A Conservative Odyssey

To be practical we must put first things first. The first of all things is this: “In the beginning was the Word”—and therefore the word. Every error in action begins as a fallacy in philosophy, while every great action begins as a straight thought.

Conservatives, by definition, conserve reality—and, by so doing, think straight. But often we do not realize the full logic of our position: that, for all effective action, the word comes first, the deed second. Too often we begin with politics, whereas we should begin by changing the climate of our culture. We can win in politics only as, in the minds of men and the spirit of the nation—in art, in philosophy—we restore a climate of thought where, after the fogs of “liberalism” and the 50 below zero of collectivism, the sun of reason shines and the winds of freedom blow.

ER

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E. Merrill Root

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To be practical we must put first things first. The first of all things is this: “In the beginning was the Word”—and therefore the word. Every error in action begins as a fallacy in philosophy, while every great action begins as a straight thought.

Conservatives, by definition, conserve reality—and, by so doing, think straight. But often we do not realize the full logic of our position: that, for all effective action, the word comes first, the deed second. Too often we begin with politics, whereas we should begin by changing the climate of our culture. We can win in politics only as, in the minds of men and the spirit of the nation—in art, in philosophy—we restore a climate of thought where, after the fogs of “liberalism” and the 50 below zero of collectivism, the sun of reason shines and the winds of freedom blow.