A reader, a fellow Johnsonian, reminds me of the following:

“John—Having read your fine … article on what constitutes civilization

versus the barbarians, I read this remark in Boswell’s ‘Life of Johnson’,

which I thought was rather apposite (page 1218):

“BOSWELL: ‘I should wish to go and see some country totally different from

what I have been used to; such as Turkey, where religion and every thing

else are different.’

“JOHNSON: ‘Yes, Sir; there are two objects of curiosity, – the Christian

world, and the Mahometan world. All the rest may be considered as

barbarous.’

“Of course, in their day, the ‘Mahomatans’ were sufficiently docile as to be

considered an object of curiosity and tourism! They didn’t have to put up

with what we now have to put up with.”

One of the never-ending arguments I have with readers is over the place of

Islam in our present troubles. I said pretty much what I have to say about

this issue two years ago, and glancing

at that piece again, don’t see anything I would change.