05/06/2012

a temple of some alien creed

An engagement is so potent a thing that sooner or later it reduces all who speak of it to this state of cheerful awe. Away from it, in the solitude of their rooms, Mr. Beebe, and even Freddy, might again be critical. But in its presence and in the presence of each other they were sincerely hilarious. It has a strange power, for it compels not only the lips, but the very heart. The chief parallel —to compare one great thing with another—  is the power over us of a temple of some alien creed. Standing outside, we deride or oppose it, ot at the most feel sentimental. Inside, though the saints and gods are not ours, we become true believers, in case any true believe should be present.

E.M. Foster. A Room with a View. Project Gutenberg (2001).

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