The Corner

Britney’s Wedding

Where was I when Britney was conning People? Squatting in a cube at NR

Towers (the glittering 50-storey skyscraper at the heart of the worldwide NR

empire) composing an editorial paragraph for the print magazine on this very

topic.

I took as my theme the chorus of Kipling’s poem “The Sergeant’s Wedding,”

which goes thus: “Cheer for the Sergeant’s weddin’ / Give ‘em one cheer

more! / Grey gun-’orses in the lando, / An’ a rogue is married to, etc.” I

suspect, however, that this particular graf won’t make the cut. “Reasons of

space,” etc., etc.

The last quatrain of Kipling’s poem is also apt: “Bowin’ like a lady, /

Blushin’ like a lad / ‘Oo would say to see ‘em / Both is rotten bad?”

With a good grounding in Kipling, you know most of what’s worth knowing

about life.

John Derbyshire — Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.
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