The Near-Myth of Our Failing Schools There never was a golden age of education in America, and the present condition of the schools is far less gloomy than the rhetoric of alarm allows. But good news undermines almost everybody's agenda of reform. by Peter Schrag

An Anatomy Lesson The author, while attending the Yugoslav war-crimes tribunal in The Hague, is drawn to the companionship of a famous painting by Rembrandt. by Lawrence Weschler Slam and Jam The public perception of air-traffic control is that the work is impossibly burdensome, that there is no room for error or inattention, and that passengers' lives hang continually in the balance. The reality looks different. by William Langewiesche

 

Reports Notes & Comment: To Whale or Not to Whale The International Whaling Commission this month must decide whether to ease its ban on all commercial whaling. No decision it makes can be the absolutely correct one. by Mark Derr Society: Can the Government Prevent Divorce? Some researchers say they can tell (sort of) which prospective marriages are destined (maybe) for failure. Now moves are afoot to harden research findings into public policy. by Francine Russo Brief Lives: The Music of Silence A family member's transformation from accomplished musician and glamorous man of Parisian society into Benedictine hermit, liberated by solitude. by Phyllis Rose Fiction, & Poetry Talk Radio A short story by Garrison Keillor Option A poem by Robert Morgan Dire Cure A poem by William Matthews Youthing A poem by Nina Cassian Browse previous issues of The Atlantic Monthly.		Arts & Leisure Travel: White Snow, Red Rock On foot among the canyons around Sedona, Arizona. by Peter Davison Theater: Maria, Not Callas Terrence McNally's Master Class is less about the historical diva than about the wellsprings of supremacy in art. by Matthew Gurewitsch Architecture: Keeping the Modern Modern The Museum of Modern Art plans an expansion. Anointing an architect has overtones of a religious act. by Witold Rybczynski Books An Underhistory of Mid-Century America Underworld, by Don DeLillo by Tom LeClair Brief Reviews by Phoebe-Lou Adams Other Departments 77 North Washington Street Contributors Letters (Send a letter to the editor.) The October Almanac The Puzzler by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon Word Improvisation by J. E. Lighter The seahorse symbol indicates that an article is supplemented with additional Atlantic material, such as related articles, audio, or special online sidebars.
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