An American hero

I just finished reading your article on "Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio ("He's left and gone away," March 20) and was very impressed. I have never been a big baseball fan and knew little of DiMaggio other than the obvious fact that he was a Yankees legend. Your article made me realize what a man of character he really was. As a college athlete and member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, I am inspired by this true American hero. I also believe strongly that DiMaggio should serve as an example to athletes everywhere-professional and students alike. It is important to remember whose glory we are playing for. Also, I really enjoy your magazine. I like the point of view with which you approach your stories. It is great to have a good, reliable, conservative, Christian source of information. - Benjamin Morgan, New London, Conn.

The legend lives on

I am 14 years old and have a great interest in sports. Thank you for putting the Yankee Clipper on the cover of the March 20 issue. It was excellent to see the contrast between Joe and the four NCAA basketball players featured in your previous issue ("March madness alert," March 13). I'm glad that Joltin' Joe's legend lives on. As Yogi Berra said, "He's the best player I've ever seen, and that's the doggoned truth." - Nathanael Yellis, Kennebunk, Maine

Well, it was DiMaggio

I was very pleased to see a tribute to Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, a man who played the game the way it was supposed to be played, with character and class to the honor and glory of God. In this day and age, when sports are no longer sports but a business, virtually redefined by money and greed, and when truth is sacrificed on the altar of winning, this article was very refreshing. Also, I was very surprised and pleased to see a Yankee on the front cover of a magazine whose editor is a rabid Red Sox fan. - Pete Andreas, Cerritos, Calif.

Unprosaic

In response to the Mailbag writer who objects to the liberal use of "vocabulary words" ("Enough jargoned prose," March 27), I enjoy it when your writers occasionally send me to my dictionary to learn a new word. I would add that prose refers to ordinary speaking or writing as opposed to poetry with a formal artistic structure. Prose can also refer to speaking or writing that is dull and commonplace. So his assertion that WORLD's writers do not use prose is both incorrect and correct: They write in prose, but their writing is certainly not prosaic. - Heidi Morrow, Upland, Ind.

Likes dictionaries

I like that your contributors do not always write in prose. It makes me want to look up words in the dictionary. My vocabulary has increased because of it. Keep up the good work. - Michael De Maar, 15, Linden, Mich.

We agree

Personally, I think the articles in WORLD are far from sesquipedalian. - Dan Washburn, Doraville, Ga.

Don't be sorry

Make no apologies for your writing. Vocabulary is a toolkit for conveying meaning. If we restrict vocabulary, there is little opportunity for people to learn new words, ultimately impoverishing ordinary language. - Judith Weber, Houston, Texas

Don't dumb-down

Please don't dumb-down the vocabulary in WORLD. Our culture is dumbing-down everything-education, theology, worship styles, Bible translations. Please don't let this virus infect WORLD. - Ruth Baldwin, Birmingham, Ala.

Utter nonsense

I must take exception to your "Designer U" column (March 20). Parents sending a son or daughter to one of the "prestigious" universities today do not do so to provide them "with a crutch that will give them the opportunity not to use their talents to the fullest." That, sir, is utter nonsense. Children who gain admission to the prestigious schools are extremely intelligent, highly motivated students who have made the most of their secondary school education. They have used their talents to the fullest and can be expected to do so in college and in later life. They need no crutch, are looking for no crutch, and knowingly enter a highly competitive environment. - Robert L. Fleming, Dallas, Pa.

Big-name degrees

As a senior at Duke University, I was disappointed by some of Mr. Olasky's comments about high-priced, big-name education. Neither I nor my father have cheated on tithes, nor is this education a crutch. Yes, it is overpriced and overrated. Yes, slovenliness and relativism have poisoned the whole campus. But the culture war was first lost in academia, and this same avenue has powerful potential to redeem it. We need Christians with big-name degrees if we desire not to be marginalized in this arena, not just to be heard, but to recapture the minds of future leaders. - Will Riddle, Durham, N.C.

On target

Joel Belz's editorial "What Pat must prove" (March 20) was right on target in accusing Mr. Buchanan of a lack of grace. Until Republican candidates can deal with the "mean-spirited" label pinned on them by the Left, they will continue to turn off many Christians who would otherwise vote for conservatism. It is true we must work hard, but equally true that most, not all, of what we have is a gift. - Malcolm Lewis, Nashville, Tenn.

Oppose equity stripping

Mr. Buchanan is right to oppose the equity stripping of global corporations. Transferring the cost of labor to Third World countries, while not reducing prices, puts the American workers' paychecks into the pockets of global corporations. Does this really better the other nations? The immigration problem from Mexico is getting worse, not better. Forced to choose between good jobs for poorer Americans or excesses for the greedsters on Wall Street, I will choose the people every time. - Anthony Petito, Crestview, Fla.

We've been warned

Thank you for your challenge to Pat Buchanan. Neither his great-great grandparents nor mine were born within the pleasant places of USA boundary lines. Many Americans and evangelical Christians are, as we have been warned by Solzhenitsyn (or was it Jeremiah?), increasingly willing to accept any strong government that promises to protect our "right" to privilege and comfort. - David Toerper, Buchanan County, Iowa

Open-eyed realism

Mr. Buchanan's unease at unlimited immigration is not so much mistrust of others as it is open-eyed realism that other cultures are different from ours and that America should be defined culturally, not abstractly and economically. - Tom Harper, Springfield, Mo.

Editing can only help

Hooray for Sunrise Family Video for taking out the garbage! ("[Editing out] sex sells," March 20). In this age of "enlightenment" it is refreshing to see that someone actually cares about true family entertainment. Hollywood's whining about "mutilating art" couldn't be further from the truth. The quality of today's movies, both big screen and small, is so bad that any editing can only improve them. Keep up the good fight, Sunrise! - Dan Caponera, Graham, Wash.

Base racism

How bizarre for U.S. District Court Judge Buckwalter to deny the use of scores on freshmen SAT tests to evaluate student athletes because such tests are disadvantageous to blacks ("The No-Comment Zone," March 20). In other words, the judge is saying blacks, as a race, are "intellectually disadvantaged" and need outside help to make it into college. That is racism at its basest. If "Jimmy the Greek" got fired for his remarks, the judge should be impeached. - Fred Nofer, Reno, Nev.

The good old WORLD

It appears that WORLD is continuing its downward spiritual trend. As original subscribers we are very disappointed and will let our subscription lapse. To show "happy homosexuals" getting married is false and misleading. That is the world's viewpoint, not God's. If individual Christians choose to see Hollywood movies, X-rated or whatever, that is between them and the Lord. Why waste the space? We miss WORLD as it was, not as it has become. - Mrs. Paul D. Brusko, Racine, Wis.

Relevant and refreshing

My wife and I receive four magazines, all of which are coming up for subscription renewal. Yours is the only one we will unquestionably renew, mainly because of its relevance and refreshing look at the world around us. You may take some heat, notably from those who should be your strongest supporters, but your willingness to stare down controversial topics is inspiring. - Doug Sullivan, Denton, Texas