The Gettysburg Times from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania • Page 6

4A THE GETTYSBURG TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1991 Gettysburg Times Published daily, Monday through Saturday by the Times and News Publishing Company. Copyright 1991 -18-20 Carlisle Gettysburg, Pa. 17325-0669 Philip M. Jones President Cynthia A. Ford Vice Division Donald W.

Fair, controller Robert B.J. Small Editor Timothy J. Doyle, night editor Tracl A. Lower, news coordinator The Gettysburg Times, founded in 1902, continues The Star and Sentinel (1800) The Gettysburg Compiler (1818). The York Springs Comet (1873), The New Oxford Item (1879), and The East Berlin News (1880).

1991 Keystone Press Award winner 4s our readers see it Let's buy a phonics reading program Editor, Gettysburg Times: I dropped into the school board building to look at the new reading books a couple of weeks ago. I discussed the new reading program with the woman who was there. I was a little concerned about what I saw and heard. What I saw and heard was the school district will be spending our good money on that discredited look and say" method of teaching to read. I am not a professional educator nor am I an expert in teaching people to read.

I am only someone with a little common sense and the desire to understand what is going on. I have read some on both aides of the debate and have come down firmly on the side of phonics. If you have not read "Why Johnny Still Can't Read" by Rudolf Flesch, get a copy and read it. This book eloquently states the case for the use of phonics to teach reading to children. I don't know how well intentioned professional educators can push the look and say" method after all the studies which show it is a gimmick that does not get the job done.

The big debate touched my family years ago. My older brother and I learned to read using phonics. My brother and I are both voracious readers. We love to read. My younger brother entered school just in time for the change over from phonics to look and say." For years he could not read well and, as a result, he never read.

Never. My mother, who learned by phonics, could not understand the problem in those early years. When he went to college he had to take a remedial reading course. That course was designed to teach those poor kids who were handicapped by the look and say" method how to read using phonics. His reading improved dramatically but he never learned to love reading.

Phonics is the oldest, the best and the only way to teach a child to read and to enjoy reading. Maybe the school board members and the parents in this district can impose a little common sense in this matter. I know the teachers with common sense will continue to teach the kids phonics as the major method of reading. Why waste our money buying something that isn't going to work? Lef just buy a good phonics first reading program and teach our kids how to read. Bruce N.

Neylon Cashtown Keep the Majestic Theater majestic Editor, Gettysburg I am 17 years old and I have lived in the Gettysburg area all my life. I can remember as a little girl going to the movies at the Majestic Theater. I must have, watched every Disney movie possible there. I loved the splendor of the roomy interior and looking up at the fancy balcony and lights. It saddened me when it was divided into three sections, but I understood that it was practical and necessary for economic purposes.

If the art deco style lobby is renovated and enclosed it will lose all its character and charm. The art deco styled architecture is quickly disappearing from our culture and original movie theaters with this style, still operating, are few and far between. The Majestic Theater is one of Gettysburg's many landmarks. All landmarks don have to date back to the time of the Ci- vil War. Since movies were not invented during the time of the Civil War, why should our theater represent that time period with a flat, plain, bland facsimile of a front? people like being out in the fresh air while waiting in line, to socialize and some to Smoke.

Patrons refer to the marquis to find out what is playing as they drive by and it is very nostalgic to see lit up. Its architecture is the very reason it was named the Majestic Theater. If they take that away they should change the name as well, because it would certainly not be majestic. Patrons and citizens, please do not sign petitions saying yes to this "renovation" which is actually dismantling. Instead en- courge the restoration of what is original, fixing tiles and replacing missing pieces of neon trim.

Amy Fatzinger Biglermtte 'Censorship to me is everywhere' Editor, Gettysburg Folks do you remember last year's Easter (Resurrection) holiday headlines section? The Times had a whole page on the good news about Jesus Christ. How awesome, words cannot express the joy to read and see the true real meaning of the holiday. One year later, guess what, nothing. One little notation of "He has risen," then instead, rabbits and egg stuff. What a disappointment and let down.

Well Christians, looks like religious oppression. Censorship to me is everywhere, magazines, books, TV and definitely schools and papers. How long are we as Christians going to tolerate this? What happened to our first amendment right of the Bill of Rights? Mrs. Betty Walsh Gettysburg Egads! Sorry for apparently also censoring your right that day to read the rest of Page which included a targe, joyous story on Good Friday as it was celebrated around the world. Hardly "religious oppression." Ed.

