WHAT PRICE CAMELOT?

"Over the years, many have proclaimed the death of Camelot. It actually occurred at Sotheby's, when it was sold for $34.5 million." DAVID S. PINKHAM Barrington, Rhode Island

Despite the excitement over the auction of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' belongings [ARTS & MEDIA, May 6], I own the most valuable piece of the Kennedy legacy, and it cost me absolutely nothing. President John Kennedy offered young people compassion for others, hope for a more just world and the belief that we could make things better. I bought this dream, and even now, years later, I think it is the most precious thing a man can give any generation. NAOMI CATCHING Carp, Canada

There might have been less speculation about the motive behind the auction if it had been held to benefit something necessary and fine. I suspect John and Caroline will make certain that a portion of the profits--however got the gains--goes to a good cause. John and Jacqueline Kennedy both had a deep sense of concern for the public's good. That's class. That interest and concern are an invaluable part of the heritage left to their two children. They are, like their parents, without ostentation. The pretentious four-day TV spectacle was a truly tacky form of ostentation that is sadly, embarrassingly, American. ELLIS RABB Memphis, Tennessee

There are many who would have treasured one small memento from Camelot but could in no way afford to purchase it. I do not begrudge the Kennedy children any of the proceeds, but I do question why so much money is in so few pockets. MONIKA DAVIES Lusk, Wyoming

How disastrously Americans' national values have eroded. Presumably the mountains of money that people spent were an expression of patriotism, an indication of the great affection they felt for J.F.K. and Jackie. But if this love was based on the ideas that Kennedy espoused during his presidency, why have the wealthy conveniently forgotten his injunction: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." BARRY BRAVERMAN New York City

Hurrah to John and Caroline for having the garage sale to beat all garage sales! For what these two have been through in their lifetime, they deserve whatever they receive from the sale of their mother's personal belongings. JACK VANALSTYNE Arlington, Vermont

If it isn't Princess Di, it's Jackie. get over it, America! Jackie was a spoiled, rich woman who didn't have it so bad. Spending $25,000 for pillows that look as if they belong in a doghouse is the wildest thing I've heard of. GILBERT GROOMS New Underwood, South Dakota

It was with rapt wonder that I read about Jackie O.'s auction. I gobbled up all the details, envying every participant in the event. Would that my checkbook had been able to support my craving to be there in person and spend the bucks for those fabulous fake pearls. There are those who call the event a Camelot "feeding frenzy," but I bet a good many of us, given half a chance, would have loved to purchase a piece of the legend. CHRIS FINKLEIN Warrenton, Oregon

I wonder, when was the last time the buyers donated to a soup kitchen, let alone worked in one? DIANNE R. SEVERANCE Bridgeport, Connecticut

WHY WON'T THE '60S GO AWAY?

Lance Morrow's crabby dismissal of the 1960s as "sadly resistant to the usual generational cleansing" misses the point entirely [ESSAY, May 6]. Although baby boomers are blamed for the excesses of that decade, Morrow, as do many others, forgets that a large number of us were only adolescents when the 1960s ended. As mere children, we were confronted with the possibility of nuclear annihilation, devastation of our ecosystems, assassinations, the burning of our cities and mindless violence. We were the first generation to face those issues. Truth itself had become surreal. Is it any wonder we are a generation of existentialists? KATE MARCINIAK Los Angeles

Morrow is hopeful about the demise of the '60s, but I say thank goodness for those years. They contributed to putting to rest three antiquated, stifling and damaging notions: children should be seen and not heard; all women should be clones of perfect-TV-mom June Cleaver; and Father knows best. JUDI DODSON Willits, California

MAD-COW BEEF

TIME inaccurately attributed to the Cambodia Daily a suggestion that British cows should be shipped to Cambodia to detonate the millions of land mines littering the country [NOTEBOOK, April 8]. The Cambodia Daily suggested no such thing; rather, our newspaper printed a letter to the editor that put forth that idea. The letter does not at all reflect the opinion of this publication. BERNARD KRISHER Chairman and Publisher Cambodia Daily Tokyo

THE GENDER SPLIT

Barbara Ehrenreich does a wonderful job of pinpointing many major reasons for the gender gap in American politics [VIEWPOINT, May 6]. For centuries, women have been the caretakers of humankind. It's no wonder we have a better grasp on the long-term effects of the proposed cuts in the federal budget. Let's hope many men across the country will take to heart what Ehrenreich points out, what women have known for years, that we are here to take care of one another and to show compassion. When all is said and done, what else is there left? MARTHA E. JUNGCK Perry, Iowa Via E-mail

Ehrenreich claims that men engage in such shallow pursuits as watching TV sports and spending money on things like Italian shoes, fly-fishing vacations and "babes galore." Maybe I just hang out with an unusual bunch of guys, but our hopes all center on a warm, supportive and creative relationship with an equal. So what's happening? When the relationships don't work, the courts glare at our efforts to at least share our kids. It gets awfully scary to get involved in a relationship when the evidence indicates you will be stripped of your income and, more drastically, of your children, no matter who is "at fault." LARRY HOURANY Dublin, California

UNCONNECTED COMPANIES

Your editorial cartoon satirizing sexual harassment at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America Inc. [NOTEBOOK, May 6] could lead your readers to assume incorrectly that all companies with the name Mitsubishi are owned and managed by the same people and have the same problems. We at Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics have no connection whatsoever with the Mitsubishi Motor group, and share only the Mitsubishi name. We are entirely separate and are independently managed. The electronics group has a strong commitment to nondiscrimination in the workplace and unwavering intolerance of any type of harassment. We strictly enforce our rules. This type of cartoon unfairly taints the 1,600 Americans who work at our company. JACK L. OSBORN, President Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics of America, Inc. Norcross, Georgia

CORRECTION

TIME's report on prostate cancer [MEDICINE, April 1] was illustrated with photographs of men we described as fighting this disease. We incorrectly included Jordan's King Hussein in this group. The King underwent surgery for cancer of the ureter in 1992, but he does not suffer from prostate cancer.