Clothing, Mirror of an Epoch

January 24, 2011

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira This article was written in 1952 at a time when fashions were changing to casual workplace styles. Since then, many companies have reversed their casual dress code perhaps realizing that dress definitely affects work. Some schools have done likewise. From a material point of view, clothing serves only as a […]

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Death of the Vendean generalissimo Maurice d’Elbee

January 20, 2011

[Charette] was far away on his road to Noirmoutiers. During his absence in Anjou, General Haxo had traversed the Marais in all directions without effect, and Turreau, a man forever execrated as the organizer of the infernal columns, had been sent to supersede him. Upon this Haxo determined to attack the isle of Noirmoutiers, an […]

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The Marquise de Lescure escapes from the Vendean army’s destruction at Savenay

January 17, 2011

During the darkness, some of the officers warned the women to make their escape with their children. “All is lost,” said [Gaspard de Bernard de] Marigny to Madame de Lescure, who had followed the army through all its troubles. “It is impossible to stand tomorrow’s attack. In twelve hours the army will be exterminated. For […]

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Small Symptoms of a Great Transformation

January 17, 2011

by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira It used to be that the only uniform the Civil Guard of Sao Paulo wore was a jacket, pants and cap of navy blue wool. Later, a summer uniform of grayish linen was introduced, generally following the same pattern of the former with the exception of the white helmet […]

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Henri du Vergier, Count de la Rochejacquelein, turns a Vendean rout at Dol into victory

January 13, 2011

The battle commenced towards midnight. Thanks to Larochejacquelein’s activity, the Catholic forces were all under arms; for Westermann had counted on surprising them, and there would have ensued the same dark scene of slaughter in which he had exulted at Châtillon. But it was a terrible night, nevertheless; the cries of the soldiers, the roll […]

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Nothing Is So Repugnant To Reason as a Mathematical Equality Among Men

January 13, 2011

From Leo XIII’s encyclical Humanum genus, of April 20, 1884:   In like manner, no one doubts that all men are equal, one to another, so far as regards their common origin and nature, or the last end which each one has to attain, or the rights and duties which are thence derived. But, as […]

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The Marquis of Bonchamps’ dying order: “Show clemency to the captured”

January 10, 2011

Before pursuing the flying army, the republicans returned to Chollet, and committed terrible outrages at that place; after which, Westermann, followed by a small division, came upon the rear-guard of the Vendeans during the night, and massacred the whole. The remains of the defeated army hurried away to St. Florent, where they joined their four […]

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Equalizing Everything: A Mania, Not a Necessity

January 10, 2011

by Plinio Correa de Oliveira While the horse is increasingly abandoned as a means of transportation, it continues to be in vogue in sport. Everywhere, horsemanship continues to be an object of lively interest. Football and boxing champions have not destroyed the popularity of the jockey. Indeed, the qualities that an authentic horseman should embody […]

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The Marquis of Lescure destroys two thirds of Westermann’s army and saves the lives of captured enemy soldiers

January 6, 2011

While the grand army were under the walls of Nantes, several engagements had taken place in La Vendée. Westermann, at the head of a German legion, advanced into the heart of the Bocage, after making himself master of Parthenay, on the 20th June. On the 1st July he burned the town of Amaillon; he then […]

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Monarchy, Republic, and Religion

January 6, 2011

[previous] To avoid any misunderstanding, it is necessary to emphasize that this exposition does not contain the assertion that the republic is necessarily a revolutionary regime. When speaking of the various forms of government, Leo XIII made it quite clear that “each of them is good, as long as it moves honestly toward its end, […]

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“The saint of Anjou” storms Saumur for a fourth Catholic victory in five days

January 3, 2011

Cathelineau, from his elevated position on the heights near the castle, observed attentively the situation of the various corps engaged. The want of plan with which the eager peasants had rushed to the attack was now beginning to tell upon the fortunes of the day; and he saw that, if the assault was to be […]

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The Socialists Declare That the Right of Property Is a Human Invention Opposed to the Innate Equality of Man

