Sir, We recently welcomed to Dundee a group of Nigerians from Calabar to celebrate the life of the Dundee missionary Mary Slessor.
Your reports of the associated centenary celebrations made no mention of the real reason she went to Calabar and made such an impact on Nigerian life.
Mary would have been devastated to be idolised in this manner with no mention of the God in whom she had such faith and who was the reason she gave so much of her life to the Nigerians.
It was her faith that allowed her to stand her ground against threats from a group of Dundee youths andpersuade them into a Gospel meeting, a meeting that, she learned later, was to change the ringleader’s life.
Yes, she was a remarkable, down-to-earth woman but she would be the first to acknowledge that it was God’s power that sustained her through the most incredible difficulties to change Nigerian culture.
Wherever you hear Mary Slessor’s name mentioned in Nigeria, you will hear God and his church mentioned alongside. To portray her solely as a secular worker is utterly wrong.
The Pharisee Gamaliel said (of the first Christians) to the Jewish leaders shortly after Jesus’ death, “… if theirpurpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
How true this was of Mary. If her achievements were not from God, their memory would have died out but today, over a hundred years after Mary’s work, theNigerians still remember what God did in Calabar through her and will do so for centuries to come.
It is a fitting tribute at the foot of her memorial stone in the city centre “God plus one is a majority”.
Stephen Elwell-Sutton. 17 Lintrathen Gardens. Dundee.
Different rulefor Scotland
Sir, Your article about the VAT bill presented to Police Scotland by Westminster (April 3) tries very hard to blame the ScottishGovernment yet missesthe point.
The VAT bill to Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service originate from Westminster and that is where the revenue, if paid, will go.
The reason for saying that this VAT bill should be paid by the single Scottish police force but not the police forces in England entirely misses the point that NorthernIreland has a single police force and it has not beenpresented with a VAT bill by Westminster.
This is just another way to tax Scotland more.
Police funds are forpolicing and this invoice by the VAT collector is entirely responsible for reducing the amount of funds available for policing in Scotland.
Any attempt to place the blame at the feet of theScottish Government is wrong.
Yet again, one rule for one part of this family ofnations and a different rule for Scotland. Why?
Mary C Baxter. Strathord Cottage, Tullybelton.
Find cash fordrunk tanks
Sir, It would appear that Scotland deserves itsreputation for hard drinking, with an ambulance being called out to deal with a drunk patient every 21minutes.
Politicians are now calling for the introduction of alcohol “recovery centres” to divert drunks away from accident and emergency.
Ten months ago the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said that drunks should not be treated in Scotland’saccident and emergency departments because getting intoxicated “is no accident” and that “drunk tanks” were needed.
Why are our politicians only now reacting?
Could it be there areelections pending this year and next?
Drunks are divertingaccident and emergency medical staff from more urgent patients.
The Scottish Government must stop talking and give our hospitals additionalfunds to set up these “drunk tanks” and introducelegislation so that these“residents” are charged at least £200 for their overnight stay.
Drunks would quickly learn a lesson but, if not, they would have £200 less to spend on alcohol.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Insult to ourvolunteers
Sir, I was mightilyunimpressed with Prime Minister David Cameron’s ridiculous suggestion that companies with 250employees or more give their staff three days paid leave a year to do volunteering.
If volunteering is to become a legal requirement it takes away the whole spirit of the task.
I personally feel it is an insult to the tens of thousands of people in this country including myself who dovoluntary work every year in the right spirit.
Somebody needs to explain to David Cameron that the whole point ofvoluntary work is that it is done in your own time for free and not in youremployer’s time for yournormal salary at their expense.
Just how are employers expected to afford to fund this new scheme in the time of deep austerity we are living through?
Please can we have some real policies from ourpolitical leaders?
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.