Dear Fellow Twaniacs,

    In Ken Burns' defense,  throughout his career he's mostly relied on
scholars, historians and biographers for the information that goes into his
work. He trusts their knowledge; those who got it wrong in the first place
should be the sore point, not he.
    He's not a historian or a scholar, and has never claimed to be. He's an
enthusiast, with great talent as a filmmaker, to pass along that enthusiasm.
That, I think, is more important in the long run.
    Just tonight, for example, the Associated Press had a story on the White
House whoop-de-doo in which Mrs. Bush is quoted as saying her husband's
favorite Twain quote is "Do the right thing. It will gratify a few and amaze
the rest."
    The correct quote is: "Always do right. This will gratify some people,
and astonish the rest."
    I rest my case. What matters is that Ken's film, which I've not yet
seen,
could draw more people to Twain than ever before. That would be wonderful.
    I'm no fan of sloppy scholarship, but sometimes I wonder if those who
are
fond of picking nits carry around their own supply. It's one thing to get
facts wrong. It's another, however, to use the wrong word. We all know what
Sam said about that.
    There will always be people who notice an I missing a dot or an
uncrossed
T. In copy editing, they really do matter; in the long run, I believe, they
don't.
    Sam belongs to all of us. Let's be generous with him. Especially with
someone so obviously devoted to him.
    Happy birthday, Sam!

Kathy O'Connell
Record-Journal
Meriden, Conn.