Drinks on the House

“At the beginning, this faith [the democratic zeitgeist] was full of robust enthusiasm and was not at all shy or reluctant about imposing democratic standards, relying on the abundant capital inherited from the older Christian order. The prodigal son did not run out of money on his first day away from home. The democratic institutions established at that time were rigorous, and those who were content to look at short-term results could readily be impressed. For a time, when the prodigal son was buying drinks for the house, he looked like a wealthy man” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 32).