Letters, Sep. 20, 1971

(3 of 3)

I am 71, and last year I crossed the Atlantic in a small yacht with the help of only one young man of 24. This will show you that I am not an old baboon, grumpy, with old-fashioned hobbies. I have gone through a lot of things the hard way, and I have had to learn that life is not a dreamy bowl of cherries, and that only experience can ripen a man and bring him to his senses.

With demagogues going after the votes of these youngsters, I feel sorry for the future of the U.S.

PIERRE DORIAAN Caracas

Sir: As a member of those 11 million newly enfranchised voters, I feel that it would be a waste if we did go 2-to-l for the Democratic Party. I believe the Democratic Party is just as screwy as the Republican Party. If we hand over our vote it will be worth nothing. If our vote is to mean something, we had better not sell out to either party.

If we remain together, vote as a bloc, and stay out of the politico stuff, we will have both political parties bending over backward to get our vote.

MIKE KOSCINSKI Spotswood, N.J.

Sir: Heaven knows I tried. But when the board of registrars meets at the Buckle and Bows kindergarten and at the fire station and here and there, if at all, and only between the hours of 9:30 and 3:30, one gets the impression that those in power don't care whether anyone gets the vote.

The week of my vacation was also the week of rest for the board. They must work very hard at evading potential voters. I tried very hard to catch them.

WALTER WADE WELCH Montgomery, Ala.

Chinese Strategy

Sir: I am curious. Is the odd-looking vessel so strategically placed at the feet of Premier Chou En-lai during audiences with Western visitors [Aug. 23] a spittoon, a good, old-fashioned chamber pot, an incense burner or a Chicom fire extinguisher used for dampening Western overtures? (MRS.) ANDREA R. WALCOTT Kingston, Jamaica

> The vessel is a spittoon, a common feature in Chinese offices and homes.

Old Smiles

Sir: I'd like to say that the smiling-face gimmick that is sweeping the country [Aug. 30] is hardly new. Teachers in primary grades have been using the Smilie, quickly drawn on papers, to show young students that their work is correct and neat. It encourages the little ones as well as being fun.

I hate to admit it, but I've been using the smiling face for about 20 years, as have many other teachers I know.

BARBARA K. TUTTLE Newport Beach, Calif.

Sir: Surely Smilie Face is old enough to be a senior citizen. Treasured letters from my paternal grandmother contained drawings of this same cheerful character as long ago as 1911.

BETSY BIRDSEY FRASER-SMITH Los Altos, Calif.