Je Gone bent

Rowayton, Connecticut

an | January 25, 1935

Dear Mr, Allens
Your kind letter of January 22. was forwarded

to. me by Harper's Magazine. I take it very kindly, when anyone
goes to the trouble of reading my stuff, and when they go so
far as to write ‘a Letter I am very grateful “indeede This
“Will make my reply seem ‘all the more: churlish, but I have to
say what I think even at the risk of being impolite, for
after all, I am sure you would agreed that there abe far 600
may yeseyen in this country today, and that intellectual
honesty. is a quality more to be desired than politeness.

iL aid nor lis sb basketbagl because IL. doubt
vs 4% Very much whether! 1t'is one. of the tem Tastest growing sports
in the United Statés, The manufacturer. who -gave me the
‘information, which was confirmed by checking elsewhere, did
a mot mention basektabll.e He knows what he sells every day,
; » and wheat the stuff is used fore, Also he'is in contact with
os | schools and colleges’ all over the ae

tye

   
  

eit The fae’, that basethell ee 16,000 | at.
iVadisoh Square Garden means/,of course nothing whatsoever.
Ls is nab sport, 1b is eghibitionism and you ough} to kaiow
te Hockey draws nes 000 a couple of times a week at the
Yarden but, hockey is not: making aueh progress. Your argyment
ie _» here core me to distrust your other ee tox basketball
fea ee even‘if I were not sure you were wrong

ne The fact that pasketball is now an Olgmpio.

sport has mothing to do with the-casee So-is Lacrosse and =) eal

cern soccer and dozens of other sports which have no place whatsoever ee

* A - in an Olympic progYratie In fact the.only sports not therein a

oe . included are bullfighting and pogroms and I understand they
wWill,be inthe 1940 Gamese rN ay , :

i

 

! You shite bhatt more than twenty millions
Le : are playing basketballe Now when the bowling peoplé. say 7,000, 000
| ei play or rather bowl, they mow what they are talking abouts, :
because they have an accurate checks. When the pin=pong peobe
sell twenty million ping-pong bats, that's facte If there

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