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Sir / After nearly a lifetime of messing around in boats, I thoroughly enjoyed "Cruising: The Good Life Afloat" [June 18].
But just a word of caution from an old hand−first pick a country mouse for a wife, then add laundryman, dishwasher, chef and diplomat to Colvin's excellent list of useful sidelines. After circumnavigating the earth and making nine transatlantic passages under sail, I can still say it's a lovely life.
JAMES W. CRAWFORD Easton, Md.
Sir / I am a quilter living in Noank, Conn., once a small fishing village. I am not a boat lover, nor would I particularly enjoy sailing rough or calm seas around the world, but I am a lover of "oddballs, dropouts or dreamers." And even though I am a land-lubbing romantic, I greatly enjoyed your article on cruising. Incurable romantics desperately need to know about other incurable romantics, and to feel that they all have a much needed and special place in this world.
SHARON MCKAIN Noank, Conn.
Sir / I read your article on the cruising sailors with great interest, and I cannot resist putting in a plug for our independent-study program. I am an instructor at the University of Nebraska Extension Division in high school correspondence. Quite a number of my students are living on yachts and cruising with their families in various and sundry places. Many of these students will receive their diplomas from the University of Nebraska Extension High School.
R. JOAN CARLBOM Lincoln, Neb.
Material for a Minor Poet
Sir / John Collier's new book Milton's Paradise Lost: A Screen Play for the Cinema of the Mind [June 25] is symptomatic of a lazy modern imagination that would snip one of the finest achievements of the English language for "expansion" into another medium. The "lofty jawboning" that winds up on Collier's cutting-room floor would make the reputation of the most minor poet. And were Milton himself to return and view the proposed film, we might imagine him opting for the palpable darkness of his blindness.
PETER B. DEBLOIS Bloomington, Ill.
What's in a Word?
Sir / If "Jew" as an epithet of opprobrium is successfully banned from the Oxford English Dictionary [June 25], there are plenty of other people who might like a chance at revising the language. The gypsies and the Welsh will want to excise the verbs gyp and welsh. The Vandals are no longer around to complain of vandalism, but the Slavs and the Bulgarians will surely object to slavery and buggery. Here in America the Indians can militate against Indian giver. There are enough words in the dictionary to offend anyone who likes to take offense.
PIERRE H. BERUBE Burlington, Vt.
In Praise of Inge
Sir / How you could demean a man of Playwright William Inge's ability with words like "an engaging but minor talent" [June 25] is beyond my comprehension. William Inge gave the world hours of enjoyment, insight and warmth. He could move an audience to tears or laughter. He could make people feel−and that talent in anyone can never be called minor.
PAT GLASSER San Rafael, Calif.
Sir / William Inge was a writer who was able to illuminate the secret hearts of those who live circumscribed lives. There is nothing minor about the gift of illumination.
BRONTE WOODARD Los Angeles
Honor Code