SIR,—Your readers will be grateful to you for re- calling
us from the rather squalid slanging match between the admirers of Sir Charles Snow to the 'Two Cultures' which was the theme of his and Dr. Leavis's lectures. The objection which many of us felt to Sir Charles's lecture was that which you state—that the lecture shows no appreciation of the true' nature of its subject. Dr. Leavis broadened the issue by demonstrating that the same defect characterised his novels. Anyone who knows Cam- bridge and the College which is the admitted scene of his principal books will know that instead of encouraging culture these books have debased it.
For example, in The Masters. College governing bodies have been unkindly said to have only one divine quality—'their ways are past finding out.' But they are not in fact solely motivated like that which Sir Charles describes in such detail by 'jam for me and more jam'—by selfish and shameless intrigue, Having participated in three colleges at five magisterial elections I can testify that the can- vassing and caballing are grotesquely overdrawn; that no candidate would behave like Mr. Jago; and that Sir Charles Snow's one effort at wire-pulling im- mediately resulted in the crushing defeat of his proposal.
Fellows of Colleges are indeed pledged to edu- cation, religion, learning and research. Most of them are loyal to their obligation. Without some such obligation there can be no true culture: Sir Charles offers us only careerism. That is the case against him.
CHARLES E. RAVEN
Christ's College, Cambridge
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