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Among writers of English in Japan, the spelling is almost universally "Tokyo" but American newspapers seem to be about equally divided between Tokyo and Tokio, and I have seen Associated Press stories with two datelines using both forms.
Translated, the name of the city means "north capitol," the Japanese character pronounced "to" in this case meaning north, and the "kyo" meaning capital. Tokyo has always seemed to me to be the more accurate spelling of the way which the Japanese themselves pronounce the word, with a clipped "yo" sound on the last syllable.
However, several years of newspaper work in Japan failed to inform me whether there is an official spelling of the word or not.
I suspect before a uniform style is achieved, the city will have to return to its pre-Meiji name of Yedo. Unfortunately, this is variously spelled both "Yedo" and "Yeddo"—and pronounced "edo."
Incidentally, there are two villages in Texas of the same name and both of them are spelled "Tokio."
NEIL C. VANZANT
Manager
South Plains Farmer
Lubbock, Texas
The U. S. Geographic Board rules: "Tokyo ... not Tokio." But Manager Vanzant errs in his translation of "To," which means East not North. Yedo, name of Tokyo's site until 1869, means "Bay (Ye) Door (Do)."—ED.
Singing Brush
Sirs:
The next time you give me more of Mat Brush [President of American International Corp.] to read, I hope he will have a new hobby. I read four years ago of his elephants: again, in FORTUNE of his elephants; the third time a year ago of his elephants, and now the last edition (TIME, Feb. 27) once more tells the world that he collects elephants.
When I lived across the street, in Newtonville, Mass., from his family, I used to hear him sing as soon as he went into his house. I heard him sing from his bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, parlor, and even when he was running across the street to catch his train in to Boston.
Maybe he will take up singing in his spare minutes and we can see and hear him in opera. . . .
MYRA SCHOFIELD MAGNUSON
New York City
Big Open Stacks
Sirs:
May I correct a statement in the column headed "Athenaeum's Lady," in your issue of February 27:
"The Boston Athenaeum with its 300,000 volumes is the world's largest library whose stacks are open to its readers."
A recent investigation of this very point through the American Library Association has disclosed the fact that the Newark Library, of 500,000 volumes, is the only library, public or private, of this size which virtually has all its books on open shelves and offers free access to the general public.
BEATRICE WINSER
Librarian Public Library
Newark, N. J.
Sirs:
Your issue of Feb. 27 has the following statement on p. 20:
"The Boston Athenaeum with its 300,000 volumes is the world's largest library whose stacks are open to its readers."