Sir, – Eamonn McCann, whether ironically or not, has resurrected the Devil from the dying embers of Hell ("Why do we rarely give the Devil his due?", Opinion & Analysis, May 22nd). In today's society "systems failures" and other such abstractions are replacing the Devil as the cause of evil. It is time we grew up to accept and confront the reality that evil originates within the human person. It is time to stop blaming everything but ourselves for the mess we have made of our society and world. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
The Moorings ,
Malahide, Co Dublin.
Sir, – In Percy French's poem The Four Farrellys, the young Farrelly from the west who is about to emigrate asks French to draw him a picture "of the place where he was born" so that when he was away from home, he would "hang it up and look at it, and not feel so forlorn". When the picture was finished the young man said to the artist, "Well, you're the Divil, and I can't say more than that". The question is why is the Devil the ultimate compliment? – Yours, etc,
BERRIE O’NEILL,
Sydenham Avenue,
Belfast.
Sir, Eamonn McCann’s hands were clearly idle when he wrote that column on the Devil. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Meadow Copse,
Clonsilla, Dublin 15.