A vicious attack on Dominican

j WAS horrified to discover I under the ironic heading of "That Kiss of Peace" (December 19) one of the most vicious personal attacks by Desmond Albrow that it has ever been my misfortune to read.
Of course, the Dominicans as a whole are safe targets for any right-wing religious publication that is working for cheap popularity, but it must surely be unprecedented for any editor, taking cover behind his desk, to launch so scandalous an attack on any individual, priest or layman.
All this on one side. You completely ignore the main point of Fr. Simon Blake's letter—when is it justified to commit genocide to save a people from itself?
C. Ashcroft
London, N.W.3.
[The headline "That Kiss of Peace" referred to the first item in Desmond Albrow's column and not to the second item on Fr. Blake. —Editor.]
CONGRAIULATIONS to ‘---4 Desmond Albrow on the richly-deserved verbal thrashing he administered to that "peaceful" friar, Pr. Blake. W. H. E. Kingston Crowborough, Sussex.
Smug finger
YOUR article on the subject of the teachers' strikes (December 12) precisely proves the teachers' point. Until you hold a pistol to someone's head, no-one pays the slightest attention to you, no matter how just your case may be. For years, teachers have quietly petitioned. held rallies. lobbied M.P.s and hoped, vainly as it has proved, that reason and justice would ultimately prevail. Now they have felt it necessary to take militant action: suddenly the Press and television have woken up,
The nurses are perhaps in a worse situation. For them, an effective strike seems unthinkable. They too have marched. petitioned and pleaded their case in vain. The Press and television remain unmoved and unimpressed. Nothing is done.
Perhaps instead of smugly pointing the finger at the teachers who have finally lost patience, you might start a massive campaign on behalf of the nurses. before they too are driven to desperateaction. M. J. King (Mrs.) Purley, Surrey.
Canonical orders
VIAY I draw your attention . to a possible misunderstanding on page 2 of the .-CATHOLIC HERALD of December 19? Regarding the number of Regular Canons there are in fact more than 1,000 members of Canonical Orders. Our own Order alone—the Norbertine Canons. founded in 1121—has over 1,600 priests and brothers and 250 nuns working in such varied fields as missions in Africa, India and Latin America. education and parochial work especially here in England Our ownGeneral Chapter opened in Wilten Abbey, Innsbruck, last year and is continuing the Order's programme a renewal with a further Chapter next year a. G. Neill, CRP Storrinaton. Sussex