The Unexpected Harte
JS Apsley
Archive
A collection of 1874 articles.
Lady Lazarus Worries Me
after Sylvia Plath Her poem’s zigzagging lines. Its shout buried in soap and fury. The admission of having tried it twice before, though it didn’t stick should have warned us. God, I wish someone had read it closer. Had known. Had said, Girl, get your head out of
The Many Lives of Thomas More
Scholars Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul examine the many competing interpretations of Thomas More, a historical figure of remarkable complexity and enduring interest, nearly five centuries after his death.
Discovered Cries
I thought my favorite sound was classical guitar: thin rosewood shaping pitches warm, round, bright. But yesterday a seagull called, quite loud, its high staccato song, forlorn, a tragic promise, hungry but resigned. My body opened, lightness spread through me, through chest, limbs, face, with muscles loosened; I rose with
Träumerei
Confronting the Honesty Crisis
Christian Miller, a Wake Forest professor and director of the inter-university Honesty Project, urges us to rediscover the virtue of honesty at a time when it is increasingly imperiled by artificial intelligence, online infidelity, and other temptations to deceive.
The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage (1874) by Edgar Degas
The young girls are like linen hanging out to dry, breeze-buffeted and slightly see-through. They pose, wait with awkwardly clasped hands, rehearse their steps. Upstage, just off-center, a ginger-haired ballerina pulls her hair away from the nape of her neck, perhaps caught mid-yawn or breathless
Showstopper
There I was torn chiffon & tarnished silk, the spotlight froze it all– dust settling from the warm light, eyes of serpents or fox or both, mouths agape & the announcer’s stuttering words. one hand over my breast, the other holding the remains of my gown; I still feel
Mood Swings
A tear (drop) through my eye lands on the machinery of my cheek And sparks shoot off of my crackling face The mask distorts in unnatural twitch A pole in my brain spins and spits ribbons of storm as a giant flying carousel rises from the top of my head
Unicorn Summer
Johanna Elattar
The Best Laid Plans
Robert Jakucs
Godsend
Davor Mondom
The Social Wealth Men Without College Degrees Need
Bruno V. Manno argues that men without college degrees need more than job training or credentials. They need “social wealth”: relationships, mentors, institutions, and pathways that help them build stable, connected lives rather than be left behind.
Pericles the Eccentric
Pericles is remembered as Athens’ great democratic statesman and orator. But as Cambridge University classicist Paul Cartledge argues, his private life—especially his relationship with Aspasia—also reveals him as one of antiquity’s most distinctive, even eccentric, figures.
It Was Not Trump Who Started the Iran War
Trump’s critics accuse him of abandoning his peace platform by striking Iran. Walter Block and Frank Tipler argue instead that the United States is finally answering decades of Iranian aggression—and that force may be necessary to restore peace
In the Digital Age, the Need to Remain Human Is Stronger Than Ever
Patricia Martin joins Jonathan Church to discuss her new book that brings Jung’s ideas about the self and the persona into the age of social media and AI. Although concerned about technology’s toll on personal identity, she argues that AI may yet have a liberating power.
Sepulchress
Digging beneath the dirt of my body is the only way I know to escape it: its fatal birdcage, its sung prison of bones. And as I labor You tell me of all the women who failed to listen, how now they are enshrouded in salt pillars & sunken in
The Bubble
Philip Dean Walker
Roberta's Little Creatures
An ekphrastic of Roberta Hahn Edward's 2025 watercolor of a "Little Creature" She started when still quite young, creating little husks of life on watercolor paper, bringing them into being, wringing them from pores in the sheet, bright and strange little monsters, never mean or dirty
The Oldest New Idea
What, if anything, do Catholicism and critical theory have in common? Both hold that texts cannot be read without an authoritative interpretive framework. But where the former grounds that authority in the divine, the latter are left wandering in the wilderness, writes Stuart Doyle.
Repression in Tanzania Demands the World’s Attention
Under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s longstanding reputation for relative stability is over, writes teacher Tony Njoroge. Journalists are being arrested, opposition leaders disappeared, and protesters shot. This urgently demands the world’s attention.
Severed Hearts / Murdered Brains
Constitutional Distortion and America's National Debt
As America’s debt nears $39 trillion, policymakers debate spending while ignoring a deeper question: Is much of modern federal spending constitutionally authorized? William J. Watkins, Jr. argues expansive readings of the General Welfare and Commerce Clauses helped create today’s crisis.
an ode to Maybe
a Close Family Friend has an adage: never trade a definitive Yes for a Maybe He never said a continuation for what I should do when the potential Maybe represents Everything I Want not that I want to leave Everything and Everyone I know for an Unknown but that the
COLLECTION V
Dear Member, We are pleased to present to you the latest issue of our magazine. Merion West's fifth Collection is available for your reading enjoyment by following the link below: ▷ Read COLLECTION V Sincerely, Henri & Erich
Ecdysis
COLLECTION V
Published April 20, 2026
Is There a Problem with Our Generic Drugs?
