Last year, the National Lottery provisioned the placing into 300 State Secondary Schools a collection of Everyman classics. Wonderful.
Most were rejected by the schools.
“For every state school that welcomed the books, several others said that they had not asked for them, had no use for or interest in them and no book storage and please would the publisher take them back forthwith.” (From a letter in the TLS, Jan 20, 2006 – which I’ve just got round to reading)
“O my people, you have forgotten your past and in so doing, you have forgotten your destiny. You have lost Christ and so lost your memory and you no longer know who you are.
When you chose Christ and His Holy Mother, your saints and martyrs were beyond number, the English land resembled the Milky Way, a galaxy of hundreds and thousands of lights of wisdom who went out and conquered hearts and souls in Europe. But your lights went out long ago.”
This is why it is part of the essential Christian task of this time to preserve our memory, to witness to the choices made. We look for the city that is to come, and we mourn the passing of this city that has been.