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The general American attitude that conventional sexual intercourse is the only "proper" expression of sexual desire—and, worse, the legislating of that attitude—is a hangover from the Puritan fathers, from whom so few of us descended. The prudery and naiveté of such an attitude must also make us a laughingstock in nations of more wisdom and maturity.
CONSTANCE MACMILLAN
Buffalo
Visiting Teacher
Sir:
. . . I would like to add my complete appreciation of Carmelite Janvier. We are the parents of a mentally retarded child and two wonderfully normal children, and we feel personally that our lives have been enriched and matured by this experience, especially because we have come to realize how perfectly wonderful people like Teacher Janvier are!
MRS. KENNETH D. JOHANSEN Seattle
Sir:
. . . It does my heart good to see such a wonderful woman get the credit that she so richly deserves.
HAROLD SCHWARTZ 2nd Lieutenant Orlando A.F.B. Orlando, Fla.
Two for the Show
Sir:
The decline of the theater [June 6] stems not so much from the lack of good plays and good authors as from the growing influence of our noted theater critics, that small and parasitic group of men who feel it is their sacred duty to protect the theatergoer from being exposed to anything but superior spectacles on the legitimate stage . . . I have often wondered why our plays should be so meticulously hand-picked by a small group of intellectual supermen. Through individual tastes we choose our food and manage to survive, and even though not all of us are gourmets, we enjoy eating . . .
It is not "Ibsenitis" that is killing the theater; it is ''Critic-itis." Maybe, if we divided the number of critics in half, the number of theaters may double again.
HENRY ROGERS
Norristown, Pa.
Sir:
The opinions of Walter Kerr on the state of the American drama are interesting and thought-provoking . . . As a teacher who finds it professionally necessary to talk about the drama but who cannot afford the cost of contemporary playgoing, I submit that the real thing wrong with our theater is economic. Only the fashionable and well-heeled can afford theatergoing in our time . . .
Some huge foundation giving millions away for evaluations of education might do well to set up a fund to provide inpecunious college professors with ticket money for the drama . . .
RICHARD J. STONESIFER, PH.D. Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, Pa.
Bonjour Jeunesse (Contd.)
Sir:
Thank you for Stanley Karnow's excellent analysis of the problems facing France's youth [May 30]. It helps us Americans in Paris to understand the situation we see about us.
However, I think the article underestimates the thoughtful seriousness and hopeful determination of many of France's young people. For example, the recent student pilgrimage to Chartres . . . was a pledge of their resolve to work for a really Christian future for their country.
I would like to see TIME begin to give more publicity to the positive and hopeful aspects of France's situation. Those who are working so hard to better things for their country could use the encouragement . . .
(MRS.) BARBARA LANCASTER Paris
SIR: