Letters

Guyana Horror

To the Editors:

Never has a magazine cover had such an impact upon me. That single photograph of the dead in Guyana [Dec.4] brought the entire Boschian horror into focus. The scene will be forever engraved in my memory.

Michael Swartz Alexandria, Va.

You offend me. I ripped off the cover and all interior photographs, in living color, of the massacre. They reflect the same loss of human dignity that the events in Guyana themselves represent

Nancy C. Warmbrod Huntsville, Ala.

The Rev. Jones, Guyana--my God! It is a stunning, numbing thing. One can only wonder what social errors permit such horrors to occur, all in the face of history, all in the name of God.

Sylvia R. Morovitz Lynnfield, Mass.

Whenever final loyalty or trust rests in humanity or a human being-- whether guru or general, seer or scientist, priest, president or pop pschologist--then dreams will be shattered and hopes destroyed, and the agony of alienation or the despair of death will seem to be the only alternatives.

(The Rev.) R. Marcus Otterstad Waller, Texas

Almost as amazing as the events in Jonestown is the apparent willingness of the American people to foot the bill for this madness. That's carrying the concept of collective guilt too far.

Joseph King San Francisco

Jones saw the handwriting on the wall, and the words spelled nuclear war. So choosing to march to a different drum beat, Jones' disciples followed him into the jungle. Their humanistic dream: to build a better world. But, as it turned out, the handwriting was a forgery, the drummer was mad, the humanism bankrupt and the dream a nightmare.

Philip G. Wik Carol Stream, III.

The est Extravaganza

It is very appropriate that the articles concerning the est extravaganza and the events in Jonestown appeared in the same issue [Dec. 4]. I dedicated myself to est for 1 1/2 years. Only when I moved to a place where there were no other est people around was I able to think clearly again.

Deborah King West Hartford, Conn.

quit knocking the human-potential movement. What is wrong with believing that people have immense potential, that they matter and that they can do a good deal to make this world a better place? What's wrong with love, health, integrity and happiness? The only way to develop human potential is to believe it exists in each of us.

Viki Stackig New York City

Choice Words

Please pass the word to Professor Frederic Cassidy to come to Baltimore for some choice regionalisms [Dec. 4].

Not only do we call hero sandwiches submarines, but, in Baltimorese, closet is cupboard, and sidewalk is pavement-as in London. Also, a kitchen sink is a zinc, asparagus is sparrow grass, and hydrangea is high geranium.

Louis F. Cahn Baltimore

Surely Professor Cassidy would like to know that in Baltimore when a man mows his grass he is said to be out on his lawn with his "paramour."

Chase Stone Annapolis, Md.

Professor Cassidy surely didn't venture south of the Mason-Dixon when he checked various parts of the U.S. for "heavy rain." Every Southerner knows it's a trash-movin' gully washer.

Joyce Allyn St. Petersburg, Fla.

Mothered Out

Teach my children at home [Dec. 4]? The American housewife has performed a multirole job for so long, for so little, that heaping yet another "small" responsibility on her seems too casual. Mr. Educational Theorist Holt, you are not, nor will you ever be a mother. Even to suggest that we cheat ourselves out of that wonderfully inevitable day when the little kiddies finally start first grade is cruel. I'm "mothered out!"

Lynn Fink Cleveland

It is reassuring to learn that there are a number of parents who, "believing they can do it better," teach their children at home. I have been teaching two of mine since September, and it has been a rewarding experience for both the children and me. In the atmosphere of comparative freedom, lack of censure, and individual attention at home, I have seen them flourish in academic and other ways.

Cynthia W. Vail Haymarket, Va.

Man of the Year

Man of the Year, for responsibility in the Horror Story of the Year: James Warren Jones.

Walter T. Sokolski Kalamazoo, Mich.

Vice Premier Teng Hsiao-p'ing of China.

Bernard Sinsheimer Boulogne, France

Why not Pope John Paul I? Our smiling September Pope who captured the love and respect of the world in such a short time?

David Augustine St. Cloud, Minn.

Pope John Paul II. His election has finally torn the Iron Curtain.

G.S. Hiranyappa Bangalore, India

For People of the Year I nominate the Vietnamese boat people, the untouchables of the South China Sea, for their determination, defiance and courage.

Mrs. Duong Vu Ba Hopkins, Minn.

Manager Bob Lemon. He brought the Yankees back together when nobody else believed it was possible.

Bob Imperato Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Those Blessed Little Ladies

Re American Manners [Nov. 27]: after a number of rude refusals some years ago, I abandoned the practice of offering my bus or subway seat to little old ladies. However, I have again begun offering. Recently, I was on crutches, and it was those same little old ladies who insisted that I take their seats. I say God bless 'em!

Ronald E. Reafs Alexandria, Va.

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