"You see, my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to institutions or its officeholders. The country is the real thing; it is the thing to watch over and care for and be loyal to; institutions extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become ragged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease, and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags--that is a loyalty of unreason ...."
4 comments:
Thank you, Julia.
Are you a Twain fan?
I guess you could say fan. I'm a Twain appreciator for sure. He had so many incisive observations that continue to stand the test of time. The quote you shared, of course, is one of them -- particularly when you consider how things are going lately. In some ways, I think today we are more in need of Twain than ever.
Hi. I hear or see Mark Twain anywhere, and my head snaps and I'm excited to meet another Twainiac. Been this way since I was 12; started performing as Mark Twain in 1967 and continuing (next on July 16 in Chicago)--thought you might be interested in a free copy of Mark Twain's best indictment of slavery and racism: The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson ($14.99 on my website). I'll PM a link to you that will let you download a secure YouSendIt mp3 copy. I hope you like it, and that you'll look at my other books (some shorter ones are free). You can see info on Pudd'nhead at http://www.richardhenzel.com/PW.html and view my whole library at http://www.richardhenzel.com/marktwain.html
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