PEQUENA ANTOLOGIA GOIABAL 33

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

"This tale was told by Father Brown to Professor Crake, the celebrated criminologist, after dinner at a club, where the two were introduced to each other as sharing a harmless hobby of murder and robbery. But, as Father Brown's version rather minimized his own part in the matter, it is here re-told in a more impartial style. It arose out of a playful passage of arms, in which the professor was very scientific and the priest rather skeptical. 'My good sir', said the professor in remonstrance, 'don't you believe that criminology is a science?' 'I'm not sure', replied Father Brown. 'Do you believe that hagiology is a science?' 'What's that?' asked the specialist sharply. 'No; it's not the study of hags, and has nothing to do with burning witches', said the priest, smiling. 'It's the study of holy things, saints and so on. You see, the Dark Ages tried to make a science about good people. But our own humane and enlightened age is only interested in a science about bad ones. Yet I think our general experience is that every conceivable sort of man has been a saint. And I suspect you will find, too, that every conceivable sort of man has been a murderer'."

(Esse é o começo de "The Man with Two Beards", conto incluído em "The Secret of Father Brown", 1927.)