Mr. Benjamin DeCasseres, who addresses the CRIMSON in a letter on this page, protests against the CRIMSON suggestion of a degree for Ernest Hanfstaengl on the ground that this eminent Nazi is an "avowed enemy of our institutions".

The objection has something to it, but it is laughable coming from Mr. DeCasseres. This generation judges Mr. DeCasseres with trepidation, of course, because by his own admission the worthwhile world ended a long time ago, after the days when Herbert, Hartman, O'Malley and their school of literary and artistic soaks were swilling nightly in various New York barrooms. Nevertheless, we have read a couple of the recent essays tossed off by Mr. DeCasseres in which he qualifies as a literary man by telling how well he knew, the literary big-shots, and we jump with astonishment at the suggestion that he is in any way an apologist for "our institutions." We understood from him that the institutions of this nation of Philistines were beneath his contempt. He made us certain of it, because he had read Nietzsche and "comparative history," whatever that may be.

Mr. DeCasseres' business-like letter-head bears on one side the sweeping list of his products, "Books, Drama, Philosophy, Satiro", and on the other a long list of his published works none of the titles of which suggest any particular professional or personal interest in American institutions, except perhaps "The American Comedy" or "The Superman in America". But a man who could write "Love Letters of a Living Poet" May be permitted a catholicity of interests.

Mr. DeCasseres has a perfectly good reason to object to Herr Hanfstaengl, but he conceals it under an absurd cover. We suggest that he re-read his Spinoza (which, we note, is one of his interests). That classic moralist would have frankly stated his real objection. SCIO