weekend when Premier Jennifer Smith opened a heritage exhibition in the old town.

St. George's is special because it is one of the oldest continuous settlements in the English-speaking Western Hemisphere.

But it is even more important because it is a living town, unlike "living museums'' like Williamsburg or Plymouth Plantation which consciously recreate the past and have little or no connection to the present.

But the distinction also carries with it some dangers for St. George's. The demands of modern living -- from telephone lines to PVC windows -- make it very difficult to balance preservation with the needs of today's residents.

There have been examples where the preservation authorities have allowed building owners to substantially alter their homes, and therefore the nature of the town.

Even the St. George's Foundation, which has done much that is laudable, has taken some liberties with history.

To be sure, the appearance of the town is improved with old fashioned street lamps replacing telephone poles on some streets and paving stones replacing tarmac elsewhere, in spite of the fact that most roads in the old town were crushed limestone and were not paved.

There is a danger in "dressing up'' the town to the point that the final result does not truly reflect the town's real heritage.

But what is most worrying is the long-time tendency of property owners to replace old fixtures such as wooden windows, window sills or door frames with PVC or aluminium or plate glass or louvred windows.

The property owner sees this as a benefit: A shop's goods are better displayed behind a sheet of glass than behind traditional windows; wooden sashes and frames do not last as long as more modern materials; and some people see little difference between the real thing and its replacement.

But each change damages the integrity of the building and its original character. One minor change may not make much difference. Several small changes, taken together, can result in a transformation.

This may not seem important in the normal scheme of things. But if the town is serious about being a world heritage site and enjoying the benefits which stem from that, it must take the historical integrity of the town into account.

Muddled compromises and wilfully ignoring history could cost it not only the designation, but the character and atmosphere that makes St. George's unique.

PROMISE KEPT EDT Promise kept Government came in for heavy criticism when its bill for the abolition of the death penalty and corporal punishment was shown to be poorly drafted.

That criticism was justified and it was surprising when the bill passed the Senate in spite of drafting mistakes like the one which would see a Policeman sentenced to life imprisonment for helping a prisoner to escape.

It seems that Senate President Alf Oughton, who voted for the bill, was convinced by Government Senate Leader Milton Scott's promise that the legislation would be corrected as soon as possible.

Sen. Scott -- who has come in for criticism on a number of other issues recently -- was as good as his word. A bill amending the section of the Act mentioned above was tabled in the House of Assembly on Friday.

It will presumably have an easy path through Parliament. Sen. Scott and his Government colleagues deserve credit for making a promise and keeping it.