Quote of the Day

[ramblin_rosie]

"A radical does not mean a man who lives on radishes [...] and a Conservative does not mean a man who preserves jam. Neither, I assure you, does a Socialist mean a man who desires a social evening with the chimney-sweep. A Socialist means a man who wants all the chimneys swept and all the chimney-sweeps paid for it."

"But who won't allow you," put in [Father Brown] in a low voice, "to own your own soot."

--G. K. Chesterton, The Innocence of Father Brown

Comments

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. The thorny subject of whether or not one owns one's own soot.

A radical would no doubt go to war to defend his right to own soot.

A conservative would find the means to sell his soot to China.

A socialist would insist that all soot should be owned equally and arrange for the necessary distribution, after first holding a march.

[ramblin_rosie]

Actually, the socialist in question asks why anyone would want the soot, and Father Brown gives several valid reasons--some of which end up playing a significant role in solving the case! But today, it seems, socialists (or progressives, at any rate) wouldn't even ask questions; they'd just ban soot and then find themselves having to deal with out-of-work chimney sweeps and poor families who can no longer afford to heat their houses.