IN 111 1 7VIE W

A selection of Letters to the Editor
SfR,—The TV films "The Folklore of Christendom" were, as might have been expected from the producer's introduction, misleading and deceptive as to the teaching of the Church. They were a jumble of superstitions, theories, artists' fantasies and the like, together with some true doctrine.
LADY ANNE
Sir, -The growing volume of indignation at the gross indecency of continued "experiments" on the remains of Lady Anne Mowbray may he regarded by you as a mere "row", hut I should have expected a better sense of what is fitting duly expressed in the columns of a Catholic newspaper.
1 have already expressed in the national press my own feelings as representative of many others and
can only retiterate that the Opening of the coffin and the laboratory examination of the hones was completely illegal and a grnss invasion of privacy. The excuse that these meddlers are seeking to establish the blood group of the young Duchess is absurd. What are we to learn from whether that group is the same as her husband or not? And isit proposed to open the Westminster Abbey tomb to establish further evidence on that score?
In any event, seeing that it is by no means ceitaiu that the bones in Westminster Abbey are those of Eckert] V and the Duke of York. there would seem to he little point in further research on ths matter. What would he far more valuable would be to examine the evidence, such as it is, in favour of the story of the Princes' murder, since many believe that this was political propaganda.
It would certainly be nice if the re-interment could he in Catholic hands: hut surely this is rather academic since the original funeral rites would seem to be what matter. Is there in fact any prescribed rite for thc re-interment of a body previously buried?
am aware of the many oe.easions upon which the relics of Saints have been translated: but surely that is rather a different matter.
Major Kenneth Slrognell, Le:ston, Suffolk.
Few people outside the Church or in it could know how much was Christian doctrine and how much personal invention, Dante appeared with as much authority as the Bible. The producer's answer may be that he did not intend to show what the Church taught hut what Christians believe and have believed in the past. That is not the way viewers will see it, and it was expertly and fascinatingly done..fhe producer kept saying "It is said . . ." but without disclosing who said it, and was often in fact not the Church who said it.
1, therefore, waited eagerly for the discussion. under the chairmanship of Mr. Robert Robinson, so that the brilliant mind of the Abbot of Downside could make all things clear. Alas! His politeness in only speaking when spoken to, and then dress ing an accurate but over-subtle distinction between not believing in something and not disbelieving in it, did little to enlighten me. Admittedly it eas difficult, with Mr. Robinson constantly urging Points of View and two tithe' visitors with an equal right to speak and less shyness in doing so.
I concluded that the whole method of discussion was unfair. Each representative should have been given, say, ten minutes to make his points without interruption, followed by questions. The B.B.C. gave a shallow (and riot necessarily mala fide) impression of impartiality by putting three clergy in front of the listeners and telling them to get on with it (so far as they were permitted by their entertaining but garrulous and admittedly unsympathetic chairman).
The certain result is that each will blot out what the other is saying. either by interruptions or by rapid change of subject. The B.R.C. must think up something better.
E. B. Simmons, Brentwood, Essex.
Tv cifilic: Page 7
The Doctors' Charter
Sir,—Mr. J. Jackson (March 26) accuses family doctors of "selfish and irresponsible" behaviour in calling for an end to the existing 24 hour daily duty 365 days a year, and the other basic reforms incorporated in the Doctors' Charter.
If greed were indeed the motive, they would have resigned immediately, since the law of supply and demand will guarantee them an income outside the Health Service much in excess of the modest
claim set out in the Doctors' Charter.
Family doctors are so concerned to preserve for their patients the benefits of the National llealth Service that they have not demanded the equivalent of doctors in free societies abroad, nor the income they could earn privately after mass resignation. Instead the Charter asks only for the minimum necessary to turn the tide of catastrophic medical emigration which is sweeping the National Health Service out of existence.
This restraint may he quixotic, but only a person ignorant of the realities of medical practice could honestly describe it as selfish. A man who Worked in Dundee for a salary lower than he could obtain by taking the high road to England would perhaps be open to
criticism, but not on the grounds of selfishness.
Trade Union practice is to insist on double rates of pay for overtime. On this basis, a wage of £2,750 for a 24 hour day 165 days a year comes out as the equivalent of approximately £500 a year for a 56-hour week without holiday. Nor can the doctor's wife take up employment to supplement this princely sum, for she is conscripted as cheap labour in the practice. The salary is thus in effect a joint husband and svife income.
'I he extent to which family doc tors have been exploited becomes even more evident when one considers the rate per hour of duty, and the rate per item of service: both of these are absurdly low tor a skilled professional man. This explodes the myth that doctors ale adequately paid for their arduous and dangerous work with its heavy burden of responsibility.
The suggestion that realistic cplalnytiltraevbneytnetquooting tkfamilyne p a y doctors pat:pause ississal u re futed .
the 150 per cent increase in the salaries of Members of Parl'ament, and the enormous increase in Ministerial salaries. This clearly established the principle that where serious under-payment has occurred subetantial adjustments are ind:cated.
Your correspondent tells us there is "no need for a doctor to emigrate in order to get a fair reward", In a free society it is for the individual doctor to make that decision for himself. Last year four hundred young doctors disagreed eith yout correspondent, and exercised their right to emigrate. Hoe does Mr. Jackson hope to save the Health Service from this fatal drainage of talent? t can assure him that exhortation and abuse will be equally impotent in the absence of satisfactory working conditions. Stakhanovite organisations do not flourish in genuinely democratic countries.
Does he envisage a "Berlin Wall" to prevent young British doctors from voting with their feet? Most practisingdoctors paid for their medical tuition privately, and those who were State assisted students did not hecome serfs on that account. Nowadays children are assisted by family allowances, but they wilt nevertheless expect to choose their employment at home Or abroad as free agents
without direction by self apointed or State appointed moralists.
Family Doctor,
HYMNS
Sir.I shall be most grateful if any reader can supply some biographical information (apart from the few facts which can be found in standard reference books) about Cecilia Mary Caddell (IR13-1877), who wrote the admirable hymn "Behold the lilies of the field" which appears i n Arundel Hymns and a few other Catholic collections.
Similarly, •I should welcome further information about Fr. Ilenry Collins (1827-1919), a convert who became a member of the Cistercian Order and who wrote "Jesu, my Lord, my God, my All" (A & M 191)—not Frs Faber's rather similar hymn (W.H. 80).
Both the above hymns are to be included in the forthcoming Anglican Hymn Book; as a lay member of the committee which has compiled this hymnal, I am hoping later to assist in the production of a "Companion" giving biographical notes on authors and composers.
I have adequate information about other Catholic authors (Cardinal Newman, Faber, etc.), whose hymns appear in our book, but little seems to be available concerning Fr. Collins and Miss Caddell.
If anyone has the words of other hymns by Fr. Collins, apart from the one mentioned above and "Jesu, meek and lowly" (W.11. 42, A & M 188), I should be very grateful to receive a copy.
Replies may be sent to me c/o Church Book Room Press, 7 Wine Office Court, Fleet Street, E.C.4.
Rory Jenkins,