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In your piece on the American Newspaper Guild convention [July 6], you point a finger of criticism at the Guild's failure to 1) fully organize its field (contracts with only 176 out of 1,750 U.S. dailies) and 2) raise the standards of journalism ("Hardly a word was heard about perfecting the reporter's craft"). As to these sharp critiques we have no bone to pick, but while you are generally correct, you missed a major point in giving the reason for all this.
The Guild has, in fact, from time to time attempted steps toward raising the standards of journalism, but the publishers have again and again made it clear that they consider this "none of the Guild's business."
If there has been some lethargy on the organizing front, perhaps the prior need to fight on the contract front in part accounts for it.
THOMAS J. MURPHY Executive Vice President Newspaper Guild of New York New York City
Burning Issues
Sir:
Re your July 6 article on New Guinea's "South Pacific Post" jungle newspaper, and particularly in reference to its smokable qualities, I would like to point out that two other very prominent newspapers have been even more widely smoked. During the war years in Europe, the conquering Russian soldiers rolled their "makhorka" in Pravda or Izvestia.
J. KOLESINSKI Melbourne, Australia
Help in Sight?
Sir:
With much chagrin I confess that I too had forgotten the "forgotten man"—the $20,000-a-year corporation executive [July 6]. What can we do to help ? Perhaps you could publish a list of the more destitute of these underprivileged executives so that if some of the rest of us have a little left over at the end of the month, we can tide them over until Hupp Corp.'s next bonus.
RUDY NELSON Providence
Demara at Culter
Sir:
Re The Great Impostor [June 29], Culter Academy in Los Angeles has felt the impact of the charming and intelligent Demara, who was a member of the faculty for two months. He was hired just last February to teach a section of the eighth grade. He used the name Jefferson B. Thome, and left transcripts from William and Mary in the office. In conversation he said that he had been educated in private schools in England, had been a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, a teacher and principal for 13 years in Massachusetts and for a year in Alaska.
My wife and I were the last persons at Culter to see him on Sunday night, April 5, when he simply disappeared. We are sorry to hear that he is such a rascal. He is extremely likable and pleasant, and certainly brilliant, generous to a fault. His worst faults seemed to be a tendency to laziness and a drive to succeed at all costs. No one dreamed that he was a fraud.
DAVID F. SIEMENS JR. Los Angeles