Elites now
Sir: In an age that exalts the plebeian above all, the fact is being overlooked that leadership in any sphere, whether active or passive, has always emanated from a natural elite.
Judges constitute an elite among lawyers, admirals, generals and air marshals in the armed forces, and senior civil servants in the offices of the state; all of whom excel the calibre and achievements of most ordinary people.
History certainly indicates that mankind has always been inspired by the aspirations of exceptional individuals to excel, to improve, and to perfect. This mysterious impetus has been manifest from the time of the building of the first temple in Jerusalem to the recent landing on the moon.
It would seem imperative therefore to provide for the promotion of excellence in education if civilisation, as distinct from mere egalitarianism, is to remain the ideal objective of mankind.
To ignore the existence and value of a natural elite, in every sphere of human activity, is surely a perverse, and therefore sterile, frame of mind; for it must tend to inhibit the development of a nation's natural genius; which has always been made manifest by the activities of the few.
F. E. Isaac 124 Lexham Gardens, LondonW8
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