“It is done, it is done!” exclaimed Slim Jim, as surprised
by his accomplishment as were his parents impressed by it.
When he began Ivanhoe a month ago he had bleated plaintively,
“This isn’t English. I mean, each word
does appear to be English but when you
put them together, they become something else.
How will I get through this book?”
“In small doses,” was the advice I gave. “Don’t think about the reading of hundreds of
pages. Think about the reading of 10 or
20 each day.”
Today he finished.
Now he is eagerly discussing why Sir Walter Scott did not have Ivanhoe
matched up with Rebecca, at the end of it all.
Slim Jim: “But, Mom, she had more substance, she was as powerful a person as
Ivanhoe, himself. I loved it when she
flayed Bois-Guilbert with this: “I envy thee not thy faith, which is ever in
thy mouth, but never in thy heart or in thy practice.”
Mom: Sounds like a great essay topic. So what was
your favorite quote overall?
Slim Jim: Hmmm. Tough one.
Probably when Ivanhoe said “For he that does good, having the unlimited
power to do evil, deserves praise not only for the good which he performs, but
for the evil which he forbears.” I can totally get behind of idea of getting credit for the "evil we forbear".
Mom: Sounds like a topic for a philosopher.
Slim Jim: After long moment of quiet thought .... So... what's my next book?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Dog-eared books are the greatest evidence that learning has taken place ...."
