When the cancelling starts, how far do you go before it grinds to a halt?

Seldom have I read of such a stupid, knee- jerk demand as the petition to rename James Gill espie’s High School in Edinburgh ( Scotsman, 17 September).

So, James Gillespie was “a direct contributor and bene factor of the slave trade” because he sold Virginia tobacco and snuff, was he? In that case, anyone – anyone at all – who bought the tobacco and snuff was also a “contributor and benefactor”. So was every tobacconist throughout the land.

This is what is called “cancelling”, I believe, and can apply to anyone with whom you take issue either alive, or preferably long- dead..

Anyone who made rum in the West Indies must be guilty of the same sin.

However, it must be remembered that thousands of Scots ( and English) people were indentured servants; effectively slaves themselves, throughout the same period in the West Indies and in America before that.

That gives us a perfect right, as the descendants of other people who were also abused by the same system, to call our schools what we like. OK?

PETER HOPKINS Morningside Road, Edinburgh

When will it end? The absurdit y of removing the name of eminent Edinburgh citizens from monuments in the city, because they may have done or said something which contravenes modern ideals seems to be increasing in momentum.

One can think of many more characters who might be added to the list.

Charles II’S promiscuity was well known even when his equestrian statue was erected in Parliament Square. John Gibson Lock hart, Walter Scott’s son- in- law, wrote: “He is the only one of all our monarchs for whose character I think it impossible to feel one touch of sympathy or respect . . . I should have been better pleased to see Scotland atoning by some such symbol of reverence for her sad offences against his father [ Charles I].”

Parliament Square would lose much of its character if the statue was removed but perhaps the innocent horse might be retained.

JOHN CHALMERS Canaan Lane Edinburgh

The Scotsman has printed a number of very good articles about the renaming of the David Hume Tower. However, I was surprised that noone has quoted part of Adam Smith’s “Letter to Strahan” ( the publisher) in which he said of Hume: “Upon the whole, I have always considered him, both in his lifetime and since his death, as approaching as nearly to the idea of a perfectly wise and virtuous man, as perhaps the nature of human frailty will permit.”

David Hume was never a racist and it is in large part due to him that we live in a reasonably tolerant society. He was opposed to slaver y and it is unfortunate this was not highlighted.

If the university is reconsidering its decision and is basing it on signatures I would suggest that Adam Smith’s opinion is worth at least 100,000 signatures at the very minimum.

C SCOTT Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh