opinion

Our Readers Write Who '11 Fight DYFS 'Giant?' To the Editor. This is in reference to the letter written by Victoria Kelly. entitled "DYFS Divides Youth. Family." which ap* peared in your paper April 2. 1 could not have said it better myself. As a matter of fact as I read her letter I saw my own situation as a parent involved with DYFS over the past two years. Because of this "giant" (also known as DYFS) I have lost a car. my daughter, almost my marriage, and now face the threat of bankruptcy. We went through lawyers like groceries because. "Who wants to fight City Hall?" •* TO DATE, our family is separated and still unsettled. Legal fees and other related expenses have mounted to over $10,000. I am almost positive that this letter and the one Victoria Kelly wrote will not make any difference in the DYFS system, but I want to thank your newspaper and Kelly for having the courage to stand up to the "giant." Also, if there are any other parents out there who have had problems with this "giant," perhaps they could also write to this paper stating their case. MAYBE THERE IS strength in numbers. If you would like to keep your story confidential write to me personally . or Gov. Kean in Trenton. * In closing. I want to commend those of you who have already contacted Kelly concerning the DYFS "giant" and appeal to you to stand up for your rights We live in a democratic nation — not a communist country where govenmental authorities can come in and take over Not yet, anyway! CHARLOTTE A. MASON Wild wood Do you have an opinion on this subject? Write a letter to the editor. P.O. Box 430. Cape May Court House. N.J 08210 Still Fears DYFS To The Editor : I wish to reply to the "Letter to the Editor" April 2. on the Division of Youth and Family Services. I have personally been through DYFS coming in my home and interrogating me and my children. I wish to say with ail my heart that everything Victoria Kelly wrote is true. ■ ■ In my case, the innocence of the people involved was proven. I still fear DYFS walking in my home unannounced and threatening to take my children away, even to this day. I put myself in jeopardy for just speaking against them, but I know in my heart the harm DYFS does to innocent loving parents. In conclusion, the person who reported my so called "circumstances" was committed by a nearby Police Department to the state Mental Institution. Ancora, a fewweeks after her report. This is what DYFS calls a reliable source? REBECCA L. DAILEY . I

'WrraliT v'tiilTral PabUahcd Every Wednesday Lower Township By The Seawave Corporation Edition at the P. °- ""Jdff Cl>,,rt C"* Cwwty Hcrild Hoose. NJ. 08210 Joseph R. Zelnik Editor Bonnie Reina General Manager , Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Darrell Kopp Publisher SmOwmCo'P 19S6 AM ngfctl All property rigK lot lA# mohto ol pvWtahoo ike! bo Ibo piooot, ol tbo Saowox Co«j> No par" •wool -a, bo xpiodwod DEADLINES News & Photos Ana .Thursday Advertising Frraav — 3 P.M: Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information Mail Subscription: Yearly, S40; Six Month, $20 Call 465-5055 For News, Advertising or Subscription Information •WJWt oA^Uy. o» A, Q.MI.A „ ot d, HI im p 41D I AMTAN SCAPE MAY A+ *ra0fc~Utspatrii Cape May CM? Edition of the Cape May County Herald l tw»» By Th »«wni Corporation' • J P.O. Bon iM Cap* May Conrt Hooae. NJ BBX10 JM

Berry's World ®1MSbyNEA.Inc v-d "Are we looking for something for birds, animals or people?" i I Considerate People A l To The Editor: We just purchased a 12-fbot aluminum boat and had it i tied to the top of our station wagon heading home on the i Garden State Parkway when the rope snapped and the i boat landed on the Parkway. We immediately pulled over and three young men (in ( different cars) also pulled over, hopped out of their cars < and came running to help us put the boat back. Needless to say there was oncoming traffic and it stop- I ped while these young men and my husband cleared the i road. I We are grateful for their assistance and also for all the drivers who were very alert and took the needed precaution. This could have been a very serious incident, but it was avoided by such considerate people May God bless you all for your help. MR. AND MRS. CHARLES LAMBERT Avalon

