THE LEFT BOOK CLUB

SIR,—Mr. Laurence Geoghegan's letter, in your issue of March 5. contains an admonition to Catholics to leave their social guilds and get into the Left Book groups. It appears to be implied that this is the best way to combat Communism in this country. The present writer considers that the best method is to remove the cause, social injustice.
Argument with Communists, and aboutto-be Communists, may be useful, but bookreading Catholics are necessary. as Mr. Geoghegan indicates. Yet Catholics, fitted by their education and mental advantages to take such action, very often sit back and watch others " mucking-in."
To attempt to remove social injustice gets to the root of the trouble. According to the writer's observation, social guilders do not preach to the converted. Where are such? Social guilders are trying, amongst other things, to raise up a body of Catholic (and later non-Catholic) employees and employers who know and practice the principles of the encyclicals. At present, Catholic employees and employers do not appear to be different, in the main, from non-Catholic employees and employers.
Whether this work is best done by learning and teaching in study circles, and by using the Catholic Workers' College, may be doubtful. But such activities are aimed at the cause of our troubles and, in our opinion, are of more permanent benefit than controversy.
We do not, however, belittle the assistance of controversial methods, and would welcome any help in this direction, from whomsoever it might be.
EDMUND WILSON (a Social Guilder).
20, Duchy Drive, Bradford.