If You Wear A Suit,

The Practice Of Our Democracy Depends On A Sense Of, And Knowledge Of, History In The Same Way That Playing In The World Series Requires A Bat And A Ball.

The Mystical Nature Of American Consumption Accounts For Its Joylessness. We Spend A Great Deal Of Time In Stores, But If We Don't Seem To Take Much Pleasure In Our Buying, It's Because We're Engaged In The Acts Of Sacrifice And Self-definition. Abashed In The Presence Of Expensive Merchandise, We Recognize Ourselves . . . As Suppliants Admitted To A Shrine.

Dissent Is What Rescues Democracy From A Quiet Death Behind Closed Doors.

The Playing Field Is More Sacred Than The Stock Exchange, More Blessed Than Capital Hill Or The Vaults Of Fort Knox. The Diamond And The Gridiron -- And, To A Lesser Degree, The Court, The Rink, The Track, And The Ring -- Embody The American Dream Of Eden.

Rumors And Reports Of Man's Relation With Animals Are The World's Oldest News Stories, Headlined In The Stars Of The Zodiac, Posted On The Walls Of Prehistoric Caves, Inscribed In The Languages Of Egyptian Myth, Greek Philosophy, Hindu Religion, Christian Art, Our Own Dna. Belonging Within The Circle Of Mankind's Intimate Acquaintance ... Constant Albeit Speechless Companions, They Supplied Energies Fit To Be Harnessed Or Roasted.