Thursday 16 February 2017

Tuesday, 14 February 2017, Nestor, Episode 2 (2.351)

The reading stopped at "Old England is dying."

Penguin 41.17, Gabler 2.351
...
Stephen has been teaching Roman History to a class. He poses some questions but no intelligent answer is forthcoming. Even Stephen's thoughts are not on teaching. His mind wanders. He thinks of Milton, of Aristotle, .. Finally the period is over, most of the kids run out, except for Sargent, who has been told by Mr. Deasy, the headmaster, to do Sums all over again, and show them to Stephen. Stephen (he could after all prove by algebra that Shakespeare's ghost is Hamlet's grandfather!) helps the boy.
When that is over, Stephen goes to Mr. Deasy's office. It is salary day. The headmaster is in a talking mood. Moreover, he wants Stephen to use his influence and get a letter (about the cattle foot and mouth disease) of his published in the newspaper.
Lecturing on the importance of the letter, Mr. Deasy vents his anti-semitic views: "England is in the hands of the jews.... And they are the signs of a nation's decay.... As sure as we are standing here the jew merchants are already at their work of destruction. Old England is dying."