2 December 1997

Letters Editor,

SMITHSONIAN

900 Jefferson Drive, MRC 406

Washington, DC 20560

Editor:

Why the long article on Bernarr Macfadden? He must be doing handstands and jumping jacks in Hell. Your article is just what that showoff would want. He was a failure in all of the key dimensions and dynamics that add up to a worthy life. His marriages did not last. He was forced from his businesses or they failed.

His grandiose political ambitions came to naught. By belittling or ignoring the good that the medicine of his day had to offer, he failed as a health guru. Even his boastful plans to live to a great age fell significantly short of the mark.

By featuring such a showy, scandalous failure, you demean SMITHSONIAN!

Meanwhile, the stories of thousands of more worthy individuals 'cry out' to be told.

Sincerely,

Harold L. Mansfield, Ph.D., 319-B Hillcrest Drive, Durango, CO 81301-6514

Phone: 970/259-1324