Here, rather belatedly, are the quotations for this
week (Dec 10th to 16th):
1. '…What's the use o' them advantages to you ? Man the
Oppressor comes along, an' sees you're likely an' good-lookin', an' grinds you
to the face o' the earth. What for ? For his own pleasure: for his own
convenience ! Young an' old, black an' bay, white an' grey, there's no
distinctions made between us. We're ground together under the remorseless teeth
o' the engines of oppression !'…
2. …he behaved himself very politely, and ate bread dipped
in salt, and was petted all round the table, moving gingerly; and they drank his
health, because he had done more to win the cup than any man or horse on the
ground.
3. '…You misunderstand me as usual, love. Work's the
essence of life; but to expend precious un-returning vitality and real labour
against imaginary danger, that is heart-breakingly absurd ! If I can only
teach a - a little toleration - a little ordinary kindness…'
The sources of last week's extracts (Dec 3rd to
9th) are as follows:
1. (...The twelve Government elephants
rocked at their pickets outside the big mud-walled stables ...) This is
from "My Lord the Elephant", in Many Inventions.
2. (...The huge limbs moved as steadily as
pistons, eight feet to each stride, and the wrinkled skin of the elbow-points
rustled...) This is from "Toomai of the Elephants" in The Jungle
Book.
3. (...He kicked backward at a mud wall
that crumbled at the stroke, and, crumbling, melted to yellow mud under the
torrents of rain....) This is from "Letting in the Jungle" in The
Second Jungle Book.
If you are following the progress of the
NRG you may be interested to know that we have just published Geoffrey
Annis's notes on all fifteen chapters of The Light that
Failed.
Good wishes to all, John R
