The Gods of the Copybook Headings

Aaron · Oct 10, 2008

The world is on the brink of a financial crisis, and there's only one way out—morality.

Rudyard Kipling wrote The God's of the Copybook Headings* in the wake of the disillusionment following WWI. I think many will find his words poignantly relevant today.

. . .

With the Hopes that our World is built on they [the gods] were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

. . .

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!
Click to expand...

*A copybook was a school workbook used to develop penmenship. The heading would be proverb like "The wages of sin is death," or "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," and the student would fill the pages copying the headings.

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The Gods of the Copybook Headings

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