In 1919, famed author Rudyard Kipling published his poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings” as a warning against progressivism (or in his day, Fabian socialism). Today. it reads more like prophecy. Glenn reads the poem, which describes a world that has denied reality, bought into a promise of peace (if only they surrender their weapons to the elites), and where “our women had no more children and our men had lost reason and faith.” Sound familiar? But the poem hasn’t been fully fulfilled yet. The next stop is a place where “we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy.” This is our last chance, Glenn warns, before “‘the gods of the copybook headings,’ — the TRUTH — ‘with terror and slaughter return.’”
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: You know, when we were riding the Overton window, found this poem from Rudyard Kipling, which has been an absolute favorite of mine ever since. I had never heard it before. It's only published in one book.
And it's because it's a warning against the progressives. Or in his case, the Fabian socialists.
And I remember reading it. And thinking, wow. Look what's coming.
And now, almost all of it has been done. Just to show you where we are, in this cycle. That Kipling saw back around World War I. And then put into a poem to remind people, it's going to come again. It's called the gods of the copybook headings. And copybook headings used to be things that were at the top of your writing book. When you had to practice penmanship. And it would be in cursive. And it would say, God is good. Water will wet. Fire will burn.
Things that were all true. And everybody knew they were true. Those were called the copybook headings.
And he warned of a time, when all of those things, that everybody knows is true, is destroyed.
And lost. And I just want you to -- and he protects how it ends. Let me just read this to you, again. And just, Pat.
Notice how much we may not have even understood. There's a couple of lines in here. I don't think I really. Understood, until recently.
As I passed through my incarnations, in every age and race, I make my proper protestations to the gods of the marketplace.
Peering through reverent fingers, I watch them flourish and fall. And the gods of the copybook headings I noticed, outlast them all.
So as you're watching what man is doing in the market and everything else, it just -- mistakes are made. And it just keeps going. But truth outlasts. He said, we were living in the trees, when they met us.
They showed us each in turn, that water would certainly wet us, as fire would certainly burn.
But we found them lacking, in uplift and vision and breaths of mind.
So we left them to teach the gorillas, while we followed the march of mankind. That one.
You know, this is unburdening yourself on what has been. You know. You -- let's -- let's reimagine a world, this way.
And leave behind every truth, that we have known from the past. We moved as the spirit listed. But they never altered their pace. Being neither cloud nor wind born, like the gods of the marketplace. But they always caught up with our progress. And presently word would come. That a tribe would be wiped out, off its ice field. Or the lights would have gone off in Rome. With the hopes that our world was built on -- that they were utterly out of touch. After all, they denied that the moon was stilten. They denied she was even Dutch.
Think of this. We're building a world right now, where we hope, you know, the idea is that all these old-fashioned -- old-fashioned ideas like, men are men. Women are women.
And they can't change sexes just by saying it. That is building a world, on hoping that those things are just -- just gone and be out of touch. Look at. The truth is denying the fact that a man can be pregnant.
They denied the mood was stilten. They denied she was even Dutch. They denied that wishes were horses. They denied that a pig had wings.
So we worshiped the gods of the market. Who promised us all of these beautiful things.
When the Cambrian measure years were forming, they promised perpetual peace. Which, who is promising peace? Who has been saying, even now, as we're on the verge of nuclear war.
That the other side will bring war. And they are bringing peace, and the world closer together.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons.
Isn't that weird? So they're promising perpetual peace.
Ask then that same side. Is the one trying to take your weapons away from you. They promised perpetual peace.
They swore if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease. But when we disarmed, they sold us, and delivered us, bound to our foe. And the gods of the copybook heading said, stick to the devil you know.
Are we not being bound and sold to our foes?
Are we not being bound right now, and sold to the highest bidder in China?
On the first feminine sandstones, we were promised the fuller life, which started by loving our neighbor. And ended by loving his wife.
Now, listen to this line. Until our women had no more children. And the men had lost reason and faith.
Are we not there?
And the gods of the copybook heading said, the wages of sin is death.
In the carnivorous epoch, we were promised abundance for all, by robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul.
But though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy.
You are about to feel that bigly. We have plenty of money. Meaning, your dollar is being inflated. You'll have more and more dollars. But you won't be able to buy anything with them. And the gods of the copybook heading said, if you do not work, you die.
Did you see that new report out that talked about what happened with COVID-19.
All of the money, that we printed, which inflated our dollar. To bail people out.
How it went to buy, you know, Hellcats and all kinds -- nobody saved that money. Nobody really saved and spent that money on anything that was rational or reasonable.
Most of the people went and used that PPP cash, and they bought things that they shouldn't have been buying.
The gods of the market, then the gods of the market tumbled. And their smooth tongued wizards withdrew.
Think of Tony Fauci. And all the economic experts. And the hearts of the meanest were humbled.
And began to believe that it was true.
That all is not gold that glitters. And two and two do make four.
And the gods of the copybook headings leapt up to explain it once more. We are right here. This is where we are in this poem now. We are at the place, waiting for the gods of the market to tumble. They almost did this week.
And have the hearts of the meanest turn around and go, wait a minute. This is -- this stuff matters.
As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of man.
There are only four things certain since social progress began.
That the dog returns to his vomit and the so you returns to her mire. And the burnt fool's bandaged finger goes wobbling back to the fire. And after all of this is accomplished and the Brave New World begins, it's, again, where we are.
We have this last choice. Are we going to go to a global government?
Are we going to go and listen to all these experts? Who are denying that things are true.
And promising us that wishes are horses?
When all men are paid for existing.
And no man must pay for his sins.
As surely as water will wet us. As surely as fire will burn. The gods of the copybook headings, the truth with terror and slaughter return.
(music)
It is -- I think of this poem all the time now.
Because it is -- its prophecy. It's poetic prophecy.
From a guy who wasn't a prophet.
He just lived through it. And then came out, and wrote a poem. And said, warning.
You cannot -- you cannot disregard the truth anymore.
