30 MAY 1987, Page 21

Pilger

Sir: As I am so far removed from the fort of the Queen's English, you may consider it presumptuous of me to criticise your usage. It's merely a matter of spelling. Your writers frequently use `pilger' in its various forms. My Webster's New Collegi- ate Dictionary has: `pilgarlic n. (pilled garlic) la: a bald head. b: a bald-headed man. 2: a man looked upon with humorous contempt or mock pity'.

Could not your editorial purpose be better served by substituting an a for the e?

H. C. Keeney

116 S.1st Avenue, Lebanon, Pennsylvania 17042, USA