“Those countries in Europe which are still influenced by priests, are exactly the countries where there is still singing and dancing and coloured dresses and art in the open-air. Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground. Christianity is the only frame which has preserved the pleasure of Paganism. We might fancy some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. So long as there was a wall round the cliff's edge they could fling themselves into every frantic game and make the place the noisiest of nurseries. But the walls were knocked down, leaving the naked peril of the precipice. They did not fall over; but when their friends returned to them they were all huddled in terror in the centre of the island; and their song had ceased.”

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About G.K. Chesterton

English Christian apologist and writer

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English Christian apologist and writer. He was a major presence in early 20th-century literature, known for his wit, his fondness for paradox, and his defence of tradition. His work and public writing were shaped by a style that often turned ideas on their head to make a point. He is remembered for arguments grounded in Christian belief and for a voice that was sharp, playful, and attentive to older social and cultural traditions.

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