Willmoore and More
This article reminds me of Willmoore Kendall's observation that, contrary to the theory of America's open society, it was more of an American tradition to run a person out of town on a rail: America's history of religious intolerance. The brilliant Kendall loathed the justices on the Supreme Court, like Justice Douglas, who applied the ideas of J.S. Mills (who wrote in the mid-nineteenth century) to their radical interpretation of the First Amendment. That wasn't the only thing Kendall loathed, of course. He was a pretty bitter guy and especially hard on one of my favorite non-fiction writers of all time, Russell Kirk. I remember Annette Kirk's surprise--aye, disappointment--to hear me say that I enjoyed Kendall's work. I knew about Kendall's harshness toward Dr. Kirk but just figured those kinds of things get glossed over by time. She's too kind to say anything mean. She just offered a mild corrective, like "You know, Eric, that he was a little difficult," and let it rest. * * * * * * * Kendall, incidentally, converted to Catholicism at the end of his life, while teaching at the University of Dallas. The students called him, "St. Willmoore." * * * * * * * The article above was published by The Smithsonian. Shortly after I had been admitted to the bar, my Dad brought to me a dunning notice from The Smithsonian. He explained to me that he had received a subscription offer that he could accept by checking a box on a postcard and mailing it in (post pre-paid). Instead of checking the box, he wrote, "I wouldn't give you left-wing SOBs a penny," but he hadn't kept a copy. Well, the burden of proof is on the plaintiff so, in response to their dunning notice, I drafted a professional letter, kindly asking them to produce the subscription card and assuring them that, assuming its contents rose to the level of a contract, we would remit payment promptly. I never heard from them, but I would've loved to have seen their face when they pulled out the card and actually read it. * * * * * * * Blogging continues to morph. I'm really digging this iPad. It allows me to read some great writing and turn it into bloggable material . . . while I sit on my family room couch, fully accessible to my children and enjoying the family flow (chaos) that is my God-given lot. My main computer sits in a corner of the basement. In the past, blogging meant I was segregated from the family for extended periods. I didn't like it. It didn't feel natural for a father of seven. Those periods are now reduced, which is good, but I'm also discovering new ways of blogging, which will continue to cause TDE to morph in small ways. Starting this week, The Evening Eudemon will be replaced with The Evening Twitter. It will be a short collection of blurbs (or just one blurb) that I find while reading from my iPad. I hope you like it. I won't do an Evening Twitter every day, but I suspect it'll appear 4-5 times a week.
