Sig,—" Janus's " criticism of the "Letter" system as practised
by the Royal Surgical Aid Society is fully justified, and I hope it will bear fruit. I have often come across applicants to the Society who had found it impossible after many months to collect the number of letters, sometimes thirty or more, which are required in the case of certain instruments. As you say, the best beggar wins. Self-respect- ing persons, however necessitous, find it humiliating to beg from strangers, and most people are embarrassed by appeals from strangers. I once put this point to the Society and was assured that I was quite wrong. In the opinion of the Society poor people liked begging from the rich, and rich people were glad to receive appeals from persons of whom they knew nothing. The "Letter" system is tainted with patronage, and is quite out of place in a democratic order. For- tunately this is recognised by the great majority of charitable agencies.
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