Ride through the silent earthquake lands,
Wide as a waste is wide,
Across these days like deserts, when
Pride and a little scratching pen
Have dried and split the hearts of men,
Heart of the heroes, ride.
- G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse
I taught English literature at Eton College in the UK before I was fired in a free speech furore over a defe…