As a senior citizen I am required to have a driving test regularly, and although having recently passed this test, I wonder why one should be required to drive back and forth between two lines with a sharp angle in the middle.

I have been driving for over fifty years and have never, except at the TCD, encountered such a manoeuvre.

Would it not be better to take we elderly drivers out into the traffic and judge the driving ability during a short test run? P. BURNS City of Hamilton Merchant was a gem August 27, 1999 Dear Sir, As a former resident of Bermuda, I wanted to share with you an experience I recently had with a Bermuda merchant. As a result of spending eight birthdays in Bermuda, I have some beautiful Bermuda-purchased pieces of jewellery. One of these gifts was a ring my husband bought seven years ago at Walker Christopher Goldsmiths.

Unfortunately, the ring needed some repair work. I called Walker Christopher and Bill told me to send it to them. I sent the ring to Bermuda and then it had to be sent from Bermuda to the manufacturer. And, of course, it had to be returned to Bermuda and then to me in the US. A nerve-racking experience when the object is something you treasure. The long and short of it is -- the ring arrived at my door last week -- repaired and more beautiful than when it was brand new.

Bermuda is lucky to have people like Bill, who are not only talented but who are concerned about customers and know how to take the worry out of dropping a piece of jewellery in the mail.

Thanks, Walker Christopher. I'll see you on my next visit.

JOAN HUG Savannah, Georgia Save the Berkeley September 7, 1999 Dear Sir, Topsy, the little slave girl in Uncle Tom's Cabin, asked about her parents, replied, "I just growed''. She had no parents, she has no history, she had no heritage. George Hegel in his Philosophy of History wrote, "the Negro condition is capable of no development or culture...Africa is no historical part of the world. It has no movement or development''. Thus Negroes have no history nor culture. They were called "Negroes'' rather than Sudanese, Egyptian, Ethiopian or even African so that they would have no place of origin either.

Since Africa is where both mankind and human culture began, not only did the propaganda have to declare that we had neither history nor culture but it was important to ensure, even in Bermuda today, that any of our efforts must be undermined. Ever since the Berkeley Institute has existed there has been an attempt to destroy the foundation laid by those committed, dedicated early Founders. It has always had to struggle to survive. "Second Class Citizen, First Class Men'' records some of those struggles. Those of us who taught under Mr. F.S. Furbert are aware of the recurring battles he fought.

Today we are once again being offered $60 million to totally eliminate all of the historical and cultural symbols that we have endeavoured to establish over the years. We must sell our inheritance for a mess of pottage. CedarBridge was established with millions of dollars without any particular demand in return.

But, apparently, it was important to UBP policy makers that every trace of our cultural and historical efforts at the Berkeley Institute be eliminated without a trace.

I have heard the praises bestowed upon the PLP Government for moving cautiously as they continue to implement UBP policies. Certainly I have heard their own spokespersons declare that time is needed to bring about change. The new Premier and many of her new Cabinet are Berkeley Institute alumni, they should show the same love for, pride in and protectiveness of, their Alma Mater that any graduate of Saltus Grammar or the Girls High School would demonstrate. "As oft as we can, we will come back again'' becomes meaningless if every trace of where they were no longer exists as Berkeley Institute. If there is any UBP policy that the PLP should not need time to change is this demand to destroy in order to modernise the Berkeley Institute.

With the high rate of illiteracy and consequent high rate of teenage crime that I read about, the entire UBP educational policy should be rethought.

EVA HODGSON Crawl Let down by Sen. Scott August 31, 1999 Dear Sir, I finally have found my voice, having been speechless too long and too often now as I watch the leadership charade unfold before me.

Senator Milton Scott is an educated man, or so I thought, and can speak in an educated manner until -- suddenly, he blows it all whilst in a snit! If a personal agenda is showing, I fear it is his.

A pity, because I had high hopes for him to be a responsible spokesman on behalf of all Bermuda.

Now I'm afraid I have seen a dyspeptic display that most reminds me of a sullen child who has just had his lollipop taken away. This is not an attitude that bodes well for aspiring leaders of our beleaguered society.

If anyone needs to be removed from the Senate it is he who can't accept another person's right to speak or vote according to their considered points of view.

Please Senator, since it puts you in a dictatorial light which is unflattering, try to address this failing in your outlook -- and try to do it before October.

WATCHER IN THE CROWD Sandys Parish Keep housing promise August 31, 1999 Dear Sir, I would like to point out to this Government they have the solution to the housing problem. It's right there: land and buildings. Daniel's Head, Morgan's Point, East Side. These places have buildings already there, that can be made into apartments (one or two bedrooms).

Just stop giving our land away to foreign investment and local business, no matter what money you can make from them. Just think what you promised the people. `Housing problems'' got you elected. Stick by it.

There are a lot of people waiting and I say they've waited long enough to see if you will do it before these places deteriorate further.

Morgan's Point would make a nice local cottage colony of low-cost housing with the ferry calling in from Somerset so we have less traffic.

Making money is not as important as making the population on low income contented and happy.

DEVONSHIRE Stray cat policy a menace August 31, 1999 Dear Sir, With reference to the "SPCA to prosecute owners of severely malnourished horse'', I feel the people responsible for the stray cats should be prosecuted also.

They are doing more harm than good. The stray cats are starving to death. The people concerned, take the cats away -- castrate them, only to become a menace to the society. Why don't they keep, feed, and care for them, since they care so much, instead of returning them to the same area.

1. They rip the trash bags open 2. Scratch at my screen door for food 3. Steal food from my turtle pond 4. Fight with my neighbour's small dog for his food 5. Vicious fighting all hours in the night 6. When I step out of my car, there is always a mess on my shoes, that I walk into my house.

7. The cats are as thin as a ruler 8. Sparrows are beginning to disappear 9. Lizards are found all over my yard, with missing parts 10. They try to attack you if you walk to close to them It is a crying shame that you have to put up with this type of life. The people in the neighbourhood are fed up with this problem. We have reported the problem many times, and they still return the cats to your area. The cats could be carrying a disease. They have become worse than the "Hyena family'' trying to survive.

Sir, try your best to convince me, that those persons concerned really care about those animals.

OBSERVER Southampton A first for Child's Wish September 4, 1999 Dear Sir, Please allow me to correct a statement that I made in an interview concerning a Kardias Club, fund-raising event, in aid of Child's Wish, and reported in your Lifestyle section, September 3.

I misspoke when I said that Child's Wish "hadn't had any major fund-raising events.'' In fact, Child's Wish was provided with its first major fund-raising event when the Bermuda End to End organising committee chose it as one of the beneficiaries of the 1999 End to End Walk. My apologies to the End to End organising committee and to all of those who participated; I am both well aware of and most grateful for your valuable assistance.

What I was trying to say is that as a new charity run by a small group of volunteers, Child's Wish does not yet have the resources to organise any significant fund-raising on its own behalf and accordingly the Kardias Club has decided to lend a helping hand in this regard.

Finally, as a member of the Kardias Club and as a Director of Child's Wish, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your series of articles which is sure to raise community awareness of both Child's Wish and the Kardias Club's benefit fashion show. (For those of you who missed the article, that's Amsale's Fall collection, November 6 at the Southampton Princess, call Nelda Cann at 295-1785 for details).

DEBORAH L. JACKSON Kardias Club