A Miscellany Of Men

Summary

"before I finally desert the illusions of rationalism for the actualities of romance, I should very much like to write one last roaring, raging book telling all the rationalists not to be so utterly irrational... Do not talk such bosh. I implore you, I supplicate you not to talk such bosh. Utterly and absolutely abolish all such bosh—and we may yet begin to discuss these public questions properly." -GKC

"the Chesterton wit and charm and gentle satire [and] hard-hitting controversy. And you will also find a distinct thread that ties it all together. [...] first published in 1912, the essays ... often refer to current events and personalities from the early 20th century: coal strikes and railway strikes, game laws, women’s suffrage, and British Imperialism. ... in every case the larger point being made is very clear and is not tied to a time and place – unless it is our time and place. Chesterton’s mere observations of an event, whether in a headline or outside his window could be expounded upon into huge timely treatises. It is because truth has ramifications. And because it is true.

The old controversies are still relevant. But each question points to a larger question. How do we assure the dignity and basic rights of the laborer? For whom does he labor: himself or some remote rich man? Does voting make any difference when our choices are so limited, when the choices themselves are not our choices but someone else’s? What is the nature of real democracy?" - Dale Ahlquist

"These old articles of mine because they cover a very controversial period, in which I was in nearly all the controversies, whether I was visible there or no. And I wish to gather up into this last article a valedictory violence about all such things; and then pass to where, beyond these voices, there is peace--or in other words, to the writing of Penny Dreadfuls; a noble and much-needed work." -GKC