Mg.: RAMSAY MACDONALD AND CAMBRIDGE": UNIVERSITY ."
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—With regard to the storm of indignation that has been raised at Cambridge at the withdrawal of the Grace inviting the UniverSity to confer an honorary degree upon Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, it would seem to be necessary to draw attention to a fact which is in.some danger of being overlooked—viz., that the University was under no obligation to confer a degree upon a gentleman who had not passed any examination entitling him to one. It must be quite obvious that he was selected for the honour solely as a politician—indeed,. those who have raised the storm fully admit this by referring in highly com- plimentary terms to his work as Premier and Foreign Secretary.
• Political considerations therefore having been thereby intro- - duced, why should there be such hot indignation at considera- tions of the sane kind having been the cause of opposition to the Grace ?
Mr. MacDonald's case is entirely Without .precedent. The considerations involved were nothing to do with domestic politics, on which, e.g., Home Rule, Free Trade, extension of the franchise, divergent-opinions of the strongest kitid are held, opinions, however, which are entirely, suppressed at the deniand of courtesy. His, on the other hand, was the case of an ex-Premier who had brought against a previous Govern- ment the foul accusation of declaring war as a pretext for find- ' ing employment for the national Fleet, and who continually ' exhibits a deplorable lack of moral-courage by not dissociating ' himself definitely from. followers of. avowed revolutionary in- tentions. If, then, a proposal is made by a handful of his admirers of conferring the highest academical honour on a politician of this description, it is outrageous to assume that the 'whole University must without a single word of protest meekly concur in such a provocative display of hero-worship.—
I am, Sir, &c., • - W. F. PELTON. Ullenhall Vicarage, Henley-in-Arden. -
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