To the editor:

Many of us remember the dedication of the bridge over the Mississippi River to East Cape Girardeau. It was quite an event, and it seemed a pleasure to walk across the bridge to get to Illinois. The old ferry became obsolete. Today, we are looking forward to the new bridge under construction.

The other day I read a news report which announced the projected 26-mile-long bridge to cross the River Plate from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Colonia, Uruguay. This would be one of the longest in the world.

Some will think of the bridge at Key West, which takes one out into the Gulf area, or the Golden Gate bridge in the San Francisco Bay area and other spans of great length.

Then one recalls the gap across the Grand Canyon.

There are so many bridges which still need to be built, such as that tremendous gap between the extremely wealthy and the extremely poor, the healthy and the ill. There are gaps in religious differences, racial equality, the extremes of fanaticism, standards of education or between families and generations.

Great progress has been made in many areas, but many bridges still need to be built to ensure opportunities to continue to make this country the land of promise of which all of us can be proud and for all those willing to make the effort to achieve their real potential. The bridge of understanding can be of any length, but it is always built on a sound foundation of trust.

IVAN NOTHDURFT

Cape Girardeau