Posted on 12/20/2008 3:29:04 AM PST by GonzoII
Wow, that's character.
Ping.
Where are the Thomas Mores of today?
One of my history profs, David Underdown, pointed out that More talked a lot about reform but did little when he was Lord Chancellor.
Great post. Thanks.
You’re welcome.
ping
Self-ping to read in depth later. He’s one of my faves. Did you ever read Peter Ackroyd’s bio of More?
“Did you ever read Peter Ackroyd’s bio of More?”
—
No, I’ll keep it mind.
I forgot, wasn’t one of you a big fan of More’s ?
I’m not sure what you’re referring to, exactly. But, who could fail to admire a man to whom conscience was more important than life itself?
No, no, I was trying to recall which of you liked being pinged to any articles on More. I am an admirer of his, and a fan of the film, “A Man For All Seasons.” Paul Scofield did a remarkable job in the role.
Yes. In my view, one of the most wonderful films of all time.
They certainly had amazing material to draw from. It may not have been accurate in all respects, but still it’s wonderful, for sure.
A personal story:
A couple of years ago we were digging into our family tree, and discovered, we thought, that we were direct descendants of Sir Thomas More. It was an awesome thought.
Unfortunately, further study showed us that a wrong turn had been taken at an earlier fork in the lineage, and it just wasn’t true. We were quite disappointed. :-)
Yes, consider how difficult it is to distill the crux of a man’s life into such a short two-hour period (shortened from the stage play). People ask, “Where are the Sir Thomas Mores of today ?” Given our culture and deemphasis on education, it’d be very hard to produce someone of similar intelligence and stature. I’m sure there are many folks out there of high-mindedness, but those people steer clear of political office these days. Such an individual today would probably be content to teach at a small Conservative college today, known but only to a few.
Yeah, that must’ve been exciting if that had proven true. My father did some research on some of our lines, though all he was able to get through was the late 1600s, his direct paternal line going back to humble Welsh farmers. More foggy were the other lines, such as maternal, where we still haven’t gone back prior to the 1860s (when they were still in Scotland, although apparently a cousin in the line is now the current lady head of the Scottish Tories. I haven’t contacted her yet to confirm the common ancestor, but the name is obscure enough that most of us are related).
The French and German lines are a bit interesting, though only marginally researched. The French line apparently was Huguenot that fled during all that Inquisition unpleasantness. One German (Hessian) line was apparently a mercenary hired by the British for the Revolutionary War (who more amazingly stayed afterwards, despite the fact a lot of angry Patriots got revenge on them). I haven’t been able to uncover any actual English ancestry.
Of course, as they say, not everyone can be descended from Kings or Presidents (and just because you are isn’t an indicator you yourself will be anything special — Ron Reagan, Jr. being a good example of that). Better to try to achieve greatness even if you are from mere humble lineage, instead of resting on laurels of distant greatness. ;-)
There are exceedingly few men of this caliber today, it is hard enough to find men who place conscience above political expediency.
St. Thomas More: A Man for This Season
>a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1854578/posts">The Martyrdom of St. John Fisher - 22 June 1535 (By Michael Davies) [Catholic Caucus]
>a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1654490/posts">Defensor Matrimonii - St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher: "I am come here to die for Christ's Catholic Church"
St John Fisher, 1460-1535[Bishop and Martyr]
St John Fisher, 1460-1535[Bishop and Martyr]
St. Thomas More and Modern Martyrdom
St. Thomas More Bearing Witness Long After His Death
We had better find thousands of them, pronto, or this free republic will be gone. There is no other hope for America, in my judgment.
I am inclined to agree with you.
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