Papal Visit

To the Editors:

Pope John Paul II is a man of peace in a world of hate [March 14]. If world leaders had a budget for bread instead of a budget for guns, your next story on the Pope's travels could be titled "To Share the Joy."

Allen Leopold Glen Carbon, III.

It is certainly no accident that Pope John Paul II is head of the Catholic Church in these times. He has come along when the world needs him most. Having lived under Nazi and Communist regimes in his native Poland, he knows firsthand the dismal failure of totalitarian and atheistic ideologies.

Charles Price San Francisco

The stories on the Pope's trip to Central America focused on the theme of his search for peace. However, without justice there can never be peace. The Pope should call for justice first. Peace will follow as a matter of course.

Thomas E. Hilton New York City

Nowhere in Central America did the Pope offer to share the blame for the pain, which can be traced to the area's severe overpopulation. Does he understand the harmful consequences of his anticontraceptive stand?

Margon Jones Canoga Park, Calif.

As the population explosion gathered force a generation ago, church leaders used all their clout to block the availability of modern contraceptives in the Catholic areas of the developing world. Now these same churchmen tour the globe by jumbo jet, pontificating on the widespread human misery and social chaos they have helped to create.

William Pinknoras Richmond

Modern Poorhouse

Three cheers for Sacramento County, Calif., and its Bannon Street shelter project that helps the poor [March 14]. Finally somebody has come up with an idea that takes some of the burden off the county welfare system.

Arthur R. Sullivan Jr. Edgewood, Md.

Sociologists have shown that people do not appreciate what they have not worked for. It is far better to have the poor do some kind of work in return for the room and board they receive.

Socorrito Baez-Page Roxboro, N.C.

The sense of entitlement expressed by Arthur Robbins, who refuses to live at the Bannon Street residence, is appalling. If Robbins wants to live in a place where he can "watch TV all night," he has only to get a job.

Carole R. Westphal San Francisco

Basketball's Bad Show

I watched Georgetown Center Patrick Ewing [March 14] play basketball when he was in high school and was always impressed by his talent, poise and, above all, his sportsmanship. Thus it comes as a shock to read that blatant racism prevents many from recognizing Ewing's spectacular accomplishments at Georgetown. It is sad to realize that we are only marginally closer to racial tolerance than we were in the 1930s.

Thomas J. Fisher Newton Centre, Mass.

On the night before I read your article on the racist comments directed at basketball's Patrick Ewing, I attended the Georgetown-Syracuse game in Landover, Md. Behind me, a spectator was yelling racial epithets at Ewing. Considering the noise around the court, it was unlikely that Ewing could hear him. However, blacks sitting near by heard him. It was obvious that the blacks in the stands were the real targets of the insults.

Robert J. Greenfield Washington, D.C.

Rivalry is fun, but racial slurs are crude in any context.

Peter Bell Baltimore

Australia's Hawke

With the election of the Labor Party's Bob Hawke [March 14], Australia will experience a new style of government, a kind of socialist experiment. Hawke claims that his highest priority will be to unite all Australians in winning the battle against the country's economic problems. The rhetoric is loud, but the plans are shaky. Hawke's leadership may result in bankrupting Australia and fostering more disunity than ever.

Basil Alexandrovich Yakimov Gowrie, Australia

I witnessed the euphoria in December 1972 when Gough Whitlam's charisma turned many Australian voters into Labor supporters after a generation of Liberal rule. Australia was sentenced to three years of "hard Labor," from which it never fully recovered. Now another superstar appears. I do not doubt Bob Hawke's ability as a star. It is the supporting cast and divided crew who frighten me.

Charles P. Stephan Singapore

Rockin' Jerry Lee

Most critics fail to point out why Jerry Lee Lewis has been able to sustain his career for more than 25 years in a business noted for its casualty rate [March 14]. The reason is his relationship with music. Of the American singers of the rock era, only Jerry Lee has kept his performances and recordings alive by paying tribute to the nation's musical heritage of blues, gospel, country and rock 'n' roll.

Wade Austin Melbourne, Fla.

Center Party

In your story "The Verdict Is Guilty" about the Israeli commission report on the Beirut massacre [Feb. 21], you described Shinui as a left-wing party. Shinui is a centrist party that opposes the government precisely because of its liberal connections. It cannot be described as a left-wing party.

Amnon Rubinstein Jerusalem

Anthropological Dilemma

In dismissing Steven Mosher [March 14], Stanford University's anthropology department may be trying to protect future research projects in China. But what is the value of a whitewashed view of life there? Our scholars should prefer doing no research to being used as propagandists for the host country. If Stanford valued truth and ethical pursuits, it would reward Mosher, not punish him.

Roberta Genini Fresno, Calif.

The expulsion of Steven Mosher from Stanford points up the growing division between academics and their ethics. With the Mosher case in mind, a professor can now say to a student: Go off and do independent research, but if you happen to see something that is wrong, remember that your field is not "values" or "justice." Above all, keep in mind that the area must be kept open for future independent researchers. Because of Mosher, anthropology may suffer a great loss in China. Because of Stanford's reaction, one wonders if anthropology as a discipline of study has not suffered a greater loss.

Joseph Earner Panorama City, Calif.

Steven Mosher may not be regarded by the educational community as blameless, but perhaps humanity outweighs academic etiquette. We hardly have a free scholarly environment when a man of Mosher's integrity and compassion must bury his knowledge in obscure periodicals for fear of unleashing public outrage.

Maria M. Markof-Belaeff San Francisco

I am shocked to read that women in China who are up to nine months pregnant can be forced to undergo abortions. That is outright murder.

Helena Kalin Zurich

Weapons Debate

My compliments for an excellent story on military reform [March 7]. It was a first-class job beginning with Franklin Spinney on the cover to your thorough treatment of the debate.

Gary Hart

U.S. Senator, Colorado Washington, D.C.

Reasonable Searches

In 1914 the U.S. Supreme Court adopted the exclusionary rule, a controversial method of enforcing the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unlawful searches and seizures. Now, years later, our Supreme Court has elected to examine the rule and possibly join a "good-faith exception" to it. One wonders whether the drafters of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights intended that our constitutional protections be diminished whenever a majority of a particular Supreme Court disagrees with the philosophy of, and necessity for, the safeguards.

Steven M. Kaplan Oak Park, Mich.

Solzhenitsyn and Prayer

I was dismayed to read that Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded a prize for his stand in favor of school prayer [March 14]. He shows little understanding of this country's separation of church and state and how vital that separation is to religious freedom. If school prayer is required, we will have agreed that Government can usurp the religious function of the church, the synagogue and the home.

Robert Churchill Schuster Dix Hills, N. Y. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.