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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael wrote:</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>Very, very well said, Gerald; and the parts I snipped about not letting
any focus on a college (or whatever) distract us from a focus on performing,
and on encouraging others to perform.[1]</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>[1] Yes, Robin. I know. I heard your argument that a college will
achieve that. You're very convincing, and I have nothing against that. I just
want to sew caution that the means doesn't become the end. I also would prefer
that we don't repeat the mistakes of history. Let's make all new ones, if we
must make any. :-)</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But I haven't really communicated, evidently.
My argument is not merely that a college *will* achieve that. That's an
opinion about the future on which reasonable people might reasonably
disagree. I'm saying something far stronger. That the Queen's
College of Bards actually *did* do that. When the bards got together
regularly and worked on projects together, there were many more bards and many
more performing venues. That's a historical fact that any long-term
observer of the kingdom will recognize.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The mistakes made by the old College weren't that
it distracted us from performing, but that some members misrepresented it, as
Darius has chronicled. There was never a requirement or expectation that
members of the college would always wear their sashes, or even that all bards
would join the college. I generally only wore mine when acting officially
as Principal of the College, Premier Bard, or bard of a local
branch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robin of Gilwell / Jay
Rudin</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>