January 3, 2011

The Socialists Declare That the Right of Property Is a Human Invention Opposed to the Innate Equality of Man [From Leo XIII’s encyclical Quod Apostolici muneris, of December 28, 1878]: But Catholic wisdom, sustained by the precepts of natural and divine law, provides with especial care for public and private tranquility in its doctrines and […]

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The Wall Street Journal: the “Princess” archetype is powerful because it is adaptable

December 27, 2010

The “princess dream shares the mixture of openness and elitism that gives princesses their contemporary appeal. Like the superhero, the princess has a special identity and destiny. She is more than an ordinary girl. But her value is not determined by playground hierarchies. You don’t have to be popular to be a princess. You can […]

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The Incarnation and Birth of Our Lord: More Audacious Than Any Utopia

December 25, 2010

Nothing proves how grace makes utopias possible than the thought of Christmas. As Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira observed: “Something happens on Christmas night. It is as if through the power of God an immense impossibility becomes possible, and a shower of graces flows from Heaven to earth, turning into marvelous realities all of our […]

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The Dauphin’s gift to the Queen on New Year’s Day

December 23, 2010

At Marie Antoinette’s insistence, the four-year-old Dauphin promised: “By the end of the year, I will learn how to read. It will be my New Year’s gift to you.” Soon after he asked his tutor, Father Avaux, “How long is it before the end of the year?” “A little more than a month,” the priest […]

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Spiritual Richness in the Common Life of the People

December 23, 2010

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira The National Museum of Ancient Art in Portugal preserves, among other valuable works, the nativity scene from the church of St. Vincent de Fora sculpted by Joaquim Machado de Castro in the eighteenth century. In our photograph, we present one detail from this nativity scene: the shepherds coming to adore […]

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Abortion greater threat to Europe than Islamic terrorism: Duke of Kent’s son

December 22, 2010

Lord Nicholas Windsor, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent,  studied theology at Oxford University and is patron of the Right to Life Charitable Trust and the Catholic National Library. Great-grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom, Windsor is the first blood member of the British royal family to be received […]

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Marie Antoinette teaches her children to sacrifice themselves for the poor

December 20, 2010

As a loving mother, Marie Antoinette bought Christmas presents for her children at the end of every year. One year that the winter was harsh and the poor were suffering much hardship, she ordered the best toys, dolls and games Paris had for sale and laid them out in a room for her children to […]

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Excerpt from Pope Pius XII’s Allocution to the Pontifical Noble Guard on December 26, 1942

December 20, 2010

“None can be envious upon seeing that We bear you such special affection. To whom, in truth, is the immediate protection of Our person entrusted, if not to you? And are you not the first of Our guards? “Guard! What lofty resonance there is in this word: the soul trembles therewith; thoughts take wing. An […]

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Henry V’s St. Crispian’s Day speech

December 16, 2010

Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 34

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The Machine, Crude and Deformed Idol of a Materialistic World

December 16, 2010

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira We begin with a well-known truth. Since God is the author of nature, all laws governing the universe are an image of His wisdom and goodness. Among these laws are those of physics, among which are those of mechanics. Thus, one who dedicates himself to the study of the mechanical […]

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The courtesy of a prince meets the graciousness of a king

December 13, 2010

The Prince of Condé, having won numerous battles, was coming to greet Louis XIV, who awaited him at the top of a staircase. As he suffered from gout he walked slowly. “Please excuse me Sire if I make you wait. My gout…” “Take your time, cousin. One cannot walk briskly when arriving loaded with so […]

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The Universe, the Church, and Civil Society Reflect the Love of God in an Organic Inequality

December 13, 2010

The Universe, the Church, and Civil Society Reflect the Love of God in an Organic Inequality [From Leo XIII’s encyclical Quod Apostolici muneris, of December 28, 1878]: For, He who created and governs all things has, in His wise providence, appointed that the things which are lowest should attain their ends by those which are […]

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Louis XIV: Face wrinkles kept count of the wars he waged

December 9, 2010

Mignard was painting Louis XIV’s portrait for the tenth time, when the king asked: “Hasn’t my appearance aged somewhat?” “Sire,” the artist answered, “in truth, I do perceive a few additional wars on Your Majesty’s face.” Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anecdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. I, p. 267. (Nobility.org translation.) Short Stories on Honor, […]

