21. North and South, Part II

Join Shanna and Janice in conversation and laughter as they discuss the books they’re reading, Cain and Abel, and continue their discussion of Elizabeth Gaskell’s, North and South.

Commonplace Quote

In this way, they try to put themselves above all authority but their own. They do not want anybody telling them what to do and they do not want any rules telling them what to do. The problem with this, of course, is that you should never trust people who have strong views of authority when talking about people under them, but have very weak views of authority when talking about people over them. Whenever you encounter someone like that, you need to run in the other direction as fast and as far as you can—that person is going to abuse any authority they can get.

~ Douglas Wilson

THERE was once a little princess who—

"But, Mr. Author, why do you always write about princesses?"

"Because every little girl is a princess."

"You will make them vain if you tell them that."

"Not if they understand what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?"

"What do you mean by a princess?"

"The daughter of a king."

"Very well, then every little girl is a princess, and there would be no need to say anything about it, except that she is always in danger of forgetting her rank, and behaving as if she had grown out of the mud. I have seen little princesses behave like the children of thieves and lying beggars, and that is why they need, to be told they are princesses. And that is why, when I tell a story of this kind, I like to tell it about a princess. Then I can say better what I mean, because I can then give her every beautiful thing I want her to have."

"Please go on."

~ George MacDonald

Books Mentioned

What I Learned in Narnia, Douglas WilsonNorth and South, Elizabeth GaskellThe Magician’s Nephew, C. S. LewisThe Princess and the Goblin, George MacDonaldThe Bible

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