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A TINY CANDLE AT THE END OF A LONG DARK TUNNEL
When the United States began to sink into the quagmire that engulfs our banking industry, the stock market, and our fortunes, most politicians contended that we were only in a recession. Those of you who have been reading Ezra’s essays for a few years will be aware that for more than a year I have…
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IN PRAISE OF BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT PREACHERS
There is an oxymoronic quality to this essay which I hope will meet with your favor. The oxymoron has to do with a writer whose belief is in non-belief, who then publishes an essay in praise of preachers. But that is what I intend to do in this essay about preachers. For more than 66…
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RADIATORS BOILING OVER
As I am dictating this essay, it is approaching the end of October. When I worked in the filling station business, the people who owned the filling stations ordinarily would set out to buy antifreeze at this time of year. As everyone will recall, the radiators on automobiles are almost always located near the front…
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I DECLARE
If my mother had lived, she would now be 131 years old. But of course she didn’t live. Curiously as I grow older I am given to thoughts about my mother. I suppose we enjoyed a normal relationship as much as could be expected under the circumstances. My mother came from Golconda in Pope County,…
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YOU KNOW AND ON ME
As I have told you on several occasions, my friend Sven Lernevall, a resident of Stockholm, often told me that “English is a rich language.” Listening to the President of the United States who speaks extemporaneously, he frequently resorts to the words, “you know.” The fact of the matter is that I don’t know. If…
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FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC
I have no way of telling you whether eternal life really exists. I cannot tell you about this condition because I have not yet died. However, when the time comes for me to answer the roll call up yonder, there will be certain things that I will miss greatly. Naturally I will miss my wife…
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CONFESSIONS THAT WILL EXCITE AND ENRICH THE SOUL
It is the standard belief of preachers that confessions are beneficial to the soul. My religious beliefs or lack thereof bar me from knowledge about the soul. However, yesterday, February 17, brought three confessions that must have benefited every soul known to man or cattle. The first was a confession by Alex Rodriguez, the $30…
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AN IMPROBABLE MARRIAGE
Giving titles to the essays that are produced at this desk is not an automatic function. I suspect that most people would believe that after the essay is written, it would be titled. My mind works in a perverse way. I ordinarily title the piece and then go on to write it. I suspect that…
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TRANSLATING DAVID BROOKS
David Brooks is a scholar in his mid fifties who writes a twice-weekly column for The New York Times. Brooks is also a frequent guest on television shows. It is clear that Brooks has a background of being a teacher, a lecturer and a scholar. A year or 18 months ago, Mr. Brooks was an…
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IN LAVISH PRAISE OF SCALLIONS
There are dilettantes who dine on snails, caviar and champagne who will contend that eating a scallion is beneath their stature in life. They will contend that it is nothing other than a peasant food. Your old essayist holds a contrary view. In his estimation, the enjoyment of any meal except breakfast is increased by…