Anonymous, after print by Jean Veber: Schaduw van Paul Kruger hangt over het Franse leger tijdens de wapenschouw te Bétheny,
[Shadow of Paul Kruger hangs over the French army during the gun show in Bétheny] (1901)

Gallery Comment:
"This coat of arms of the French army was held on September 19, 1901 in Bétheny for Tsar Nicholas II. Paul Kruger was in Europe at the time, where he tried to recruit support for the struggle of the Boers in South Africa - especially from enemies of the United Kingdom, such as Russia and France. Print is part of a magazine with cartoons about the Second Boer War. With a three-line caption: Never has a cleaner army shown its strength more brilliantly… while such a clean use had to be made of it for the matter of law."

"They will exit on the same horse they rode in on."

Every civil society insists upon certain comportments. In Washington, DC, most government employees still wear formal business attire. It's unthinkable to go into the office in jeans. In Silicon Valley, a similarly enforced dress code focuses upon a more studiously casual style, just as religiously observed. There, it might be unthinkable not to go to the office in jeans. In the South, people still routinely address each other as "sir" and "madam," however backward that might seem. When I lived there, I quickly adapted to the local standard even though I'd previously thought myself too modern to so engage. I noticed the resulting gentility when people observed this practice and felt adequately cultured when I participated. Even though I'm re-ensconced back in the heathen north, I still observe this practice. It now seems like a matter of simple decency to me. If I had not been raised well, I managed to learn better.

There are likewise comportments that never seem to contribute anything positive. High on this list lies Hubris, a sure symptom of a poor upbringing. Those of us raised on cautionary stories understand that nothing positive ever follows Hubris. It represents the heights heading for a fall. The greater the Hubris, the greater the eventual tumble. Those who engage in the showier rituals tend to fall. Those who feel jealous of those living the high life will later find reason to feel grateful they weren't invited to that party, for those who reveled came to bad ends. Hubris attracts humility in the same way that incivility attracts infamy. Those engaged in the crude celebration never seem to notice their comeuppance waiting in the wings. They tend to seem surprised when their excesses finally catch up to them, as if they had always been destined to be banished, to publicly crash and burn.

I was never convinced that I had any reason to think terribly much of myself. I was never the most brilliant and never aspired to be. I was perfectly happy with my little crumb and didn't ever feel the need or obsession to lord anything over anyone. I noticed how much more complicated were the lives of those who insisted on living on the higher floors. The effort to maintain appearances, let alone airs, seemed like a lousy investment. Those with the most toys run out of garage space first. Those who insist on collecting the newest and most popular toys seem enslaved by their insistence. They seem forced to swim like sharks, watchful and wary, more predator than prey. I pity the people who can no longer tolerate flying commercial. Those who tout the power that accompanies their position tend to be the ones who only incompetently fulfill their position. The honorable public servant never once feels compelled to say, "Hey! Look at me!" They remain contentedly invisible.

Our incumbent and his cadre seem to have been schooled in the opposite of culture. I suspect that the clubs they belong to do not promote honor or duty but something more akin to conspicuous consumption. These types gleefully pay more for the designer label. They seem inherently wasteful. They see the world in externalities that do not affect them because they cannot touch them. They exist on a plane above suffering. They do not know the true meaning of want. They know only desire and acquire the means for satisfaction. They might not light their cigar with thousand-dollar bills, but they might just as well. They perceive themselves as better than others, almost as if representing the very crown of creation. To the victors go the spoils, they proclaim as they belly up to another in an endless line of high-end bars, spoiled rotten to their core. Every night's another celebration. Every morning's another reinforcement. The role of Master of the Universe carries its eventual punishment.

The higher one rises, the further one has to fall. Our incumbent seems suspended in hot air at the moment. Most of what he's tried has exceeded his authority. However long he remains elevated, he will fall for longer. He will be the last one to notice. Those who sincerely believe themselves superior constantly undermine themselves. Their story's as ageless as a pillar of salt. Some accuse the opposition of being sanguine instead of activist. This administration, incapable of administering anything, has been working overtime to undermine their already tenuous position. They will exit on the same horse they rode in on.

©2025 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

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