it's slang.

Perhaps to keep up with TIME I should have written: Sirs: I'll wager TIME's phalanstery does not embrace TIME's conatus at the laconical when it used "obsquatulate" where "beat" would not only have sufficed but improved.

NAT ALLEN

Ryegate, Mont.

Roosevelt Trees

Sirs:

I have at hand your issue of Dec. 25, in which you state . . . that President Roosevelt "selected especially perfect pines for Christmas gifts; sent 500 to the market."

I am of the understanding that Christmas Trees are almost invariably either spruce or fir. Pine trees, having needles from two to five inches in length and hanging in bunches, present a rather straggly appearance and are rarely used for the purpose mentioned. Possibly the President cultivates an unusual species of pine.

GEORGE A. GREENFIELD

Venator, Ore.

Sirs:

. . . Why should F. D. R. pine? Why not spruce fir Christmas?

EDWARD THOMAS SECOR

La Grange, Illinois

>> They were spruce. -- ED.

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