In The Kingdom Of The Blind, The

As An Example Of Just How Useless These Philosophers Are For Any Practice In Life There Is Socrates Himself, The One And Only Wise Man, According To The Delphic Oracle. Whenever He Tried To Do Anything In Public He Had To Break Off Amid General Laughter. While He Was Philosophizing About Clouds And Ideas, Measuring A Flea's Foot And Marveling At A Midge's Humming, He Learned Nothing About The Affairs Of Ordinary Life.

Sacred Scripture Is Of Course The Basic Authority For Everything; Yet I Sometimes Run Across Ancient Sayings Or Pagan Writings - Even The Poets - So Purely And Reverently And Admirably Expressed That I Can't Help Believing The Author's Hearts Were Moved By Some Divine Power. And Perhaps The Spirit Of Christ Is More Widespread Than We Understand, And The Company Of The Saints Includes Many Not On Our Calendar.

Nothing Is So Foolish, They Say, As For A Man To Stand For Office And Woo The Crowd To Win Its Vote, Buy Its Support With Presents, Court The Applause Of All Those Fools And Feel Self-satisfied When They Cry Their Approval, And Then In His Hour Of Triumph To Be Carried Round Like An Effigy For The Public To Stare At, And End Up Cast In Bronze To Stand In The Market Place.

Now What Else Is The Whole Life Of Mortals, But A Sort Of Comedy In Which The Various Actors, Disguised By Various Costumes And Masks, Walk On And Play Each Ones Part Until The Manager Walks Them Off The Stage?

They Are Looking In Utter Darkness For That Which Has No Existence Whatsoever.