Letter from Calway Teachc^ Visits - Irish Schools

To The Editor: I Thought your readers might enjoy a short account of my visit to the Irish schools. I am presently visiting western Ireland as part of a one year sabbatical leave from teaching the third grade in Hatboro, Pa. During this past week I have been assigned to travel with the District Inspector of Schools as he visited schools in County Galway, in western Ireland. The job of the inspector is to monitor Irish schools and examine the instruction and students in them. During several sessions I watched as he asked the class questions pertaining to their school work. My four day experience included visits to eight schools as well as two educational centers. The inspector is responsible for approximately 90 schools and almost 400 teachers! THE SCHOOLS in Ireland are. for the most part, operated by the Roman Catholic church. They are state supported, however, and no tuition is charged. Religious instruction is a very important part of the curriculum. Each school is operated by a management board. Students must attend schools from the ages of 6 to 15; however, most pupils begin school at the age of four. Primary school begins when the child reaches four years of age. Students spend four hours in infant classes. The group is called "Junior Infant." and the second class termed "Senior Infant." (This is their version of The day for primary students lasts from 8:50 a. ml. until 2:30 p.m. with a half hour lunch break. Pupils remain in. primary school until their 12th birthday From age 13 to 18. students attends secondary school. Vocational instruction is offered at this level. POST-SECONDARY instruction includes college and university work. The City of Galway has a university and it was there that President Reagan received an honorary degree in 1984. Irish is taught on a daily basis in the national schools. One of the schools in which 1 visited had instruction conducted entirely in the Irish language. I found the Irish students to be bright, alert and well Many of them had a good knowledge of facts about the United States. All of them seemed interested in the lesson about our geography. I taught them! WILLIAM ALLEN (Stone Harbor) Galway. Ireland Letters Welcome - >, The Herald. Lantern and Dispatc h welcome letters to the editor on matters of public interest. Originals, not copies, are requested. Writers must sign name, address and phone number.

p-Dead, and Read — J Lies , Truth , and Opinions

By JOE ZELNIK I was sitting on my deck Sunday, overlooking the ocean, my Shih Tzu , Susie, at my feet. While my wife marinated the tofu for dinner. I nibbled on candied kumquats i If you believe any of that, let me sell you some stock in my patented Cape May parking meter jammer, guaranteed to make one quarter last all day. Actually. I can't see the ocean from my apartment; it's the seasonal renters who get the second floor with the deck, giving me another reason to resent tourists. As for the food references, there are people who eat those things and if you look hard enough in this week's issue, you can even find which restaurant serves them Personally. I was quite content-' wi\h peanut butter for lunch five days a week until I found it could cause kidney stones. MY ONLY CLAIM to good taste is my wife and a preference for draft beer over canned. Other than that, one could say I have plain tastes. Some would say I'm tasteless. When it comes to wine, for example. I much prefer the kind with twist-off caps to those difficult ones that require corkscrews. My reading habits also are rather lackluster (which is better. I guess, than lustlacker) I get motivated to take out a library book by reading the obituaries of famous people in the Philadelphia Inquirer. That can lead to a bizarre reading diet. I can tell you that actor Brian Aherne, who died Feb. 10. wrote one of the world's most boring autobiographies. On the other hand, poet John Ciardi, who died March 30, was a brilliant man and I regret he had to die before I read him seriously. ONE THING that often seems to surprise people is that I am basically truthful in this column. Thus many are shocked when they see me emerge from my 159,000-mile. 1976 Olds Delta. The car, incidentally, has a notable new attraction. Although the air-conditioning under the hood does not work (something about a compressor and a potential $300-400 repair bill), it does have air-conditioning in the trunk. Both rear wheel wells have rusted through. (If anyone cares to submit a price on plugging them, please call me in the office, any day hut Monday.)

Despite my many obvious failings, some people still seem to think I have the answers to all questions. A lady called the other day to ask me what financial institution I recommend. I wouldn't touch thdt with a 12-inch deposit slip. I think one should make trial runs at a number of banks and S&Ls, as one does with restaurants, before making a decision. I GENERALLY PREFER financial institutions whose 1 signs say "Drive Up Window" to those that say "Drive In Window " A more scientific method is to follow through the driveup (or drive-in) window line a customer with a barking dog in the back seat. Intelligent tellers at progressive financial institutions invariably give the dog his biscuit immediately, thus shutting him up Slow-thinkers at dull financial institutions don't hand over the biscuit until the transaction is completed. As a result, angry barking, amplified through the public address system, reverberates through the bank, causing tellers to make mistakes and sending customers on their way. THERE ALSO ARE PEOPLE who insist on knowing my Libyan solution. Well, if I were President. I would urge all Americans to mail their garbage to Libya, and to its embassies around the world. This would have a threepronged effect: The cost of postage would swell the coffers of the Postal Department and probably go a long way toward reducing the national debt. Mailed trash would ease the load at local incinerators and landfills. And last, being inundated by American trash, rather than fragmentation bombs, probably would bring the Libyans to their knees. I also would urge my fellow Americans to show their support for government policies by driving with their lights on and horns blowing. This scheme was first suggested during the Vietnam war by manufacturers of replacement parts for automobile electrical systems. Also. I just happen to have a large supply of bumper stickers — $1 apiece — pro claiming: HONK IF YOU HATE LIBYA.'