Boston Nymphs

Sirs:

IN ALL MY TWELVE YEARS' EXPERIENCE AS A BAND LEADER . . . MY OBSERVATIONS ARE ENTIRELY OPPOSITE FROM THOSE REPORTED BY ART MOONEY IN THE PEOPLE SECTION OF YOUR JAN. 2O ISSUE. MOONEY MUST HAVE REFERENCE TO GIRLS OTHER THAN NEW ENGLANDERS BECAUSE THE GIRLS I HAVE WATCHED DANCING IN . . . BOSTON POSSESSED FIGURES THAT CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS NYMPHLIKE. ... I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY TEEN-AGE FEMININE STEVEDORES. . . .

RANNY WEEKS Boston

Tinker's Trap

Sirs:

TIME accuses me of "leaning over backward so far," apropos of the royal wedding rumours, that I "reached almost from Buckingham Palace to Billingsgate." This apparently refers to my statement that I did not (as you quote it) "care a damn" if Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth. This comment is unfair to Billingsgate and to me. In so far as Billingsgate fish-market porters use oaths at all, they use far richer ones than "damn." And I did not, in fact, write "damn" but "dam," thus indicating that I accepted a possibly outmoded (1877) but attractive derivation of the phrase "a tinker's dam"--dam being any barrier, and, in particular, the wall of worthless dough "raised around a place which a plumber desires to flood with a coat of solder" (see Oxford Dictionary).

When writing this phrase, I guessed that someone might fall into the innocent trap; I never thought TIME would.

TOM DRIBERG, M.P. London

P: What Trapper Driberg innocently calls a "possibly outmoded derivation" the Oxford English Dictionary labels "an ingenious but baseless conjecture."--ED.

Global Round Table

Sirs:

It took me some doing to comprehend the meaning of the emblem that headed your REPORT FROM THE WORLD [TIME, Jan. 6; Jan. 20]. In the beginning it did not make much sense. . . . But after studying it for a while it suddenly came clear [that] those "symbols" were contoured likenesses of the members of a global round-table conference.

The affairs of the world at present seem to be in a hopeless jumble, but if well-informed persons study them long enough, an understandable pattern is bound to appear. Authoritative information, however, is a prerequisite to this, and magazines like TIME and institutions like the Cleveland Council on World Affairs are indispensable. . . .

ARNE GUSTAF ARTHUR LINDBLAHD La Paz, Mexico

A Pastor Protests

Sirs:

Add the qualities Methodists want in their ministers, as enumerated in Pointers for Pastors [TIME, Jan. 13], and you have a soberly attired, mildly cheerful chap who carefully assays the theological predispositions of his congregation before writing a sermon, and who takes pains to put more prayer than thought into its preparation; is a safe conservative in his political and economic views; delivers special addresses only to groups of no social significance or consequence; keeps clear of the great issues of our time by handing them the cliche treatment; has no bad habits; addresses his spouse as "dearie"; and covers himself with a protective coating of expected piety. . . .

Most of the prophets were short on the qualities Dr. Leiffer says Methodists want in their ministers. And John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, fails on at least two counts (his audiences were mostly labor groups, and his home life was something less than felicitous). I am the third generation of my family to enter the ministry of the Methodist Church, but if this is what Methodists want in their pastors, then I am going to join the Presbyterians.

(REV.) CHARLES MERRILL SMITH Galena, Ill.

High Priest

Sirs:

Fie on TIME for calling a spade a club. You identify Ely Culbertson as "high priest of contract bridge turned World Federalist" [TIME, Jan. 20]. He's neither world federalist nor World Federalist. Both terms describe persons actively promoting federal world government as a means to peace, the latter a member of the organization World Federalists, U.S.A., Inc. Culbertson is selling, instead, a special brand of power politics labeled "Quota Force."

STEWART OGILVY Treasurer World Federalists of New York State, Inc. New York City

P: TIME was vulnerable; but, as World Federalist Ogilvy doubtless knows, Ely Culbertson's brand name is World Federation Inc.--ED.

Unfortunate Impression

Sirs:

I understand that the section concerning Nigeria in TIME'S story of Dec. 16, 1946 on Britain's Colonial Empire has been objected to by Sir Arthur Richards, Governor of Nigeria. As the TIME correspondent who interviewed Sir Arthur, I would like to point out that garbled transmission resulted in a marked difference between my original report and the story which appeared.

Sir Arthur Richards is an efficient administrator in a notably efficient colonial service. Though he is not considered a liberal, Sir Arthur has worked out a new constitution, following the current British colonial policy, which holds a larger measure of freedom and self-expression for the natives. Thus I feel that such an unfortunate impression of Sir Arthur must be corrected.

