A letter to the editor in the March 10 editions of The Sun on the late Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conductor Reginald Stewart was accompanied by the wrong photograph. The individual in the photograph was Reginald A. Stewart of Roland Park.
The Sun regrets the errors.
Harmful American
Editor: The Sunday Sun, Feb. 24, published a friendly little interview (People section) with Timothy Leary, in which he was given another opportunity to tout the wonders of "good trips" with LSD and the harmlessness of crack when used "intelligently."
This reminds me of a half page of some 20 years ago in your Perspective section, in which another enlightened expert touted the joys and the harmlessness of cocaine.
In this Feb. 24 Perspective section you carry the most vitriolic assortment of half-truths by Ray Jenkins, attacking the people of the United States for their sins against Native Americans, blacks, white textile workers, Japanese-Americans, Vietnamese immigrants, Iranian refugees, Arab-Americans, Latin Americans, working poor and the battered homeless. He ends by implying that these very same groups are stupid for believing in this country.
If there is one American who deserves our contempt, and who has destroyed more young American lives and minds than Saddam Hussein ever dreamed of, it is Mr. Leary.
The harm done to the people of Bolivia, Peru and Colombia by the American habit he and his likes have fostered is incalculable.
Mr. Jenkins might have done better to address his remarks to this real and current sin against humanity.
!George G. Graham, M.D.
Baltimore.
The writer is professor of human nutrition and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Media Suspicions
Editor: In case there are any out there who haven't yet figured out what's behind the current wave of media-bashing, fueled by the recent polls showing that most Americans support the military more than the media in reporting on the war. I call your attention to Ray Jenkins' column in The Sun of Feb. 24.
I don't claim to speak for mainstream America, but I bet that I come a lot closer to it than you (the collective media) do. Certainly there is truth in everything Mr. Jenkins says, but after reading it one wonders why we have more problems at our borders controlling immigration than emigration.
tTC The media carp that the military is afraid of showing the tragedy and mistakes of warfare, and while most Americans can understand and cope with that, it is the media who cannot, and given the opportunity, would report on very little else.
Mainstream Americans cherish a free press, but want it free from its own agenda. We are weary of the liberal litany spewing forth from the pompous podiums of the media, and most of us would feel much more comfortable sharing a hot dog and a beer with Norman Schwarzkopf than quiche and Perrier with Dan Rather.
Dave Reich.
Fallston.
Caption Hit
Editor: As the old saying goes, a picture is still worth a thousand words, but when combined with a caption and a Sun headline, we soon learn that it is a terrible distortion of the truth.
I am referring to the picture (Feb. 22, The Sun) of the beautiful marshland at Black Marsh park and the caption and headline beneath the picture stating that, "The quiet marshes are needed for wildlife, say opponents of development at the park," and "Bill to develop Black Marsh Park draws foes."
It is clear that The Sun wanted people to believe, first that House Bill 596 calls for development and second that the development would be in the marsh. Nothing could be further from the truth about the intent of the legislation. The caption is shamefully inaccurate.
The facts concerning H.B. 596 are:
* It does not in any way pertain to nor does it mention development;
* It provides a wildland designation of the marsh, which guarantees that no development or intrusion into the area will be allowed;
* It renames the park as the North Point State Park to stress the historical significance of the area.
The Sun owes an apology to its readers for failing to accurately and truthfully deliver the news.
Mary Pyles.
Baltimore.
Odyssey
Editor: On the books page of your Feb. 17 Perspective section, Diane Scharper (reviewing John Barth's "Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor," twice refers to a work of literature she calls "Homer's Ulysses." These references are not correct.
Most scholars ascribe to Homer the composition of two epic poems, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." The main character in "The Odyssey" is Odysseus. His name transliterated from the ancient Greek into Latin becomes Ulysses. But no educated person ever uses the Latinized version of the hero's name as the title of Homer's complete work. "Ulysses" as a literary title, is reserved for the epic 20th-century novel, by James Joyce.
Mark A. Sheehan.
Dundalk.
Whose Flag?
Editor: An advertisement on page 14D of The Sunday Sun for Feb. 17 caught my eye. It was festooned with crossed American flags and patriotic sayings: "God bless our troops. . .U.S. Army. . .U.S. Navy. . ." etc.
And then it raised my ire, because it was advertising Toyotas, Hyundais and Hondas. What gall.
If anyone wants to deal in these products, it's OK to compete in the international marketplace, I'm sure, but please don't wave the American flag while doing so. At the least, it's in poor taste.
Then, as if to rub salt into my wounds, the same ad ran again on page 7C of the Feb. 18 Sun. In that same issue was the very poignant article, on page 1D, about an ex-prisoner-of-war of World War II and of what he suffered at the hands of the folks who build the Toyotas, Hondas, Sonys, Nikons, Panasonics, etc. which we buy.
Please, let's show more sensitivity in the commercial display of patriotism.
Lee S. Fleishman.
Baltimore.
Reginald Stewart, Teacher
Editor: Your recent article on Reginald Stewart brought back many pleasant memories. No mention was made, however, of the children's concerts.
On special Saturday mornings in the Forties, my piano teacher, a nun at St. Anthony's School in Gardenville, would shepherd a group of her students by trolley and bus to the Lyric. Crowds of children from all over the city, accompanied by a few adults, would converge at the large, impressive building.
Once inside we were greeted by a tall, distinguished gentleman in a black suit, the likes of which most of us had never seen. He spoke to us in a British accent, reminiscent of some of our favorite movie stars, and seemed genuinely glad to see us.
Most of our parents had never heard a symphony concert. Most of us children would never have set foot in the Peabody. Yet this tall gentleman succeeded in instilling in many of us a lasting appreciation of classical music.
In addition to his other attributes, Reginald Stewart was, in my opinion, a master teacher. He spoke to us in ways that held our interest. He never spoke down to us. He introduced us to the instruments of the orchestra through clever tunes and rhymes. He amused us with Ogden Nash's poems. Through narrated versions of "Peter and the Wolf" and Till Eulenspiegel's "Merry Pranks," he showed us how music can tell a story. He made classical music come alive for us.
For some, he may be the forgotten conductor. For me, the name Reginald Stewart will live forever as one of the significant influences of my childhood.
Ann Hennessy.
Rock Hall.