On the face of it, there could no more different people in terms of politics and religion than Hilaire Belloc and Rudyard Kipling. Belloc, as one half of the notorious “Chesterbelloc” was one of the most powerful apologists for Catholicism … Continue reading
Category: Literature and Poetry
A Mirror of Creation — Reflection on the Work of a Catholic Teacher
All men, at some point in their lives, become teachers in some capacity or another. As a result, being a professional teacher can swiftly lose its meaning to the likes of students, as well as even parents and other administrators. … Continue reading
Why Study Dante? The Case for Teaching ‘The Divine Comedy’ to Our Youth
It is becoming increasingly common — to my great dismay — to find one of two scenarios in both Catholic and Public schools in the United States when it comes to its exploration of great literature. The first is that … Continue reading
The Mountain That Stands Alone
Well before public gatherings in New Hampshire were limited to 50 people or less due to COVID-19, we had a talent show here at Saint Benedict Center. First place went to a lovely young lady who artfully recited from memory … Continue reading
To Gary Potter
The following brief poem came to the author this morning… Our hopes for early glory fail, The causes that we fought for die; Still avidly His Cross we hail, In silhouette against the sky.
Tolkien and Reality
It shall come as a surprise to no one that I am a great fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. Having discovered The Lord of the Rings in Junior High (thanks in no small part to having been introduced to C.S. … Continue reading
Hilaire Belloc’s Memorable 1911 Depiction of a Sussex Squire: Fuller of Brightling
One year after Hilaire Belloc’s four-year term in the British House of Commons (1906-1910), he published The Four Men: A Farrago (1911), wherein he memorably depicts the robust and eccentric and magnanimously generous Squire Fuller of Brightling, an honored native … Continue reading
Mark Twain Calls It His ‘Best Book’: The Recollections of Joan of Arc
America: Ted Gioia: A young boy approached Mark Twain one day, after spotting the famous author standing alone on a stone bridge in Redding, Conn. Twain was a familiar presence in the community, and the boy had awaited such a … Continue reading
Maurice Baring’s 1927 Novel on Russia and Wartime Manchuria: Tinker’s Leave
Ten years after the sacred events at Fatima, Portugal, as well as a full decade after the 1917 Bolshevik revolutionary takeover in Russia, Maurice Baring — who knew the Russian language very well — wrote another book on Russia (and … Continue reading
Evelyn Waugh’s Welcome to Modern Europe Some Seventy Years Ago
It was some years ago — in the early 1970s during Graduate School in North Carolina — that a learned and charmingly eccentric Classics Professor unexpectedly showed to me a memorable passage from the conclusion of a modern book: Evelyn … Continue reading
Perception Attentive and Tremendous Trifles
In light of the concept and reality of “tremendous trifles” — as resonantly presented (and variously illustrated) by G.K. Chesterton himself — we are now encouraged to add one of Hilaire Belloc’s own evocative essays for our consideration. Belloc’s presentation … Continue reading
The Sage of Milford: Remembering Andrew Rothovius
Autumn is, for me anyway, an acutely nostalgic time. I think of the New England and New York of my childhood, of cool crisp weather and falling coloured leaves — and these memories are all the more vibrant when faced … Continue reading
Maurice Baring Presents Xantippe
This short essay proposes to consider, not only the above-mentioned Major B.K. and General de Castelnau, but also Maurice Baring himself, as “one of God’s gentlemen,” as one whose own generous and chivalrous character is marked by a sincere, deep, … Continue reading
To Cheer the Heart of Man
That wine may cheer the heart of man* The good God made the vine. Creation’s third day of the six, He did this thing divine. He lavished on it sun and rain, And placed it in rich soil; And when … Continue reading