A Pertinent Quote

John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a noted English author and cultural critic of the nineteenth century. It's pretty amazing to read comments, like the following, that are as relevant now as they were more than a century ago:

"No nation can last, which has made a mob of
itself, however generous at heart. It must
discipline its passions, and direct them or
they will discipline it, one day, with scorpion
whips. Above all, a nation cannot last in a
money-making job; it cannot with impunity--
it cannot with existence-- go on despising
literature, despising science, despising nature,
despising compassion, and concentrating
its soul on Pence."