11 APRIL 1947, Page 17

BOGUS INITIALS

Sts,—As long as Janus confined himself to attacks on the University of Outer Mongolia and other non-existent bodies of this type his remarks on bogus degrees and diplomas provided a good deal of healthy fun; but now that he has extended his criticisms to the poor F.Z.S. and F.R.G.S., one wonders where his crusading zeal will eventually lead. After all, a newly-made bishop who receives an honorary doctorate knows no more divinity than he did when he was a humble priest, and even an F.R.S. is not necessarily a great scientist. And what would Janus (himself one of them) say about the thousands of Oxford and Cambridge M.A.s who "flagrantly exploit their degrees for commercial purposes or to gratify personal vanity "? Janus's M.A. simply means, "I have forgotten most of what I knew when I took my B.A., but have managed to scrape together enough money to purchase this higher degree."—I am, Kentisbeare, Devon.

ROBERT ABIGAIL.