New Manners

To the Editors:

I was fascinated by your story "America's New Manners" and Social Arbiter Letitia Baldrige [Nov. 27]. After all, when all's said and done, it's really quite simple. Good manners are best defined by the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Gloria Vanderbilt

New York City

Practicing politesse is the pastime of the pretentious.

Alex Navy

Mars Hill, N.C.

Manners permit one to function with people one might otherwise despise. A useful adjunct to civilization.

John Joss

Los Altos, Calif.

An acquaintance of mine has an excellent term for unmarried couples who are living together: covivant. It is charming and elegant, yet highly descriptive.

William V. Rice III

Austin

When a friend of mine introduces or refers to the man with whom his daughter is living in an unmarried state he calls him my "sin-in-law."

Lewis H. Goldman

Washington, D.C.

Lover? Partner? Bedmate? The answer is none of the above. The word for it is "erum," coined from good old American tongue-tiedness as mothers told their friends, "He's my daughter's. . . er . . . um . . . er . . . um . . .

Sharon Mikutowicz

Philadelphia

Your reference to "the Milwaukee housewife who hauls trash barrels to the curb every Monday morning" is incorrect. No one hauls barrels to the street in Milwaukee. Our sanitary engineers collect trash from wherever it may be: garage, backyard, etc., not at curbside.

Lois Riley

Milwaukee

Man of the Year

West Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt receives my vote for Person of the Year. He has, with his efficient economic management, kept the rates of West Germany's inflation and unemployment low.

Misana Wylie

Morgantown, W. Va.

I realize that Begin and Sadat hold the spotlight with their soft-shoe routine, but I would like you to register my vote for the young, attractive and miraculous Premier of Spain--Don Adolfo Suarez.

Daniel L. Aubry

Almeria, Spain

I nominate Ayatullah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the Iranian people, for Man of the Year. He is shaking the Shah, demanding an Islamic government.

Hameed Murad

Safat, Kuwait

Woman of the Year: Betty Ford.

Robert F. Bourque

La Jolla, Calif.

Congressman Leo Ryan.

I.M. Spuller

Dallas

The Rev. Jesse Jackson's positive activism in the midst of the cynical apathy that surrounds the problem-plagued minorities deserves nomination for TIME's Man of the Year.

Dan Witt

Dallas

Did Camelot Exist?

If we need Ted Kennedy as President to "feel good again," as you say in "Recalling the Kennedys" [Nov. 27], our American malaise runs deeper than the horrors of Guyana would indicate. Let's face it. There never was a Camelot.

Janet Blair Dominick

Altamonte Springs, Fla.

Few would deny that there is a distinct Kennedy charm, but the Massachusetts Senator has displayed too many contradictions in his personal life and his policy statements to merit serious consideration. "Feeling good again" might be an appropriate slogan for a health spa, but not for a presidential campaign.

Raymond C. Perry

New York City

Yes, it was a fun time, even for those of us who were not living in or near Washington. We do need another lift in these times. I hope our present President can help us, though he lacks the style of President Kennedy. I know of no one else except Teddy, but agree with those who say, "Oh, I hope he doesn't."

(Mrs.) Betty Kennedy

El Paso

Antithesis of Liberty

The disgraceful conduct of striking teachers at Levittown [Nov. 27] is further proof that unions of government employees should be outlawed. Tire-slashing and window-breaking criminals should not be allowed to teach. Unions are the antithesis of liberty.

William B. Templeton, D.D.S.

Charlotte, N.C.

The American public does not think of teachers as vital to daily life because they don't deliver instant results. We pay off truck drivers, longshoremen and railway workers with fat increases because we want our goods delivered now, and because it's good business. But when it comes to education, we think there is no profit to reap, so why pay off?

Melvin W. Livatino

Skokie, Ill.

Putting down Pap

It seems incredible to me that Public Health Researcher Foltz and Epidemiologist Kelsey, described in your story "Flap About Pap" [Nov. 13], would put down the Pap smear on the basis of "considerable expense." This relatively simple test, which can detect cancer, costs only about $6. Further, if the test does not detect cancerous conditions 25% to 30% of the time, isn't this all the more reason to have checkups annually and not every three to five years?

Robert G. Schwieger

New York City

Job Discrimination

The Church of England doesn't want women priests [Nov. 20] because the men are afraid they'll lose their jobs. Women in England who seek the priesthood should drop the rhetoric and address the issue: job discrimination. The priesthood may be a calling, but it is also a means of earning a living, like any other job.

Francesca Larson

Edison, N.J.

In response to the comment rejecting women for ordination in the Church of England ("I want women to be women"), should we say, "I want men to be men, not priests"?

(The Rev.) Betty Luginbill

Fairbanks

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.