> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://thedailyeudemon.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Monday
- URL: https://thedailyeudemon.com/14419/
- Published: 2010-06-14T07:03:11.000Z
- Updated: 2010-06-14T07:03:11.000Z
- Author: Eric Scheske
- Tags: Philosophy, #wpChunk

![Dickens Bleak House](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ea/fd/eafdb338-c9b6-4f87-8363-78ab94cc3a18/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Dickens-Bleak-House.jpg "Dickens Bleak House")

Jellybysitis

*New York Magazine* asks (6/14 issue): "[Why is it so depressing that Al and Tipper Gore are getting divorced?](http://nymag.com/arts/all/approvalmatrix/66453/?ref=thedailyeudemon.com)" Easy: The man wants to save the world, but he can't even save his own marriage. You folks at *NYM* think (thought) he's great, but he's like the brimstone moralist who hires prostitutes, the wannabe weight-lifter who can't bench 95 pounds . . . Dickens' [Mrs. Jellyby](http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/char%5Fh-k.html?ref=thedailyeudemon.com) who gets involved in all sorts of philanthropic causes but neglects her own large family. \* \* \* \* \* \* \* I've always liked that Mrs. Jellyby character. I've never read *Bleak House*, but I first heard of the woman while sitting in Russell Kirk's house in Mecosta. I was drinking wine with Mrs. Kirk, James Kushiner, and Patrick Reardon on a Friday night, when someone brought up the Jellyby character and explained the significance. It always resonated with me, and has always provided solace when I've declined Community Cause A and Church Project Z on grounds that I can't deprive my family of my temporal resources. \* \* \* \* \* \* \* The Friday evening I spent at Piety Hill is one of the fondest nights in my life (recognition for [this piece](http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-05-041-f&ref=thedailyeudemon.com)), and that Jellyby literary anecdote has remained an essential party of my mental landscape. Yet: I can't remember for sure whether one of the others brought it up during that late night, or whether someone raised the point during that afternoon's conference. It's odd that I can't recall. The conference had about 30 people in the audience. The nocturnal wine imbibing, only four. Totally different settings; significant impact on my life. But I can't recall. \* \* \* \* \* \* \* I've fallen away from the *[Touchstone](http://www.touchstonemag.com/?ref=thedailyeudemon.com)* group. Quite sad, but it couldn't be helped. As the kids piled up, so did the significance of the Jellyby anecdote. It's a worthy publication, though. If you're inclined, please patronize it. \* \* \* \* \* \* \* Gardening milestone of sorts: I can confidently state that my backyard is now producing enough food to sustain an adult, day-to-day. It'd be a grim existence, but a guy could survive off it. \* \* \* \* \* \* \* An attack on libertarians, but not far off the mark as far as facts go. [The Tea Party Jacobins](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/may/27/tea-party-jacobins/?pagination=false&ref=thedailyeudemon.com). The folks at von Mises [respond](http://mises.org/daily/4463?ref=thedailyeudemon.com).