Comment by Jonathan Schell. In the Catholic bishops' pastoral letter on war and peace, which was issued earlier this month, two orthodoxies collide. One is the teaching of the Catholic Church, which extends back almost two thousand years, and the other is the more recent teaching of the nuclear-deterrence theorists, who guide the...

The Talk of the Town A Night Out by David Updike. Talk story about a young man spending a balmy spring night in Central Park. At the entrance the man paused to see a football-shaped moon rising in the east. He got off his bike and walked along a path under the sparks of lampposts, and then turned up the...

Profiles ADVOCATE by John Brooks. PROFILE of lawyer Simon Rifkind. Douglas, a classmate and longtime friend of Rifkind's, wrote in his book, "The Court Years," that Rifkind was the "most outstanding advocate of all." At one time he considered leaving the bench and going into practice with Rifkind. Tells about Rifkind representing Justice Douglas in...

The Theatre Perils of Wedlock by Edith Oliver.

Dancing Legacy by Arlene Croce.

Fiction Hitler's Secret Dairy by Bruce McCall. Parody of diaries that might have been written by Adolf Hitler from June 25, 1933 to April 27, 1945. Concerns Eva Braun giving Hitler a cow that has a cub. First Hitler tries to milk the cows, then orders them analyzed because he thinks they are treacherous. He is up...

Anniversary Still Life by Marian Thurm. Brad reluctantly drove 90 miles to a 35th anniversary party for his ex-in-laws. Nina (his ex) has remarried a doctor, has a three-month-old baby, Amanda, and says she is happy now. When Brad and Nina were married they lived in the city and he practiced law...

The Talk of the Town Two Bridges by William McKibben. Talk story about going to celebrate the building of two bridges--the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg. Writer walks across the Brooklyn Bridge, observing the joggers, then takes the IRT to the McGraw-Hill Building to attend the "New York Experience." The main attraction was a clean antique replica of an...

A Reporter at Large THE PARADOX OF NONALIGNMENT by Robert Shaplen. REPORTER AT LARGE about the Seventh Summit of the Nonaligned Nations Movement, held some weeks ago, in New Delhi. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the new chairperson. The summit lasted ten days and the visitors stayed in New Delhi's four best hotels. A mixed bag of resolutions was approved by...

Fiction Dreams by Saul Steinberg. Four drawings: the first shows a knight on horseback on a bridge saying: "Take it easy" to another knight on horseback, who has just leaped off the bridge and who replies: "You bet.O The next shows a couple in a museum being watched by a man labeled Dr. Kissinger. The...

The Talk of the Town Lacrosse by Lincoln Caplan. Talk story about a reception and lacrosse game at John Hopkins University, in Baltimore. The lacrosse game honored the school's centennial as the unofficial capital of the thrilling but little-known sport. William K. Morrill, Jr. began to learn about the Hopkins lacrosse team mascot when his father was coach...

Books The Strengths of Discouragement by George Steiner.

Musical Events Desert Song by Andrew Porter.

Poetry The Summer Rentals (For My Father) by Daniel Halpern. Today we went to see the summer rentals...