Learning Facts: Wasteful or Not?

Matthew Burns (Youth Opinion, March 16) is a wonderful example of what the younger generation is coming to: thoughtful, considerate reasoning with reasonable conclusions. I’m 62 and don’t recall reading or hearing much of equal consequence from those in Congress who continue to believe Washington should control education.

I would suggest to the wise young man, however, that sometimes learning facts exercises the brain and helps establish information collection links that help ferret out strategies when considering new problems.

ROBERT WHITNEY

Monterey Park

Burns’ apples and oranges comparison of a “typical English peasant’s” knowledge to what one knows by reading the Wall Street Journal was pointless; had he listened sympathetically in history class, he would realize that luxuries such as reading were virtually unknown to that peasant, save for the Bible--if that peasant were fortunate enough to have learned to read.

Burns’ agility with computer technology is commendable, but what do he and his peers do when the computer is down? On numerous occasions, my local library’s computer system has been on the fritz; due to my knowledge of the card catalog system, I can proceed independently to seek what I came for. Can the Class of 1998 do the same?

And what about the large percentage of the population who cannot afford electronic technology?

MARIELLE SMITH

Los Angeles