22 OCTOBER 1937, Page 20

MR. ALDINGTON AND THE CATECHISM [To the Editor of THE

SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Mr. Richard Aldington in his little dialogue " Archie's Dilemma " misquotes the Catechism by substituting the past

for the future tense in the clause which defines the Almighty's part in calling a young person, to a. career. The correct words are " shall please," not" has pleased." Possibly, Mr. Aldington's instructors misled him in his youth ; but if he cannot read the Catechism for himself he might at least be expected to have read Antony Hope who disposed of this not, perhaps, quite vulgar error long ago.

Mr. Aldington's " be content " for " do my duty " is a further libel upon the Reformers who wrote the Catechism.

What they did was to give the Almighty a free hand, and they told the child that whatever might turn up for him it was up to him to get on with it.—Yours faithfully,