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Two Styles, Two Ways of Being

December 9, 2010

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Two Styles, Two Ways of Being In 1951, Princess Elizabeth, heiress of the throne of England, and Eva D. Peron, wife of Gerald Peron, president of the Argentine Republic, were indisputably the two most outstanding feminine figures in international political life. While very much a woman of the time from […]

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Roland: A loyal vassal suffers for his good lord

December 6, 2010

XCI When Roland felt that the battle came, Lion or leopard to him were tame; He shouted aloud to his Franks, and then Called to his gentle compeer agen. “My friend, my comrade, my Olivier, The Emperor left us his bravest here; Twice ten thousand he set apart, And he knew among them no dastard […]

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The True Friends of the People Are Traditionalists

December 6, 2010

The True Friends of the People Are Traditionalists From the apostolic letter Notre charge apostolique, August 25, 1910, of Saint Pius X: Let not the priests be led astray in the maze of contemporary opinions, in the mirage of a false democracy. Let them not borrow from the rhetoric of the worst enemies of the […]

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A noble boy’s example on suffering without self-pity

December 2, 2010

The eldest son of La Villette was nine years old and was wounded in the battle of Messina. Seeing the flowing blood soil his clothing, all he said was: “What would my governess say if she were to see this!” Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anecdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. I, p. 261. (Nobility.org translation.) […]

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Equality at the Starting Point – What an Injustice

December 2, 2010

Equality at the Starting Point – What an Injustice Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira I hear people repeating at every moment that justice demands all persons should have the same opportunities when beginning their life, education, or career. According to this view, education should be equal for all, and the curricula in the different […]

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The triumphal entry of Louis XVI’s brother into post-revolutionary Paris

November 29, 2010

The festive and enthusiastic reception given by the people of another European capital to another princely victim of misfortune—that given by the populace of Paris to the Count of Artois, the future Charles X, on his return from exile—shows well the people’s affection for the representatives of the ancient legitimate and paternal dynasties. It is […]

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The Inequality of Rights and Power Proceeds from the Very Author of Nature

November 29, 2010

The Inequality of Rights and Power Proceeds from the Very Author of Nature From Leo XIII’s encyclical Quod Apostolici muneris, of December 28, 1878: For, indeed, although the socialists, stealing the very Gospel itself with a view to deceive more easily the unwary, have been accustomed to distort it so as to suit their own […]

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The Dauphin’s innocent description of a revolutionary riot

November 25, 2010

On June 21, 1792, the agitators fired up the mob, as they had done the day before, to invade the Tuileries Palace where the royal family was lodged. Hearing the tumult, Marie Antoinette rushed to the side of the Dauphin. Upon seeing her and still remembering what had happened the day before, the child asked: […]

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Wholesome Regionalism and Leveling Cosmopolitanism

November 25, 2010

Wholesome Regionalism and Leveling Cosmopolitanism Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira The following text is taken from an informal lecture Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on December 10, 1970. It has been translated and adapted for publication without his revision. – Ed. There is an interesting passage in Saint Theresa’s famous Story of a […]

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Marie Antoinette confronts and converts a Jacobin woman

November 22, 2010

The mob’s assault on the Tuileries palace furnished examples on how the populace was enraged only because it had allowed itself to be manipulated by revolutionary leaders, becoming convinced of the calumnies that were spread. Sitting behind a large table and surrounded by her children and entourage, Marie Antoinette was insulted by one of the […]

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Requirements for Leadership

November 22, 2010

1) Intellectual requisites of a leader The exercise of authority requires certain qualities. In the first place, the leader must have a clear and firm notion of the objective and the common good of the group he directs. Then he needs a lucid knowledge of the means and procedures to attain this good. These intellectual […]

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In admiring his mother, Queen Marie Antoinette, the Dauphin learns about superlatives

November 18, 2010

Father d’Avaux was the Dauphin’s tutor and classes had been interrupted during the Royal Family’s attempted flight to Varennes. Upon their resumption after such turmoil, the instructor said: “In our last lesson we had studied the degrees of adjectives, but I suppose Your Highness remembers them no longer. Am I correct?” “Oh no. I remember […]

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War’s Legitimate Purpose is Peace in Justice

