Saturday, January 27, 2007

Tweaking Winston Churchill

“How dreadful are the curses which Progressivism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as
hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers... live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the
next of its dignity and sanctity...

Individual Progressives may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the
religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Progressivism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread
throughout North America, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”


Oops! My bad... by some unknown glitch, 'Progressivism' has usurped the place of 'Mohammedanism' in this 1899 quote from Sir Winston Spencer Churchill (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899).

(H.T.'s Vik Rubenfeld and John Ray.)

2 comments:

Al said...

It works either way, doesn't it?

Steve Burri said...

Yeah, Al, I didn't 'catch' the mistake by seeing any incongruity in practical outcomes between the two ideologies.