Long ago before the personal computer, in the days when journalism students used typewriters, carbon paper and stubby pencils, a semi-bright young man found himself studying at the nation’s greatest university, The University of Illinois, Urbana.
Yes, it was yours truly, starting out as a cub reporter. And getting an assignment for a major feature story, I asked the question thousands of students had asked before me and probably have asked after me: How long should it be?
Like all those other thousands, I saw the eyes of my professor/editor roll under his green eyeshade as he said: As long as it takes to properly tell the story, no longer and no shorter.
That is the sort of response that passes for editorial wisdom (at least in the good old days).
These days I often get the question: How long is the revision of the Legion constitutions going to take?
And I find myself searching for my green eyeshade and thinking that the answer is a little like how long a story should be: As long as it takes to get it right, no longer and no shorter.
The leaders of the Catholic Church and journalism professors may not have much in common. But both realize that the search for truth isn’t always on a precise schedule. There isn’t always a good answer to, “when are we gonna get there?”
When will the review of the constitutions be complete? When will the Legion hold its extraordinary general chapter? When will everything be done?
I don’t know. But I believe the timing will be just what it ought to be.
Jim, your love of your alma mater is very commendable and no doubt right in line with Saint Thomas’s thinking on piety (and patriotism). I would just note for the record that UI now has one of the great if the not the greatest (pace Judge Posner), law and economics professors at their law school, Larry Ribstein, whose blog in its latest form can be found here: http://truthonthemarket.com/