DONALD BURKE New York City

Justice for Germany

Sirs:

In reference to the Declaration for Germany [TIME, Jan. 13], the answer depends upon our ultimate objective. If we desire the enslavement of the people and their complete degradation and demoralization, we are following the right course. . . . On the other hand, if we are sincere in a desire to rebuild the German people into a democratic nation, the statements in the "Declaration" are well-made and sound.

It has been demonstrated that Germany cannot produce the wherewithal of life under the present plan. . . . An enslaved and starving people will never be a democratic people. . . . That means that their factories must be rebuilt so they can produce goods to sell and trade for consumer goods. It also means that they must again become self-governing. . . .

Under our system of jurisprudence the defendant is entitled to his day in court, to be heard in his own defense. . . . We will seek not only to punish them for their misdeeds, but also to seek means for the rehabilitation. Surely they should have the right to be heard on the proposition of how they can assist in that rehabilitation. . . .

The territorial or boundary changes are the acts of a victor that has the defeated nation at its mercy. In fact these acts are in practice the acts of an aggressor. . . .

ARTHUR H. HASCHE Watertown, S. Dak.

Sirs:

. . . The ten ex-members of the German Reichstag . . . advocate a policy which, in my opinion--based on the experiences of two years of intelligence and denazification work overseas--would lead straight to . . . a new and modified Nazi system. . . .

It is stated in the letter that Germany has ". . . been punished to a degree unparalleled in history." I strongly object to this statement. . . . I feel certain that all of Eastern Europe has suffered a great deal more than Germany. I believe it beyond question that the Jews have suffered more than the Germans. I would be willing to argue at length that France, Holland and Italy have suffered equally.

A lot of what the gentlemen of the former Reichstag call vengeance is merely justice. A lot of it is self-protection on the part of the rest of the world. A lot of it is good common sense. "Understanding" -- yes. But "reconciliation?" The Germans have not proven . . . that they are deserving of reconciliation.

HANS E. SEGAL Cleveland

P: Of the first 253 readers to offer opinion on the declaration by former members of the Reichstag, 60 are in complete agreement, 20 agree in principle but take exception to specific points of the program outlined, 35 disagree in principle but concede that some points have merit. But 138 argue that no changes whatsoever in occupation policies should be considered. -- ED.

Nayo Hoss

Sirs:

Remembering the admonition, "Who put the benzedrine in Reader Warren's Ovaltine?' this subscriber and non-cat hesitates to cite the Robbins paragraphs, issue of Jan. 20.

However, no square is TIME ; so, stash the gaff, deal off the biceps and dig the scat of "Mezz" Mezzrow [and Bernard Wolfe] --Really the Blues, Random House 1946 (Omnibook, Jan. 1947) -- "Dicty: snooty, high-class."

Man! That ain't solid.

ROBERT N. TRUBEY III Fargo, N. Dak.

P: TIME'S thanks to Hipster Trubey for his nayo hoss. But until the groovy cats dig each other or a Webster happens by to help us pick up on what's going down, TIME will igg the issue.*-- ED.

Fantastic Florida

Sirs :

I have hesitated . . . over writing you about your fine, acute review of the film of The Yearling. I was afraid that if by chance you printed my letter, I should be playing into the hands of the Florida Chambers of Commerce, who pounce on anything that might help to lure here more profitable hordes of people who are not interested in sky, palms and earth.

Yet the truth is, that the Florida sky is "breathtakingly blue"; the "piercing green palm fronds" are arranged into "composed landscapes" (though arranged not "self-consciously" -- nor by M-G-M -- but by the artistic hand of Nature); and the "dusty good earth" is "downright gorgeous."

When I took the late N. C. Wyeth into the scrub country to begin his paintings for a special edition of The Yearling, he gasped at the "composed landscapes" of the "piercing green palm fronds" and said: "This is fantastic. An artist has only to copy this, and then it will not be believed." Incidentally, the most effective "shots" in the film were exact reproductions of his paintings. And often, particularly at twilight, I look at the "dusty good earth" and it is definitely lavender, or mauve, sometimes actually purple.

I have no stake in the film, having sold the movie rights to the book outright more than eight years ago. . . .

MARJORIE KINNAN RAWLINGS Hawthorn, Fla.

*GLOSSARY

hipster -- one who is in the know

nayo hoss -- no, buddy, that's wrong

groovy -- solid

cats -- guys

dig each other -- get together, understand

pick up on what's going down-- understand what's happening

igg -- ignore

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