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Sir: Jargon is the lubricant of scholarly communication. Its purpose is not to bamboozle the layman or screen academic incompetence behind verbiage, but to increase the precision of language and speed the exchange of ideas. The cost of using jargon—enduring snippy essays like yours —is considerably less than the benefits.
RICK MALT Princeton, N.J.
Portrait of Julie
Sir: Your cover story on Julie Andrews [Dec. 23] was a magnificent piece on a delightful human being. Aren't we all a little in love with her?
FRANK SIMMONS Chamblee, Ga.
Sir: Never have I seen anything more beautiful than your cover portrait. I would love to see originals by Koch; he's great.
W. HERBERT ARMSTRONG Tupelo, Miss.
How Many Copies
Sir: Referring to William Manchester's The Death of a President, you write [Dec. 23]: "25 copies of the manuscript were sent to six magazines." The fact is, seven copies were simultaneously submitted, one each to the five magazines you list and, in response to a special request, two copies to LIFE. Your report implies that this agency submitted a copy to United Artists. No copies were submitted to United Artists or any other motion picture company.
DON CONGDON Harold Matson Co. Inc. Manhattan
Please Pass the Pills
Sir: Your report on Indian population control [Dec. 30] may be a bit more pessimistic than is necessary. You say: "Even if birth control pills were economical, it would be an uphill battle to train peasant women in their regular use."
As to economics, both the United Arab Republic and Pakistan have huge pill programs. On training peasants, an Indian study says: "From field studies in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Ceylon, it has become evident that poorly educated women accept oral contraception enthusiastically and successfully. In that respect, Indian women are no different from their counterparts in other parts of the world."
All of us mistakenly equate illiteracy with lack of intelligence. When the pill regimen is explained to illiterate women, they apparently follow the instructions even more faithfully than many middle-class American women.
LEWIS C. FRANK JR. Information Center, Population Problems Manhattan
Burning While They Fiddle
Sir: Concerning your article on early violins [Dec. 30], I can only say fiddlesticks! The authorities you cite mention every solution to the Stradivari problem but the historically honest one: restoration of the sound intended by its maker.
It is impossible today to hear the original sound of a Stradivari because every one of these instruments has had its original fittings removed and more than 30 changes made; a modernized Strad does not bear any more resemblance to the sound intended by its maker than a harpsichord to a piano. Also, the excessive pressure of modern fittings is causing cracks, so that we have an ever increasing number of played-out Strads. The only solution to this vandalism: restore the original fittings and make the instruments true baroque violins that will blend with the harpsichord instead of drowning it out.
SOL BABITZ Ford Foundation Researcher in 18th century performance Los Angeles
A Thousand Times No