Re: Thoughts . . .

I personally prefer a more thorough eclectic education to the very narrow catholic. Gives a much wider base to erect ones lofty opinion of oneself upon.

--

Don Thompson

There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance.
~Goethe

"E. H. Burnham" <chemistryset@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1140487698.934150.224390@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Green Greetings!

'Orotund,' is a perfect word of description, not at all patronising or
muted!

Encarta: 1. strongly clear: describes a tone or voice that is loud,
clear, and strong
2. pompous: describes language that is pompous or bombastic
[Late 18th century. < Latin ore rotundo "with a round mouth"]

At 57 years age, orotundity is an immaturity and affectation arising
out of the greater strength of will than of ability! As the paint on
the 1965 Volkswagen Kombi declared, 'Don't despair of my failings; God
is not through with me yet!' And, on another, 'The accusations of the
Devil against me are true; but of Christ is instead the imputation of
righteousness!' Yet, at the least, the stridency can be reduced to a
comfortable volume -- if the Brooks Family hereditary obligations of
court jestership might so allow.

Maturity consists of the solid base of a thoroughly Catholic education,
ready logic of mind, purity of heart and zeal; when translated into
ideas composed of manipulated symbols of thought and simplified like a
mathematical equation, clarity and eloquence result in successful
application of divinely guided purpose . . . the latter being a product
of sacramental optimism.) What a shame that such mature, benign, and
powerful application should come but gradually and imperfectly in the
twilight of years, when the body is least able to utilise it! What a
wonderful gift was given Methuselah and his cousins of centuries of
life in which to gain and apply the tools of wisdom -- yet how little
we have on this old earth to show for it! (That is true whether the
patriarchs were individuals or family lines.) Apparently the plenum of
our heritage is indeed in Heaven.

Brother Swisher, if I may be so fraternal with a vicarious acquaintance
-- of one's precious scientific, craftworking, hallmark and artistic
literary treasures -- it sounds fine wishing '...that some other
collector could enjoy the challenge of the hunt for it and the pleasure
of acquiring and possessing it.' Yet that fineness would acquire
vigour and enduring youth if, to it, were added the vast benefits of
electronic duplication and promulgation of the invaluable information!
For, the information contained in your collection and those of Donald
Haarmann, amongst hopefully many others indeed, must be vastly more
valuable than the physical works themselves. The idea of limiting
editions of beautifully minted coins, fine fountain pens, and artistic
prints deliberately to create an artful rarity; and neutering the
offspring of pedigreed canines & felines in order to increase their
monetary value to the breeder, seems such a waste as to be petty to the
point of cruel absurdity and contrary to the dictates of the spirit of
noblesse oblige. So also is the deliberate restriction of information
to the few and the rich -- besides the which, it honestly does not
reduce at all the value of the original, genuine physical works. What
would Jesus Christ and Benjamin Franklin do? (WWJCABFD?) Hurrah!

It would clearly seem that the best of both worlds can be yours, dear
mentors and stewards of pyrotechnic gnosis, and to be the epitome of
philanthropy: electronically duplicate public domain treasures and
cherish the original objects as rare collectables. Please consider it,
and may potential Royal Patrons stand up here! (I mean that honestly
and literally -- doubtlessly being descended from a *** son of some
or other of them, as so many of the so-called 'Puritans' apparently
were. I saw a photograph of one of the Burnhams of the financial world
and did not care for the expression of the eyes; how true it is that
biblical adage, 'The wealthy always seem to have some sharp practice to
their culpability.' Never-the-less, our family at least provided
Daniel Burnham, whose precocious, yet prodigious, administrative
talents provided the architectural Plan of Chicago (1909), and those of
many other cities, including New York, Cleveland, San Francisco,
Baltimore, and Manila, Philippines. If only my Great Grandfather
Edward Lucius Burnham (1802-1886), husband of Pamela Goodrich, had not
been a Yankee officer . . . he being a South Windsor, Connecticut,
tobacco planter!


On style, it is proverbial that Cicero was the necessary counterpoint
to Cato, who advocated the culling of elderly & infirm slaves in De
Agricola.

Upon visiting Encarta's article on Saint Augustine of Hippo, one
notices that in order thoroughly to comprehend the conclusion of a work
of genius, inspired no less than by God, it is requisite to understand
the body of thoughts which fully precedes and generates it. See below
one of the concluding paragraphs of City of God, courtesy of Microsoft
-- does not the conclusion of a thing require the understanding of what
progressively constructs and composes it, as the New Testament by
virtue of the Old?

'It is He, then, who has given to the human soul a mind, in which
reason and understanding lie as it were asleep during infancy, and as
if they were not, destined, however, to be awakened and exercised as
years increase, so as to become capable of knowledge and of receiving
instruction, fit to understand what is true and to love what is good.
It is by this capacity the soul drinks in wisdom, and becomes endowed
with those virtues by which, in prudence, fortitude, temperance, and
righteousness, it makes war upon error and the other inborn vices, and
conquers them by fixing its desires upon no other object than the
supreme and unchangeable Good. And even though this be not uniformly
the result, yet who can competently utter or even conceive the grandeur
of this work of the Almighty, and the unspeakable boon He has conferred
upon our rational nature, by giving us even the capacity of such
attainment? For over and above those arts which are called virtues, and
which teach us how we may spend our life well, and attain to endless
happiness-arts which are given to the children of the promise and the
kingdom by the sole grace of God which is in Christ-has not the
genius of man invented and applied countless astonishing arts, partly
the result of necessity, partly the result of exuberant invention, so
that this vigour of mind, which is so active in the discovery not
merely of superfluous but even of dangerous and destructive things,
betokens an inexhaustible wealth in the nature which can invent, learn,
or employ such arts? What wonderful-one might say
stupefying-advances has human industry made in the arts of weaving
and building, of agriculture and navigation! With what endless variety
are designs in pottery, painting, and sculpture produced, and with what
skill executed! What wonderful spectacles are exhibited in the
theatres, which those who have not seen them cannot credit! How skilful
the contrivances for catching, killing, or taming wild beasts! And for
the injury of men, also, how many kinds of poisons, weapons, engines of
destruction, have been invented, while for the preservation or
restoration of health the appliances and remedies are infinite! To
provoke appetite and please the palate, what a variety of seasonings
have been concocted! To express and gain entrance for thoughts, what a
multitude and variety of signs there are, among which speaking and
writing hold the first place! what ornaments has eloquence at command
to delight the mind! what wealth of song is there to captivate the ear!
how many musical instruments and strains of harmony have been devised!
What skill has been attained in measures and numbers! with what
sagacity have the movements and connections of the stars been
discovered! Who could tell the thought that has been spent upon nature,
even though, despairing of recounting it in detail, he endeavoured only
to give a general view of it? In fine, even the defence of errors and
misapprehensions, which has illustrated the genius of heretics and
philosophers, cannot be sufficiently declared. For at present it is the
nature of the human mind which adorns this mortal life which we are
extolling, and not the faith and the way of truth which lead to
immortality. And since this great nature has certainly been created by
the true and supreme God, who administers all things He has made with
absolute power and justice, it could never have fallen into these
miseries, nor have gone out of them to miseries eternal-saving only
those who are redeemed-had not an exceeding great sin been found in
the first man from whom the rest have sprung.'

May God keep us all in the palm of His Hand, in the Names of JESUS and
Mary!

Humbly green,

Edward


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