Placed appropriately under a column marked Briefly, there appeared a five-word headline in the Sept. 5 edition. Here’s how it read: “German library destroys old books.”

Hold on, I thought. A library is either a collection of books or an edifice containing a collection of books. Maybe the headline writer was referring to the library staff, the librarians. Oh my!

Being a geezer, albeit a female geezer, just the three words – German, destroy and books – created an instant stomach wrench. Inhaling with trepidation, I read the article and when I was finished I exhaled with relief. No librarians had burned old books. There had been a fire in a library in Weimar. The staff valiantly attempted to save as many books as possible, but it was a significant loss.

My plea, then, is directed to headline writers and proofreaders. Please watch those headlines; watch even the small ones. Some of us geezers have hypertension. Too much stress could be detrimental to our health.

Marni Geilear-Field,

Auburn

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