T-Storm home support appreciated Editor, Gettysburg Times: Dear Gettysburg Times and everyone back home, I would like to thank you for sending me the T-Storm T-shirt, insignia pin and the newspaper clipping. I appreciate your support. I must hurry to get this in the mail. Will write again when I have more time. PFC Douglas T.

Izer 174 52 0211 Operation Desert 4nd Brigade FA A BftUery FA APO Ny 09631 7120 Out of the past SO YEARS AGO The engagement of Miss Jane Elizabeth Rice, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Edmund Rice of Biglerville, to Philip Millard Jones, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.C.

Jones of Hanover, was announced at a luncheon given by Miss Rice's mother at her home in Biglerville. The wedding will take place in June. A bright sun that brought out porch screens, shorts, shirt sleeves and perspiration, sent the mercury up to a new high for 1941 this afternoon. Official instruments of Dr. Henry Stewart, local observer, showed a temperature of 85.5 degrees at 1:30 o'clock.

Sunday night's low was only 55 degrees. J. Calvin Reinecker, 75, a battlefield guide, was found dead in bed this morning at 7:30 o'clock at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Reinecker, 120 Hanover where he made his home.

Three times as many tourists visited the Gettysburg battlefield during the three days than during Easter weekend of 1940, traffic figures at the National cemetery revealed this morning. Capt. Stewart H. Moyer left this morning by automobile for Camp Livingston, where he will serve a year with the United States Army. Captain Moyer is proprietor of the Gettysburg News Agency.

The local officer expects to arrive at the camp in four days. George J. Dick, desk clerk at the Hotel Gettysburg for the last year and a half, has accepted a position commercial representative for the United Telephone Company. Paul who? WASHINGTON Last week's announcement from Paul Tsongas burst upon the political scene with the shattering impact of a popgun barrage: The gentleman announced that he is about to announce his candidacy for president. This is in the accepted tradition.

One moves in stages from dark horse candidate to exploratory candidate. Thence to possible candidate, on to probable candidate, followed by unannounced candidate. Hie triumphal progression reaches its apex with formal announcement. For a brief period, Tsongas may enjoy the distinction of being "the only announced candidate." He isn't much news, but he's news. In the Sahara Desert of presidential politics, with not a promising palm tree on the Democrats horizon, we ink- stained wretches of the press gaze upon Paul Efthemios Tsongas with a warm and grateful eye.

A candidate at last! In some quarters his announcement of an announcement may arouse something less than rapture. Remember Michael Dukakis? It will be said, unkindly said, that in making a run for the White House in 1992 the Democratic Party needs nothing quite so desperately as one more Greek-American liberal from Boston. But the maxims of childhood have staying power: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Understandably, the news of the contender's emergence has met with some incredulity. Paul who? The name is Tson- gas.

Born in Lowell, in 1941, he was graduated from Dartmouth. He did a stint for the Peace Corps in Ethiopia and returned to get his law degree from Yale. He served briefly as deputy attorney general of Massachusetts. In 1974 he won the first of two terms in the House. He went to the Senate in 1979, and retired by rea- James J.

Kilpatrick son of illness (cancer) in 1985. Since then he has successfully fought the cancer, which he believes is in total remission, and now he stands ready to return to the arena. He has some ideas -always a dangerous encumbrance by which the federal government may enter into a happy partnership with business and labor. His first broad position paper offers something for everyone. The gentleman's single term in the Senate was not especially distinguished, but the same observation could be made of most freshmen in the upper chamber.

He was against apartheid and for the Equal Rights Amendment. He supported the Afghan rebels. During those six years (1979-1984), Congressional Quarterly identified 90 key votes of greatest public interest. On 85 of the 90, Tsongas voted identically with his colleague, Edward Kennedy. The magazine also maintains figures on a "Conservative Coalition." This index is based upon roll-call votes that are won by a combination of Republicans and Southern Democrats.

The index no longer has meaning, given such unconservative Southern Democrats as Wyche Fowler of Georgia and Terry Sanford of North Carolina, but for the record: As a senator Tsongas con- sistently ranked among the least conservative and most liberal members of the body. In 1980 he tied with George McGovern for eighth place. In 1983 he was No. 1. Thinking of George McGovern: This amiable also-ran also has been inspired to try, try again.

