THE " SPECTATOR" AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In all humility I write to ask for information. Mr. Harold Nicolson—Whose writings I enjoy though I cannot listen to his broadcasts," as I detest his voice as much as he dislikes the " pack of ninnies " who govern the B.B.C.—makes the following statement in his article in this week's issue of the Spectator : "The B.B.C. are a public utility undertaking— the Public is a fool." This sounds odd to me, but surely I am wrong in supposing Mr. Nicolson can have made a grammati- cal error.
In Victorian days had my governess asked me to produce the chocolates I had been given that she might take charge of them, and had I replied, " There is none because I have eaten them," I should have received two raps over the knuckles— one for greed, the other for bad grammar, but a friend of mine writing to The Times this week says : " I asked that walnuts should be stored and was told there was none as the grey squirrels had eaten them all," and, of course, he is correct, and my governess would have been wrong, so perhaps the Public is a fool and the B.B.C. are a public utility undertaking, even though governed by ninnies.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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