TWO MAJOR ISSUES ARE DISCUSSED IN THIS CRITICAL REVIEW OF WILLIAM BUCKLER'S SPEECH TO THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH IN DECEMBER 1967. FIRST, BUCKLER'S INSISTENCE THAT TEACHERS RESTRICT THEMSELVES ONLY TO SUBJECTS WHICH THEY ARE SPECIALLY COMPETENT TO TEACH COULD LEAD TO BOTH A DRASTIC REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF COURSES OFFERED AND A DULL, ROUTINE DEPARTMENT. SECOND, HIS INSISTENCE THAT ENGLISH DEPARTMENTS SHOULD TEACH ONLY LITERATURE AND ELIMINATE ALL COMPOSITION COURSES DENIES BOTH THE STUDENTS' NEEDS AND THE INTEGRAL RELATION BETWEEN COMPOSITION AND LITERATURE. DESPITE SUCH PROBLEMS AS STAFFING, COST, ADMINISTRATIVE ATTITUDES, AND POORLY TRAINED TEACHERS, THE ENGLISH PROFESSION SHOULD NOT ABDICATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FRESHMAN ENGLISH COURSES. TO ELIMINATE THEM IS TO DENY ONE OF THE STRONGEST POTENTIAL FORCES FOR CULTURE IN THE UNIVERSITY. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE "ADE BULLETIN," NUMBER 17, MAY 1968, PAGES 19-22. (BN)