Etymology in the news

 A hospital area is no place for any kind of violence -no

    matter what the provocation. If there is one place where people

    should understand the preciousness and fragility of life, it is

    on the grounds of the hospital ( as well as inside! )

          I completely support the cause of 1199 at Women & Infants

    Hospital. But I urge the hot heads to cool it. I believe the

    public will support them.

           Anyway an article on the strike violence has an item

    that would interest amateur etymologists ( Jan. 12, page B3 ) :

         Mary Sousa was , a mail courier, was surrounded by a crowd

    of pickets the first day of the strike. " Someone also threw a

    rock at her window ", the paper says. She described herself

    as being " totally PETRIFIED " .  As petrified as a kidney

    stone, I guess.

              On " Sixty Minutes " last Sunday there was a story

    about a very dignified and intelligent black man -living

    in exile - because way back in 1960 boorish draft board

    officials just would not address HIM as MISTER.

         According to the dictionary " mister " is just a variation

    of MASTER  " reflecting reduced stress "

          You can see why resentful MASTERS would hesitate to call

    an offspring of black slaves, MISTER !

          But was all this worth a lifetime of exile ?