10 SEPTEMBER 1994, Page 29

Waughs in woad

Sir: I am sure it will come as an immense surprise to Auberon Waugh (Another voice, 23 July) to learn that many of the peoples of the Pacific rim had reached a high cultural level when his ancestors were running around in blue paint and commu- nicating in grunts.

It seems to test even Waugh's limits of absurdity to suggest, therefore, that the people of these countries would be at all interested in adopting the cultural norms of the British upper classes. The lifestyle Waugh eulogises seems, to this thankfully detached observer at least, to be a glorifica- tion of style over substance.

Leon Pearce

249 Island Park Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada