He suggested now that there should be a new era,
starting from that day as the first day of the first year.
The king demurred.
'From this day forth, sir, man enters upon his heritage,' said the
American.
'Man,' said the king, 'is always entering upon his heritage. You
Americans have a peculiar weakness for anniversaries--if you will
forgive me saying so. Yes--I accuse you of a lust for dramatic effect.
Everything is happening always, but you want to say this or this is the
real instant in time and subordinate all the others to it.'
The American said something about an epoch-making day.
'But surely,' said the king, 'you don't want us to condemn all humanity
to a world-wide annual Fourth of July for ever and ever more. On account
of this harmless necessary day of declarations. No conceivable day could
ever deserve that. Ah! you do not know, as I do, the devastations of
the memorable. My poor grandparents were--RUBRICATED. The worst of these
huge celebrations is that they break up the dignified succession of
one's contemporary emotions. They interrupt. They set back. Suddenly
out come the flags and fireworks, and the old enthusiasms are furbished
up--and it's sheer destruction of the proper thing that ought to be
going on. Sufficient unto the day is the celebration thereof.
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