University of Virginia Library

Beautiful Suburbs

Paul Birdsall's "Middle America
Discovers Pollution" is the issue's
most solid effort at humor (with
redeeming social value, of course).
The sad tale of Flo and Einar
Gausted, a couple from "beautiful
suburban Muncie, Indiana," unfolds
as they join the fight against
environmental pollution and find
the going a bit rough.

"Do the Pussies Want Peace?" is
interesting, but in parts it seems
half-hearted. Amos Andy Perednia
inverts the Panther scene in a story
depicting the revolution according
to the White Pussycat Party in
Charlottesville. The "suburban
ghetto" theme bolsters both the
credibility and the humor.

As a venture into poetry, The
Spectator presents "Listen to the
Worm" by Rod McKuen. By juxtaposing
and synthesizing fragments
of the real thing (McKuen's), the
psuedo-poet has created an interesting
study in auto eroticism, but the
poetry is purposely little better
than what it attacks. The satire is
what counts, and is quite effective.

Henry Ellett's "Economics
Notes" contains both a proposal
and a look at things to come. His
suggestion that the minimum draft
age be raised to 65 seems certain to
boggle the minds of the social
security set. The humor is good in a
limited context and renders the
piece well worth the space it gets.

The section containing obituaries
of "Famous Middle Americans"
(Richard Russell, Mendell Rivers,
Roy Wilkins, Ronald Reagan, et al.)
is appropriately brief and presents
some amusing situations for left
and right alike.

The Spectator's Globe Press
Service provides readers with the
latest news briefs:

"LAGOS, NIGERIA (AP) -
African officials today reported
that Nigeria's lion population had,
in referendum, rejected the title,
'king of the jungle.' In explaining
the choice the Nigerian Information
Minister said, 'What care these
roarers for the name of king?"'

The two "book reviews" included
in the issue are somewhat
mediocre. The better one describes
"Where He Stands: The Life and
Convictions of Spiro T. Anagnostopoulos."

The review says, "Though the
son of a Greek immigrant, he
regrettably never learned to speak
Greek, but as Miss Pinchot is quick
to point out, his Greek heritage
'with its reverence for the principles
of democracy and its emphasis on
wisdom, reason and justice, remains
ever with him."'