THE PUBLIC MIND: LENDING A `HELPING HAND' IS BETTER THAN A `HAND OUT'

To the Editor:

I would like to comment on the article on the Opinion page of Aug. 27th, by Walter Williams.

It sounds as if Mr. Williams came up the hard way. I can sympathize with him. I worked during the summer vacation at farming, peddled watermelons, delivered ice, dry cleaning, bottled soda water, sheet metal shop, drove a team to build a road, and the last two years of high school, worked in a hardware and furniture store before and after school and Saturday.

It did take me five years to get out of high school.

I had never thought of our labor unions as "do gooders." The impression that came to me was that labor unions were concerned with their workers or members and were trying to get the woekrs their "part of the pie," so to speak. Neither had I considered the property owners that rented to the poor as "do gooders." I had considered them very greedy and out to get all they could from the rented property.

It may be that I am mistaken or I did not read the article correctly. My opinion has been, and still is, the people that are trying to help the unfortunate are the churches that collect for relief, and 94 percent of what is collected goes to relief: the Salvation Army, which feeds the poor and homeless; Teen Challenge, which helps those on drugs to break the habit; also, the organization that helps people to repair and build their own homes.

One last remark: I am 80 years old and have never seen a person helped by a "hand out," but I have seen many that have been helped with a "helping hand."

Chester Pulliam

Cape Girardeau