A spider and a flyi heard a spiderand a fly arguingwait said the flydo not eat mei serve a great purposein the worldyou will have toshow me said the spideri scurry aroundgutters and sewersand garbage canssaid the fly and gatherup the germs oftyphoid influenzaand pneumonia on my feetand wingsthen i carry these germsinto households of menand give them diseasesall the people whohave lived the rightsort of life recoverfrom the diseasesand the old soaks whohave weakened their systemswith liquor and iniquitysuccumb it is my missionto help rid the worldof these wicked personsi am a vessel of righteousnessscattering seeds of justiceand serving the noblest usesit is true said the spiderthat you are moreuseful in a ploddingmaterial sort of waythan i am but i do notserve the utilitarian deitiesi serve the gods of beautylook at the gossamer websi weave they float in the sunlike filaments of songif you get what i meani do not work at anythingi play all the timei am busy with the stuffof enchantment and the materialsof fairyland my workstranscend utilityi am the artista creator and demi godit is ridiculous to supposethat i should be deniedthe food i need in orderto continue to createbeauty i tell youplainly mister fly it is alldamned nonsense for that foodto rear up on its hind legsand say it should not be eatenyou have convinced mesaid the fly say no moreand shutting all his eyeshe prepared himself for dinnerand yet he said i couldhave made out a casefor myself too if i hadhad a better line of talkof course you could said the spiderclutching a sirloin from himbut the end would have beenjust the same if neither ofus had spoken at allboss i am afraid that whatthe spider said is trueand it gives me to thinkfuriously upon the futilityof literaturearchy .Don Marquis
About This Quote
A spider and a fly argue, wait for the fly. The fly says I am a great purpose in the world. The spider says that you will have to show me. The fly says I scurry around gutters and sewers and garbage cans.
The spider says that he gathers up the germs of typhoid fever and pneumonia on his feet and wing. Then he carries these germs into households of men and gives them diseases all the people who have lived the right sort of life recover from diseases, and the old soak who has weakened their system by liquor and iniquity succumbs it is my mission to help rid the world of these wicked persons. I am a vessel of righteousness scattering seeds of justice, serving the noblest uses.
It is true said the spider that you are more useful in a plodding material sort of way than I am but I do not serve the utilitarian deities. I serve the gods of beauty look at the gossamer webs I weave they float in the sun like filaments of song if you get what i mean I do not work at anything I play all the time, I am busy with the stuff of enchantment and the materialsof fairyland my work transcends utility I am the artist a creator and demi god it is ridiculous to suppose that I should be denied food to continue to create beauty i tell you plainly Mister Fly it is all damned nonsense for that food to rear up on its hind legs and say it should not be eaten you have convinced me said the fly say no more and shutting all his eyes he prepared himself for dinner and yet he said i could have made out a case for myself too if i had had a better line of talk.
Source: Archy And Mehitabel
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