The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 15
Book Battles
Activity on the streets increased as Jonathan continued toward
the centre of town. Mices followed him at a distance. Here was
a cat with a purpose – to catch every rat or uncover any food possible.
He covered three times the distance that Jonathan did, exploring
back alleys, garbage cans, and crawl spaces. The cat’s yellow
hair grew dusty and shabby, despite his constant grooming.
Well-dressed individuals with preoccupied expressions marched
or knee-shuffl ed briskly along the pavements. Crossing a large open
square, Jonathan encountered an elderly man and a young woman
having a vicious shouting match. They cursed and shouted, waving
their arms violently in the air. Jonathan joined a small gathering of
bystanders to see what the fi ght was all about.
Just as the police arrived to pull them apart, Jonathan tapped the
shoulder of a frail old woman leaning on a cane and inquired, “Why
are they so angry with each other?”
The woman had deep wrinkles and creases across her face and
hands. She regarded young Jonathan carefully before replying in a
thin quavering voice. “These two rowdies have been screaming at
each other for years about the books in the Council library. The man
always complains that many of the books are full of trashy sex and
immorality. He wants those books taken out and burned, while she
reacts by calling him a ‘pompous puritan’ ”
“She wants to read those books?” asked Jonathan.
“Well, not exactly,” snickered a tall man, kneeling nearby. A
little girl stood at his side. “She complains about different books.
She claims that many of the books in the library have a sexist and
racist bias.”
“Daddy, Daddy, what is ‘bias’?” pleaded the little girl while
tugging at his shoulder.