You may recall that in 1972, when he ran against Richard Nixon, Lonesome George broke the record for lopsided losses that had been set when Monroe beat Adams in 1820. But when the presidential bug bites, it itches. McGovern is scratching. Like Barkis in "David Copperfield," he is willin' to answer his party's call. So, too, is Virginia's Gov.

Doug Wilder, who is long on promoting social compassion and short on spending public money. He has formed an exploratory committee, which soon will discover that the nation awaits his announcement that he too will announce. For the moment, that appears to be the Democratic crop. Gov. Mario Hamlet, the Great Dane of Albany, by indecision seeks to find decision out.

Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia has no fire in his belly. Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey barely squeaked to victory in his run for reelection last November. Sen.

Al Gore of Tennessee makes few hearts go pitty-pat. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri has the surpassing appeal of a secondhand car. Even so, the Democrats will anoint SOMEONE at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 1992. The last time they met in the Garden, their choice was Jimmy Carter.

This was in 1980. At the climactic moment of his nomination, we saw a fateful portent: A thousand balloons in a ceiling net refused to fall down. The party is bound to have better luck this time around. 1991 Universal Press Syndicate Welcome home I was watching a television show Sunday night called "Welcome Home America." It was a tribute to the USO and our boys and girls who fought in Desert Storm. There were 4,500 troops in the audience as well as three presidents Bush, Ford and Reagan.

Nothing could have been more heartwarming or patriotic. But as the program went on I noticed something very strange, and I turned to my loyal Republican friend Cloister and said, "There are no Democrats in the tribute." "Why would you want to feature Democrats?" "Didn't the Democrats have anything to do with Desert Storm?" "Heck, no," he chuckled. "This was a Republican war from start to finish. It was produced by a Republican president, directed by a Republican secretary of defense, orchestrated by a Republican secretary of state, and every officer worth anything was on the GOP side." I was aghast but not surprised. "What about the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines? Not every single one of them could have been a Republican." Art Buchwald Cloister said, "Damn near all of them were.

If there was a Democrat in the ranks, the word never got back to Washington." "I didn't know any of this." "Why do you think the Republicans are staging all the 'welcome home' celebrations? It was our military and we paid for it." "Cloister, is it just possible that the Republicans are trying to cash in on Desert Storm for political reasons?" "What makes you say that?" "If so obvious in this show. It's not entertainment. It looks more like a GOP rally in a presidential election year." "You are insulting our fighting men and women. Do you think that they would be here if they thought they were being used?" "What else is there for them to do on a Sunday night? Don't get me wrong. The people who took part in Desert Storm deserve everything they can get except a third-rate TV show decorated by three Republican presidents." I know that I got through to Cloister because he was choking on his beer.

"Why don't the Democrats have their own program instead of crying foul when we put one on?" "Because Desert Storm was not a Republican war or a Democratic war." "What kind of war was it?" 'It was a great war if you don't ask the Kurds," I told him. He looked at me. "You hate America, don't you?" Why do you think so?" "Anyone who criticizes a show starring Debbie Allen, Tony Danza, the Pointer Sisters, Kenny Rogers and Tom Selleck plus three Republican presidents has no right to stand up for America." 1991 Los Angeles Times Syndicate Today in history By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, April 18, the 108th day of 1991. There are 257 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 18,1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, warning the American colonists that the British were coming.

On this date: In 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires. About 700 people died. In 1923, the first game was played in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 4-1. In 1934, the first laundromat (called a opened, in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 1942, four months after Pearl Harbor, an air squadron led by James H. Doo- little bombed Tokyo and other Japanese cities. In 1942, the U.S. Armed Forces published the first issue of "The Stars and Stripes." In 1945, war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of le Shima, off Okinawa. In 1946, the League of Nations went out of business.

In 1949, the Irish republic was proclaimed. In 1955, physicist Albert Einstein died in Princeton, N.J. In 1956, actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in a civil ceremony (A church wedding took place the next day). In 1978, the U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.

In 1980, Zimbabwe Rhodesia became the independent nation of Zimbabwe as the British flag was lowered at a ceremony in Salisbury. In 1983, 62 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, in an explosion set off by a suicide bomber. Ten years ago: Zimbabwe ushered in its second year of independence with tribal dancing, singing and a parade of the national army's first black officers. In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman charged in a televised speech that counterrevolutionary forces were trying to "further destabilize" Poland.

Five years ago: A Titan rocket carrying a secret military payload exploded seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. IV.