Letters, Jan. 9, 1939

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Congratulations

Sirs:

TO TIME'S EDITORIAL STAFF HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS ON BOTH THE VISION THAT PROMPTED AND THE COURAGE TO PRINT CHARLOT'S BEAUTIFUL NATIVITY SCENE [TIME DEC. 26]. MAY THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD HELP US TO DISPEL THE CLOUDS OF HATRED, THAT PEACE AND GOOD MAY REIGN ON EARTH.

REVEREND MAURICE S. SHEEHY

Department of Religious Education

Catholic University of America

Washington, D. C.

Sirs:

YOUR RELIGION SECTION OF TIME FOR THIS WEEK, I CONSIDER THE BEST JOB OF REPORTING RELIGIOUS NEWS AND THE MOST CHALLENGING RELIGIOUS ARTICLE I HAVE READ THIS YEAR. MY POINT OF VIEW IS FROM 20 YEARS OF SERVICE AS PASTOR OF THE SAME CITY CHURCH.*. . .

R. LINCOLN LONG

Toledo, Ohio

Mobs

Sirs:

As an American medical student at the University in Freiburg I come in contact every day with Germans. Although our conversation concerns principally subjects connected with medicine, it sometimes drifts to politics. Naturally I should like to be able to defend my country's democratic ideals, especially now in regard to the Jewish question. The reason why I cannot is adequately illustrated by a recent article in TIME (Dec. 5): A young man, not a whole lot older than Grynszpan, was said to have committed a crime. The only witness was an elderly lady—the very lady whose life and property were involved—but that was enough. No Dorothy Thompson appealed dramatically for funds to save his life; no corps of top-notch lawyers leaped to his defense; America's conscience was not in the least disturbed. The young man was not even given the right to a trial! Within a few hours he was dead— killed by a band of men who felt they had the right to take the law in their own hands.

Believe me, boys, a good reason for this inconsistency on the part of Americans would certainly help me out of an embarrassing situation.

WALLACE A. REED

Freiburg, Germany

Sirs:

Reader Lowell A. Henry in TIME, Dec. 12 drew an analogy between the persecution of the Jews in Germany and the lynching of Negroes in America.

Reader Henry evidently failed to consider the fact that lynchings in America are not approved or incited by the authorities. They are forbidden by law and condemned by a majority of American citizens; whereas persecution of the minorities in Germany is fostered and undertaken by the state as a part of its national policy. . . . Such an analogy is absurd.

MERLE MCMURRY

Austin, Tex.

Sirs:

It is amazing that anyone in the U. S. could degrade his intelligence by insinuating that there is any comparison between gangsterism in this country and Hitlerism in Germany!

We have our gangs, but so does Hitlerland! We have our robbers, thieves, murderers, etc., but so does Hitler, in fact, each country has its share. However, in addition to the unorganized underworld mobs of each country, Hitler has his own specially organized systematic government gang of plunderers !