November 18, 2010

War’s Legitimate Purpose is Peace in Justice According to the entry “Paix et Guerre” in the Dictionnaire Apologétique de la Foi Catholique, the teaching of Saint Augustine regarding peace and war can be condensed into four topics.   First of all, there are wars that are just. These are the wars that attempt to repress […]

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St. Louis IX of France: A king should never abandon his people

November 15, 2010

While returning from the Crusade, the ship with Saint Louis IX aboard struck shallows. As everyone feared it would sink, the king called for the shipbuilders and asked them if the ship could continue the voyage or not. They all counseled him to move to another vessel. So he gave them an order: “In the […]

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The Traditional Is Modern by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

November 15, 2010

Folha de São Paulo, November 26, 1981 The Traditional Is Modern by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira One pays debts at the very first opportunity. I recall this banality to do penance before my readers. In my latest article I announced that I would soon deal with a certain topic. Then, a legislative bill was […]

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Archbishop Chaput to Air Force Academy: “Thoughts on a New Knighthood”

November 14, 2010

“A new ‘spirit of knighthood’ is what we need now — unselfish, tireless, devoted disciples willing to face derision and persecution for Jesus Christ. We serve our nation best by serving God first, and by proving our faith with the example of our lives.” http://catholicexchange.com/2010/11/11/141056/

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Louis XIV is burnt by melted wax but shows patience

November 11, 2010

As a servant washed the feet of Louis XIV, another who was holding a lit candle, allowed some drops of molten wax to fall on them, causing intense pain. Calmly, the king observed: “It would have been inappropriate perhaps to have let them spill onto the ground.” Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anecdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, […]

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Popes and Councils Confirm the Doctrine of Saint Thomas on War

November 11, 2010

Popes and Councils Confirm the Doctrine of Saint Thomas on War According to the entry “Paix et Guerre” in the Dictionnaire Apologétique de la Foi Catholique, Saint Thomas Aquinas “sets forth the three conditions that legitimize in conscience the use of armed force.” 1. When the war is brought on not by simple individuals or […]

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The Duchess of Doudeauville: “I saw…both altar and throne toppled”

November 8, 2010

Share Even during this period, it was not only in the countryside that such beautiful counsels were given by parents to children and consigned to writing. In Paris, and among the great families, one finds others exactly like them. The trials of the Revolution flooded souls again and again, creating conditions for some to act […]

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Prologue from The Dukes of Maqueda

November 8, 2010

The author of this work, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, is a personality widely known in Catholic and conservative circles all over the West. A former congressman for the Catholic Electoral League of São Paulo, he had a brilliant and long teaching career as professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Colleges of Philosophy, […]

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The First Communion of Madame Royale

November 8, 2010

The First Communion of Madame Royale Louis XVI to his daughter on the occasion of her first Holy Communion: “In whatever place the hand of God puts you, remember that you must edify by your example, do good as often as you find the occasion for it.” http://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/2010/11/first-communion-of-madame-royale.html

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A king’s strongest castle is the hearts of his people

November 4, 2010

Share The paternal character of the medieval monarchy was preserved in large measure by the sovereigns of the House of Austria until the dethronement of the Hapsburgs in 1918. The speech of Vienna’s burgomaster upon receiving the Emperor Francis I some time after the defeat at Wagram (1809) provides an expressive idea of the affection […]

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Foreword by Prince Luiz de Orleans e Bragança

November 4, 2010

Foreword Prince Luiz de Orleans e Bragança (Head of the Imperial House of Brazil) Underneath the festive triumphalism of the post-WWII and post-Vatican II period a simmering discontent gradually developed and grew, suddenly exploding in 1968. That was the Sorbonne student riot, whose worldwide consequences opened new horizons of nonsense, corruption and moral chaos theretofore […]

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Saint Louis to his son: “Avoid waging war on Christians”

November 1, 2010

Share Saint Louis tried to avoid waging war against Christians every way possible, only resorting to war when every peaceful means to solve the dispute had been exhausted. He recommended the same, in writing, to his son: “Dear son, I encourage you to avoid waging war on Christians by every means possible. If you suffer […]

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Foreword by Morton C. Blackwell

