LETTERS

PETER PAN GROWS UP

Director Steven Spielberg has earned our affection and respect [CINEMA, May 19]. In many ways, he is just a plain man who reminds us that in everyday life we can apply the energy and drive necessary to make our dreams come true. He and creative artists like musician James Taylor use their humanity to achieve originality. That's artful living. C. RALPH ADLER Brentwood, N.H.

You labeled Spielberg the most successful moviemaker ever, but success is a very relative term. Despite all his wealth, power and creative freedom, Spielberg must be somewhat saddened when he considers the works of such masters as Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. He must know that no matter how may films he directs, no matter how many empires he builds, he will never come close to producing a work equaling the revolutionary and artistic achievements of those two masters. There's a reason why that Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane hangs in Spielberg's home. TED SPELLMAN North Hollywood, Calif.

Spielberg has an excellent imagination; Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and E.T. are among my favorite movies. Other moviemakers may be forgotten after they are dead, but Spielberg has left a mark on this world with Schindler's List. MAX GLUZMAN New York City

I had the honor of working as an extra in Spielberg's new film Amistad. He is not only a professional but also a true gentleman. He took the time to chat with the many movie extras and the fans who waited for him at the outdoor locations in the cold New England winter. I nominate Spielberg as your Man of the Year for all the pleasure and fun he has given us for so many years. RICHARD ARTHUR KIZIRIAN Providence, R.I.

Now that he has created the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, directed Schindler's List and started making unheralded but generous contributions to university research, Steven Spielberg has become more than a gifted moviemaker. He is a moral force that acts with the conscience of a good man. He seems to be a Messianic figure to this century and the next--a Messiah who speaks in the idiom of his contemporaries and uses the tools of their world. JOAN SHAPIRO South Windsor, Conn.

JOURNALISTS GET A MUSEUM

I enjoyed Andrew Ferguson's commentary on the new journalism Newseum [ESSAY, May 19]. I remember after a particularly terrifying day in Vietnam (many years ago) that a journalist ran alongside me asking how it "felt" to be me. I told him I would be happy to send a round through his gut so he could report on the experience firsthand. I've become more charitable through the years, and now mostly chuckle at the pomposity and ersatz concern of television's nightly news anchors. They are just doing a job. JOHN LEYDON Marina del Rey, Calif.

Blame it on my latent insecurities, but with the arrogance of which Ferguson is so critical, I still see my future in journalism. Journalists (credible ones) search for the truth and don't cower upon its discovery. That isn't self-elevation, but a wake-up call for society. Ferguson says, "Mostly [journalists] want to be loved." But who doesn't want the same thing? KIRA L. ISACOFF Cheshire, Mass.

NO LAUGHING MATTER

I was sorry that your review of new animation and cartoon books [SHOW BUSINESS, May 19] failed to mention my father Robert McKimson, who was with Warner Bros. Cartoons studio as an animator and director from 1931 until it closed in 1963. He directed 175 cartoons and created the Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester Jr. and the original Speedy Gonzales. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and was credited in 1944 by the Library of Congress as the author-artist of Bugs Bunny. The books you covered in this article did little to expose the artistic talent that was part of Warner Bros. Cartoons during the "Golden Age of Animation." ROBERT P. MCKIMSON JR. Anaheim, Calif.

GOLD'S FOOLS

I hope the investors who were unfortunate enough to own Bre-X Minerals shares [BUSINESS, May 19] followed the ever important rule: diversify. I can't wait for the book or, better yet, the movie about this rip-off. BRIAN VAN LEEUWEN Albuquerque, N.M.

IT'S THE NEW YORK POST

In your item on the marriage of the X-Files' David Duchovny and television actress Tea Leoni [PEOPLE, May 19], you referred to me as a "Daily News columnist." My newspapers are Newsday and the New York Post, plus 60 others across the country that carry my column. I haven't worked at the Daily News for more than six years. LIZ SMITH New York City

EVERYTHING'S COMIN' UP ROSES?

Is it really true that the U.S. is enjoying its best economic health in 25 years [NATION, May 19]? Why are our Federal and state governments implementing punitive measures on our poor, vulnerable and ill citizens? Why must we be concerned that what we are taking away from elderly and disabled legal immigrants may cause homelessness and starvation? And why is Congress considering cutting the taxes of the rich at the expense of the middle class? If these were really peak times, generosity would at least be at average levels. WILLIAM M. STEIN Arlington, Mass.

The same day I read your report, I saw a man carrying a hand-lettered sign that read, NEED FOOD WILL WORK. Yes, the beleaguered middle class is benefiting from an economic upturn, but we must never forget that for every Wall Street millionaire producing nothing of lasting value, there's a hungry man at the corner. SCOTT A. DAMON Atlanta

Eric Pooley's report on the good state of the U.S. economy was interesting and well researched. The last time the economy behaved this way was during the postwar boom, in which Americans enjoyed the fruits of economic prosperity but blindly followed the institutions they felt brought this plenty to them. Now with the added sensibility gained by resurgence in the 1960s and economic humiliation in the 1970s and '80s, Americans have learned that we are all responsible for ourselves and our prosperity, and this has paid off. That a sense of self-worth is possible for every American is an ideal upon which our country was founded. Perhaps this is a permanent shift, where prosperity is balanced with wisdom and, most important, a notable lack of rampant greed. DAN KNAUSS Livermore, Calif.

The ecstasy among Americans who are in a spending frenzy results from the fact that they have several credit cards with $10,000 limits and lots of debt. The euphoria is an illusion that will soon fade away, leaving everyone depressed and longing for the past, when wages were worth something and the good jobs hadn't moved to other countries. EARLE CALLAHAN Coronado, Calif.

PAYMENTS WILL CONTINUE

Your item on Planned Parenthood's attempt to garnish affinity payments earmarked for Operation Rescue from the LifeLine telephone company [NOTEBOOK, May 12] may cause some readers to think that Planned Parenthood could grab money from LifeLine that American Family Association supporters intended to go to us. This is not the case. Planned Parenthood cannot interfere with LifeLine's payments to the American Family Association or any organization other than Operation Rescue. PATRICK J. VAUGHN Assistant General Counsel American Family Association Tupelo, Miss.

THE SOUNDS OF J.T.

I was pleased to read your article on James Taylor and his latest album [MUSIC, May 19]. It was nice to know that Taylor cares about others' opinions of him. I adore him! If my life were a movie, his music would be the sound track. His music has enriched my life. Your reviewer was wrong. Taylor has transcended his idiom. When I get to heaven, the angels will be playing J.T.'s tunes on their harps! MELISSA OGATA Tustin, Calif.

In your story about Taylor, you said, "His songs are as familiar and comfortable as old flannel shirts and just about as exciting." Really? Next time you see a sold-out performance with an audience that has no problem in sitting through a downpour or 100[degree] heat to listen to Taylor, you might try to get closer to one of the fans. This man continues to draw record crowds whose members vary greatly in age; his talents are constantly being rediscovered by new generations with the release of each fresh album. I am proud that Taylor continues to walk onto that stage in his own unassuming style and stand there surprised at the roar of the crowd. How sweet it is. STACY KLAUS, President James Taylor Fan Club Baytown, Texas