Everyone knows that drug costs are high, but can they also be too low? In a seeming paradox, concerned observers are saying yes. Despite growing evidence that patients face undue risk, changing the status quo remains difficult for politicians and healthcare leaders alike.
The Right’s Caricature of the Neocons
Have neocons received their fair shake? Neoconservatism is increasingly dismissed by critics on the Right as insufficiently conservative, if not outright evil. However, many of these critiques rest on a fundamental misunderstanding of the movement and its intellectual history, writes Simon Maass.
Still Life
Her Plastic Heart
Disintegration
Thank You, Governor Murphy
Education professor Karen M. Prince draws attention to another urgent quality of life issue: the danger posed to pedestrians by reckless E-bike use. She praises officeholders in both New Jersey and Florida for their efforts on this issue—a policy matter that so far has been notably bipartisan.
Here’s to the Cardinal Puff
My wife and I put out seeds to feed the little critters in our courtyard: wrens and juncos, mourning doves, squirrels, chipmunks, now and then a rabbit. This morning a cardinal. That reminded me of Cardinal Puff, a drinking game we used to play on Okinawa back in 1968; I’
The Islamic Republic Cannot Be “Defanged”
The debate over how to “defang” the Islamic Republic of Iran presupposes that the regime’s conduct can be separated from its character. Pierre Rehov contends that the regime’s very nature precludes any effort to compel it toward a more moderate course.
Dinner
On the Death of Ali Khamenei
Muzainy Shahiefisally, a member of the Iranian diaspora, reflects on the death of Ali Khamenei at the hands of Israeli bombs and the brutal legacy of repression the late Supreme Leader leaves behind. But could this mark a new beginning for the Iranian people?
Desire in Ten Parts
Josh Hammer on the Civil War Inside the GOP
Last month, our publisher, Henri Mattila, was joined by Newsweek's senior editor-at-large, Josh Hammer. During the conversation, the lawyer-turned-pundit shares his characteristically pointed views on a range of topics, especially on the escalating feud over the future of the Republican Party.
Landscape
Why We Have Banned Social Media for Our Child
As debates swirl in legislatures around the world about restricting children's social media use, senior editor Jonathan Church offers his own experience raising a daughter while limiting screens.
There Is No Universal "We"
In an age shaped by humanitarian universalism, what are the philosophical roots of the modern Western “We”? Are they as inevitable—or defensible—as we assume? Benedict Beckeld examines the theological and philosophical foundations of this notion and asks whether they should be reconsidered.
Ben Sasse’s Dignity in the Face of Death
In December, former Senator Ben Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the months since, the courage and dignity with which he has faced his diagnosis have been deeply inspiring. In this essay, Erich J. Prince shares what he has learned from the father of three.
Allegiance or Accident? The Supreme Court and Birthright Citizenship
Legal scholar William J. Watkins, Jr. examines the constitutional history of birthright citizenship and offers his prediction for how the Supreme Court may rule on the challenge to Executive Order 14160.
Scattering, Over and Over Now
What Tennessee Williams Saw Before the Assisted Dying Trend
University of Rochester lecturer Robert Rich turns to Tennessee Williams’s final play to challenge a culture that regards the elderly as burdens—a view now finding expression in public policy.
A New Era in Science? An Interview with NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
Once sidelined by the scientific establishment, the former Stanford professor now leads the world’s largest funding body for biomedical research. This month, Dheeraj Baji spoke with Dr. Bhattacharya about his philosophical beliefs and his ambition to spark a new scientific revolution.
The Poetry of Ma Dai
Gowpen & Undertow
Do We Need a New Deal for the Twenty-First Century?
Your eyes are not deceiving you: Life has gotten very expensive for most Americans. In an interview with Jonathan Church, law professor A. Mechele Dickerson looks to the mid-twentieth century for possible lessons on how to improve the lot of the middle class.
Collection IV
Dear Reader, We are pleased to present to you the latest issue of our magazine. Merion West's fourth Collection is available for your reading enjoyment by following the link below: ▷ Read COLLECTION IV Sincerely, Henri & Erich
Paper Birds at the Crosswalk
Equilibrio Instabile
COLLECTION IV
Published February 3, 2026
Observance
Swimming
Leadore
The Word Made Flesh
With Every Classmate I’ve Lost, I Feel like I’ve Failed a Test
Inflection Point
Nigeria Needs to Heal Itself, but the United States Can Help
Tom McDonough, who has spent considerable time in Nigeria, contends that the country's problems go beyond the headlines regarding the persecution of Christians. Rather than American bombs, Nigeria needs American guidance on political reform.
