Orphans

* I thought Richard B. McKenzie was in trouble (“Let’s Bring Back Children’s Homes,” Commentary, March 23) when he made his case in favor of children’s homes by citing fictional scenes and quoting fictional characters from the movie “The Cider House Rules.” When he conceded that there are no official statistics to support his contention that failed adoptions are on the rise but proceeded anyway to indulge in speculation about why adoptions fail, I concluded I had stumbled across a piece of comic fantasy that had gotten misplaced on the Commentary page.

If this is not the case, I request The Times grant me equal time to quote fictional characters from the movie “Oliver” to build a case against the return to children’s homes.

PAUL J. GULINO

Irvine