Letters, May 10, 1937

(5 of 6)

Here are a few of his inimitable rhymes repeated from memory: Girl Crazy— "I'm bidin' my time For that's the kinda guy I'm" Also "I'd make a Mother like no other, If you could bother to be the Father." Of Thee I Sing— "If a girl is sexy, She may be Mrs. Prexy." . . . Also "She's the illegitimate daughter of an illegitimate son, Of an illegitimate nephew of Napoleon." . . .

This letter is not meant to be uncomplimentary to Mr. Hart. He is delightfully talented and deserves his "Orchid," but Mr. Ira Gershwin rates a streamlined everlasting "Oscar. . . ."

FRAN PALLAY

Hollywood, Calif.

TIME bows to Lyricist Gershwin, but still maintains that for grace of rhyme and cleverness of sentiment, Lyricist Lorenz Hart has no peer, nominates two more old snatches of Hart, whose present works speak for themselves, to bolster its case: From Bye And Bye:

. . . scheme a while When lonely, dream a while 'Twill only seem a while And love will do the rest . . . Ev'ry cloud just flies on, Love is on the far horizon, You'll be my sweetheart Bye and Bye. From Manhattan: . . . we'll go to Greenwich Where modern men itch To be free; And Bowling Green you'll see With me; We'll bathe at Brighton The fish you'll frighten When you're in; Your bathing suit so thin Will make the shellfish grin Fin to fin. . . . —ED.

Rattlers' Fangs

Sirs:

TIME April 19 p. 62, in article concerning the bigger and better Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus, states, "as a public precaution, the snakes' fangs have been removed or are kept folded back by little buckskin muzzles."

As fangs are teeth, you will please explain how they may be "kept folded back" with the aid of "little buckskin muzzles?"

THOMAS GARTH

Houston, Tex.

Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey's snakes are rattlers whose poison-conducting teeth, or fangs, are rigidly attached to a movable bone. When the rattler's mouth is closed the fangs fold back against the roof of the mouth, spring forward ready for action as the jaws are opened.—ED.

So Simple

Sirs:

May I be so bold as to request this information from Sydney Gregory, [TIME, April 26] who asserts that Thomas A. Edison now speaks to her and who is interested in collecting the $10,000 for a message from him which duplicates a secret message left with a friend. Why was it necessary to write TIME to get the name and address of the friend with whom Mr. Edison left his secret message? Why did she not ask Mr. Edison? That would have been so much more simple in her case—and more convincing.

HOWARD HIGGINS Boston, Mass.

Drake's Plaque

Sirs:

In the issue of TIME, April 19, on p. 18, under the heading "California" you published a photograph which purported to show Beryle Shinn, the finder of Drake's Plate of Brass, indicating to Dr. Herbert Eugene Bolton, of the University of California, the site where the plate was picked up. The gentleman to whom Mr. Shinn is showing the location is not Dr. Herbert Eugene Bolton but Mr. Allen L. Chickering, the President of the California Historical Society and a prominent lawyer of San Francisco. . . .