Letters, Jan. 8, 1979

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Coming Together

To the Editors:

As an experienced convention-goer (Dec. 18], I penned these lines:

This is what you 'II likely find

As your daily fests unwind:

A time to eat, a time to meet;

But none to rest your aching feet.

This is what you'll likely hear

If you keep in tune by ear:

The talks the talkers have talked before.

The puns the punners pun—encore!

The gab the gabbers gabbed of yore.

The gripes the gripers gripe galore.

(The Rev.) Leslie Conrad Jr.

Richardson, Texas

Convention fever seems to be extremely contagious here in the U.S. Our only hope is that someone, somewhere, will come up with a cure for that dreaded disease.

Thomas O'Dell

Bantam, Conn.

So conventions don't pollute or put any burden on municipal services? The garbage people and sewer workers could submit evidence to the contrary. Enlightened promoters should concede that 26 million conventioneers leave other things than money in the host city.

C. W. Gaylord

Williamsville, N. Y.

Will Rogers saw it first. Said he in his daily column of May 2, 1930: "When Judgment Day comes, half of America will be on their way to some convention and the other half will be signing application blanks."

Bryan Sterling

New York City

Rocky's Clones

As an art student, I was greatly disheartened by Rockefeller's scheme to sell reproductions of his collection [Dec. 18]. I work hard on my original pieces. Yet how can I compete with timeless entities such as Rodin or Modigliani? These "clone"' collectors don't want art—they want status symbols. Why don't they buy a Mercedes instead? At least they can drive that.

Leslie Howat

Hatboro, Pa.

Why the fierce attack? Rockefeller made it clear he was offering copies and told at what price they were available. Nobody is deceived. If people think such copies are worth their price, they will buy them. If not, Rockefeller has made a good effort but a bad deal. So be it.

C.H. de Jong

Great Barrington, Mass.

Doctors' Dilemma

The best doctors will never need to advertise [Dec. 11], and for the worst ones, advertising will be an additional expense to pass on to their patients. Medical advertising will help the consumer about as much as car advertising protects the buyer of an automobile.

Maralys Wills

Santa Ana, Calif.

Physicians who develop new treatments and new techniques have voluntarily accepted a professional ethic that they publish these findings for the use of all physicians in the treatment of all patients. If the FTC puts physicians in the position of price competition by destroying their ethical ban on advertising, they should expect that a physician who develops an effective new treatment will keep it a secret and sell it to the highest bidder rather than publish it for the use of all. I do not believe that to be a wise exchange.

John R. Dykers Jr., M.D.

Siler City, N.C.

NATO Déjà Vu