Sta,—Mr Sar g ant (Letters, May 13) overlooks the (for g ive me) obvious
consideration that I was review- ing Canon Collins's book, not censuring his life nor stating a 'position.' Mr Sargant finds it 'revealing' that I wrote of 'religion, Christ, Christianity and the Church' but 'make no mention of God' (not quite true). Of course it is. It reveals, roughly speaking, what the book was about, and if I did not discuss Mr Sargant's interesting, but hardly tenable, thesis that about 'politics and Government' it had all been said' by I BC and in the Old Testament. the main reason was that this heresy at least was absent from Canon Collins's views about the question. Doubtless 'wisdom, patience, compassion, fairness of judgment and the faith to move mountains of selfishness and indifference' are admirable qualities to bring to the conduct of life, but the first questions to ask about propositions and judgments relate to their truth, validity, and coherence. Neither rhetoric, nor even 'efforts to feed the hungry, defend the
these, at least to me. important. issues. Nor do references to God as 'the fount of order, and justice.
and the master statesman.' QUINFIN HOGO House of ( (muttons, London. SW!
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