LETTERS: PRESERVE THE SEMINARY

To the editor:

During Riverfest weekend, my husband and I took our three children, ages 7, 5 and 2 1/2, for a tour of St. Vincent's Seminary. As a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau, I had always wanted to see the magnificent structure that overlooked the Mississippi for so many years, a silent witness to the many changes that have taken place over the course of time. I was not disappointed. While certainly in need of repair and restoration, this property and its rich history deserve to be saved.

I had not considered the impact our visit had on our two oldest daughters until it was reported that the seminary property was in foreclosure. After explaining to them what this meant, our 7-year-old exclaimed, "You mean they could tear that place down? I like it there. Why would anyone want to tear it down? What could someone want to put there that would be better than the seminary?

I had no answer for her. What, indeed, could be better than the buildings that are there, restored, made useful for a public that is in almost desperate need of some connection to our collective past.

Too often these days, many in our society seem ready to do away with buildings that are old and worn and replace them with one that have no soul, no character, no sense of purpose. What a tragedy for us all if the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation is not able to save the seminary. What a tragedy for my children and for yours.

SUSAN MEANS

Cape Girardeau