Essays in Idleness

Charles James Kirk had a growing following, not only in the United States, but in Britain, Germany, New Zealand, and so forth — throughout Protestant Christendom. Unusually, among Protestants, he had also a mystical devotion to Our Lady. To my mind, even though I mildly disagreed with him on the need for democracy, he was an impressive character morally and politically (in the broadest sense).

At great personal risk, he took his arguments into the darkest regions of the American campus (I almost wrote, “darkest Africa” by mistake). And he acted, consistently, with honesty, good humour and cheer. Also with patience, and prudence, given his immersion in university environments. Because he had detached himself, personally, from the filth of campus life, he was able to obtain a magnificent education, and was more learned in political philosophy than any living soul, except perhaps Thomas Sowell (age ninety-five).

Yet he was still young (barely thirty), and had an extraordinary career ahead of him — for he was profoundly lovable, even though he was smeared and libelled by “the Left.” He did not return their viciousness, for he was genuinely Christian.

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

He was also wise in personal matters, free of cheap lusts and cheaper ambitions, and never a candidate for public office. He knew, in his bones, that the truth lies with Jesus; and so he did not stray into the shallowness that cloys and gags, in anxious pursuit of charisma, dollars, and votes.

We will see his like again (though never his clone); for there is a Christ, whose strange love for us exceeds all human possibility.

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POSTSCRIPTUM. —  One of the more backward customs of the late Mr Kirk, was the reading of “beuks” (as I like to spell them), on a variety of topics, and by classic authors. About 150 of them were gobbled each year, for he was a man of leisure, and had been since childhood. (Until a few days ago, he kept a couple of hours free, every day.) His generation, and his juniors, do not read beuks, except in the few very conservative institutions (i.e. Hillsdale College); university students find beuk-reading nearly impossible because they were all born after the Internet and buzzing “social media.” This tends to reduce their intellectual abilities to zero, and their belief structures to the aggressive idiocy of their leftwing perfessers.