G K Chesterton

All Things Considered G K Chesterton

Their chief vice is that so many of them are very serious; because I had no time tomake them flippant. It is so easy to be solemn; it is so hard to be frivolous. Let anyhonest reader shut his eyes for a few moments, and approaching the secret tribunalof his soul, ask himself whether he would really rather be asked in the next twohours to write the front page of the Times, which is full of long leading articles, orthe front page of Tit-Bits, which is full of short jokes. If the reader is the fineconscientious fellow I take him for, he will at once reply that he would rather on thespur of the moment write ten Times articles than one Tit-Bits joke. Responsibility, aheavy and cautious responsibility of speech, is the easiest thing in the world;anybody can do it. That is why so many tired, elderly, and wealthy men go in forpolitics. They are responsible, because they have not the strength of mind left to beirresponsible. It is more dignified to sit still than to dance the Barn Dance. It is alsoeasier. So in these easy pages I keep myself on the whole on the level of the Times: it is only occasionally that I leap upwards almost to the level of Tit-Bits