November 1, 2010

Foreword by Morton C. Blackwell About a decade ago I dined one evening with two friends and a guest at Old Europe, a Washington, D.C.  restaurant. The guest was a prince, member of a well-known European royal family. As the prince, then in his early twenties, discussed at our request the many coats of arms […]

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The martial and pious death of Don John of Austria: “A man sent by God”

October 28, 2010

Alarm was ended on the fourth day, seeing that the fever and other ills left D. John. But the next day, which was a Saturday, he suddenly grew worse, and while the other invalids went on getting better and became convalescent, he showed other symptoms of a strange illness, palpitations which made him get up […]

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Preface by Georges Bordonove

October 28, 2010

Preface by Georges Bordonove Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, an eminent jurist and specialist in modern and contemporary history, taught in the prestigious Catholic University of São Paulo. His books and articles on social, religious and political issues have earned him an international readership. A militant Catholic, he unceasingly defended traditional values, not in the […]

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Setting the record straight about Marie Antoinette

October 28, 2010

Elena Maria Vidal provides a much needed reassessment of Marie Antoinette: “Hers was a piety that was loving, gentle and courteous, but real and unflinching nevertheless. Antoinette’s approach to faith was joyful and non-judgmental, free from the rigorist approach of Jansenism that so tainted a great deal of French piety in the years preceding the […]

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In defense of one who cannot defend herself…

October 28, 2010

Michelle Obama is Marie-Antoinette? by Elena Maria Vidal When I first saw the frail comparison of Mrs. Obama to Queen Marie-Antoinette, I thought  it too silly to take seriously. However, the silliness seems to have taken over the internet, even sites that I used to respect. Anyone who has ever studied Marie-Antoinette or read even […]

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Tunis was lost because Don John could not reach it in time

October 25, 2010

Meanwhile the capture of Tunis had made patent to all Europe how deep was the wound that the credit and power of the Ottoman Empire had received at Lepanto…. All this cruelly wounded the overweening pride of Selim, and he was consumed with the desire of avenging himself by reconquering Tunis and Goletta. He was […]

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Book Launching, Milan, October 15, 1993

October 25, 2010

Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites in the Allocutions of Pius XII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility   Pius XII: Great Goals and Immense Means to Bring About the Restoration of the Christian Social Order   Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira   One of the most important results of the First World War, though not the […]

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Time for surgery. Do you want an average surgeon, or an elite surgeon?

October 24, 2010

Cling V. Bitter, Elitist V. Snob April 15, 2008 By Jonah Goldberg “I understand that elitism has come to mean snobbish arrogance and all that, which is what most people mean when they say elitist. But I’m going to cling to my view of elitism regardless of which way the tide pulls me.” http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/161611/cling-v-bitter-elitist-v-snob/jonah-goldberg

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We need elites – because a bone through the nose is not equivalent to a moon launch

October 24, 2010

  h/t: nationalreview.com May 13, 2002 In Defense of Elitism We need it. “…conservatism will become meaningless if, in an effort to displace the current elite from its perch, we embrace the notion that nobody has a right to that perch.” http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/205202/defense-elitism/jonah-goldberg

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Don John called his lion Austria

October 21, 2010

A very extraordinary thing happened to D. John at the Alcazaba [of Tunis]. This castle, which, as we have said, was big and strong, had within its walls large cloistered courtyards, orchards, and gardens, comfortable rooms richly furnished in the Moorish fashion, with pavements and fountains of white marble. These were the rooms of the […]

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Launching of the Portuguese edition of Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites in the Allocutions of Pius XII

October 21, 2010

Launching of the Portuguese edition of Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites in the Allocutions of Pius XII   Estoril Palace Hotel – Estoril (greater Lisbon), Portugal November 1, 1994   Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira   [Recorded message] Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great satisfaction—and at the same time with much sorrow—that I present to […]

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Don John is offered the kingdoms of Albania and Morea

October 18, 2010

A mysterious event, then very secret, but afterwards known by everyone, came to spur on in D. John his desire to continue the campaign according to the treaty of the League, and according to the continual demands of Pius V, the only one who raised his voice, without worldly interest, in absolute and saintly independence. […]

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