Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A Visitor From Another Blogg

Yes, it's Tuesday - so it's time for a picture. (You'll understand if you have the very wonderful CW14. If not, too bad.) Maybe you know who this is?


It's somebody who has a lot of books, and he seems to be holding the famous Greek Lexicon of Liddell and Scott. Is he laughing? I wonder why. It almost sounds like a story.

Today is September 30, the last day of the longest month - you knew that, didn't you? Computer scientists have to know such odd things. If you are not quite sure how "September" is the longest, you "May" have spend a short time in thought. Hee hee.

There's lots of things I might talk about, but (speaking of pictures) I think the best is to try to draw into a more Chestertonian vein something you've been doing here on your blogg - your very interesting "game" of translating a famous GKC quote into English. It's the kind of thing he would find most amusing, as well as paradoxical, since he often had to do that himself.... of course I am overwhelmed with examples as usual, so I cannot give you one just now... I will find one for next time.

OK, Games. You must already know about GKC's very own game, the game of Gype. He invented it with H. G. Wells:
I also remember that it was we who invented the well-known and widespread national game of Gype. All sorts of variations and complications were invented in connection with Gype. There was Land Gype and Water Gype. I myself cut out and coloured pieces of cardboard of mysterious and significant shapes, the instruments of Table Gype; a game for the little ones. It was even duly settled what disease threatened the over-assiduous player; he tended to suffer from Gype's Ear. My friends and I introduced allusions to the fashionable sport in our articles; Bentley successfully passed one through the Daily News and I through some other paper. Everything was in order and going forward; except the game itself, which has not yet been invented.
[GKC Autobiography CW16:211-2]
As you already know, it is the only sport for which Chesterton University has a varsity team - they have been undefeated ever since its founding, since no other school on Earth has a varsity Gype team. Another day I will tell you more, and perhaps discuss its relation to "Calvinball" - but for today I wish to merely give you my entry in your GKC translation game, and see if you wish to guess what famous quote I have munged:
All of the individual simple supernatural beings: that is, those which have no material extension, which dwell in the presence of God, and which are often assigned the office of messenger, possess individually the ability to perform translation of position within three-space it occupies at present, without regard for the gravitational forces acting at that position. This possession by these beings is a logical result of their simultaneous possession of the potential of judging their individual intrinsic worth in the scheme of being as comparatively less than it actually is.
See what you can do with it.

OK, that's all for now. Maybe next time maybe I will have a story and not just a picture.

6 comments:

Ria said...

HURRAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome!!! I'm SOOOO glad you joined and I'm looking forward to the story (:

RED said...

Wow--Dr. Thursday! We are very honoured!

Lauren (RoseinFaith) said...

I concur with Ria and Lewis..and I'm going to make a guess:

Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly!

Did I get it right? ;)

How appropriate for the Feast of the Guardian Angels. :D

God Bless,
RoseinFaith

Dr. Thursday said...

You have it, though you make one of the usual omissions. I have had to make a mnemonic to assist in remembering it correctly. This is called the "toucan" quote, because it has two CANs. So just think of that funny-looking bird flying around with a borrowed halo, and you'll get it right every time:

"Angels CAN fly because they CAN take themselves lightly." which of course is from Orthodoxy CW1:325. Actually I think it makes all the difference - they passed their test, but still have a free will, though of course will never go against the Divine Will... so the second "can" really is necessary. It's the fallen ones who never could take themselves lightly - but that's getting a bit dark for such a light-hearted matter. GKC was very Thomistic, even when he was most humourous!

And you are also right, as this is the "week" of the angels, so it is very appropriate.

Your prize will be sent in the e-mail as soon as I can figure out how to wedge the cookies into that little slot on my computer...

Oops. I hope you don't mind some crumbs.

Hee hee.

Old Fashioned Liberal said...

Dr. Thursday, you seem to have some fame in the e-chesterton world. I'm sort of new to the world of Chestetonian blogging homeschoolers, so I'd enjoy learning a little more about you...if you don't mind.

Lauren (RoseinFaith) said...

Oh, good, I got it (mostly) right!

I don't think I shall ever forget the two cans in that quote again! :)

God Bless!
RoseinFaith