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Sir: Your story attractively reflected the intellectual, cultural, spiritual and social climate of our community of scholars at Clarke College. To clarify one point: our faculty does not ignore the Index or Canon 1399 (which condemns en bloc certain classes of books). The Archbishop of Dubuque respects the intellectual acumen and the prudence of our faculty in judging the competence of certain students to read restricted books. In upper-division courses, our more mature students read and freely discuss specific reserved works of Hobbes, Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, Sartre—but only after written permission has been secured from the Chancery Office.
SISTER MARY ANNE, B.V.M. Chairman, Philosophy Department Clarke College Dubuque, Iowa
Puzzling Guzzler
Sir: Knowing that Albert Einstein could not figure out those "scraggly toy birds that dip in and out of a bowl of water in perpetual motion" [Sept. 4] won't make us average intellects feel any better unless we ourselves know the causative factors involved. So come on, spread a little sunshine by letting us in on the secret.
JAMES M. SMITH New York City
» Had Einstein stripped the guzzling bird of its plumage, the answer might have been clear. The bird's bottom is actually a sealed bulb containing ethyl ether (or a similar volatile liquid); the bird's head is a smaller bulb, with a tube connecting head to tail. To start the bird dunking, it is only necessary to wet the head of the bird in its upright position. The cooling action, caused by the water's evaporating, condenses the vapor within the head, creating a slight vacuum. The ethyl ether liquid then pushes up through the tube and into the head, causing the bird to duck downward. When the tube in the tail bulb rises clear of the liquid, the vacuum is broken, and the liquid in the head flows back into the tail, thus righting the bird.—ED.
Hi-Ho!
Sir: Bringing back The Lone Ranger and all the rest [Sept. 4] is a fine idea. But who's the guy who always played the good-bad sheriff on The Lone Ranger? You know, the one who always said: "Now here's my plan . . ."
KEN DUGGAN New York City
» Rollon Parker played the sheriff, as well as the "Old-Timer," who used to say, "Who was that masked man?"—ED.
Doggie Bags
Sir: Having had occasion to take my meals in U.S. restaurants, my entire sympathy is on the side of the dogs [Sept. 4].
FETTER C. OMTVEDT Oslo, Norway