Sir, - As Monsignor Denis Faul states (June 19th), the decision by Queen's University, Belfast, to abolish Hebrew and reduce the number of staff in Greek is wholly deplorable.
Doubtless, the Vice-Chancellor and others at Queen's think that their attitude in getting rid of departments, perceived to be of little cost-benefit, is fearfully modern. It is, of course, simply a rehash, in modern dress, of the argument of Thrasymachus in Book One of Plato's Republic: "The interests of the strong become what is morally right."
One expects that sort of thing from politicians like Margaret Thatcher ("there is no such thing as society"). We should not expect it from people alleged to have intellectual interests. - Yours, etc., Brian Arkins,
Associate Professor of Classics, National University of Ireland,
Galway.