Here To There
A Conversation with Salvator Rosa
Please Stop the Profanity
Education professor Karen M. Prince expresses her disenchantment with the pervasiveness of profanity in contemporary life. Sadly, even the presence of children is typically not enough to discourage swearing. She asks us to consider holding our tongues when tempted to let the expletives fly.
A Life Made Unlivable: Prejudice Takes on a New Meaning in Africa
The West has long abandoned draconian measures to enforce morality, guided by the belief that every individual—sinner and saint alike—has dignity. In this personal story, Tony Njoroge reminds us of the consequences of twisting moral concern into hatred, a cost still borne in parts of Africa.
The Poet as Thief
“Donc le poète est vraiment voleur de feu.” — Arthur Rimbaud Was Prometheus a poet? Rimbaud says he was, stealing fire from the gods: technology, knowledge, human arts and sciences. He paid a terrible price for his audacity. Whatever was he thinking? Look what we have done with what he gave
The Age of Self-Capital: Work, Identity, and Artificial Intelligence
As AI reshapes labor markets, the most valuable forms of work are no longer tasks but traits. Al Binns examines how AI accelerates a system in which personality and identity are increasingly monetized. The question is not whether work will disappear but what kind of human life will remain.
Wilfred McClay: The Civilizational Role of the Bible in the American Founding
As controversy swirls within the conservative movement regarding the role of Judaism and Jewish Americans in the history of the country, Wilfred McClay and Stuart Halpern's book makes clear that the Old Testament was one of the guiding lights of the early United States.
Three States Triptych
The 7th Burial Mound
Teaching Students to Think for Themselves Is Never Apolitical
Journalism professor Robert Jensen considers how educators should handle contentious politics in the classroom, from the Iraq War to more recent American actions in Venezuela. He argues that honest disclosure of one's interpretive framework is essential to teaching students to think critically.
How the High School Diploma Can Restore Its Credibility
Despite soaring education costs, literacy among young people is declining. Education expert Bruno V. Manno explains how diplomas became detached from actual skills while offering a practical blueprint—informed by encouraging stories from across the country—for reversing the decline.
The Forty-Ninth Year
Unraveling
Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)
Live from the Hadal Zone
Ten Notable Articles from 2025
As is tradition at our magazine, senior editor Jonathan Church offers his selections of the ten articles published in 2025 that most deserve to be reread and reconsidered.
Are We Ready to Be Governed by Artificial Intelligence?
Experts Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders explore how Artificial Intelligence is already shaping the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, showing that we are already, at least in part, governed by AI—with more likely to come.
Reflecting on Tragedy: From Brown University to Bondi Beach
Senior editor Jonathan Church, writing in the wake of horrific shootings in Rhode Island and Australia, reflects on the death of his own mother, wringing meaning from tragedy, and what it is to live in a grief-laden world.
Grace
Reflection: My Interview of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Then-contributing editor Vahaken Mouradian’s May, 2021 interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali has taken on increasing urgency amid the growing number of reports of rape in Europe by migrants, especially as two Afghan asylum seekers were sentenced this week for the assault on a 15-year-old English girl.
Animal Instinct
Today a Cooper’s Hawk perched itself outside our bedroom window on a low branch of a small tree not twenty feet away. The courtyard of our condo complex. Frequented by all sorts of wildlife: sparrows and wrens, mourning doves, juncos, hummingbirds, now and then a cardinal, chipmunks, rabbits, lots
Fresh Off the Press: Collection III
Dear Member, On this frosty Philadelphia afternoon, we are pleased to present to you the latest issue of our magazine. Merion West's third collection is available for your reading enjoyment–by a fireplace, perhaps–by following the link below: ▷ Read COLLECTION III Sincerely, Henri & Erich
COLLECTION III
Published December 8, 2025
Can "Deliberative Polling" Solve Polarization?
As Washington emerges from a historic shutdown, Stanford’s James Fishkin outlines how Deliberative Polling offers a path toward rebuilding trust across the partisan divide. His decades of work suggest that genuine deliberation can still depolarize American politics.
Why Charles Murray Is Taking Religion Seriously
One of America’s best-known political scientists has been turning his attention to religion. In this interview, Charles Murray discusses his new book and the slow, unexpected path that took him from reluctantly attending Quaker meetings to defending the veracity of many religious claims.
Wonder Me
Orchard Season
Pray Silence (The Mind of the Meeting)
Three Elegies for the Everyday
Public Servant in Name Only: Rob Bresnahan Hardly Alone
A young congressman elected on promises of integrity has quickly become one of Washington’s most prolific stock traders, writes editor-in-chief Erich J. Prince. Is it any wonder why so many Americans feel nothing ever really changes at the Capitol?
Why We Should Return to Ivan Turgenev’s "Fathers and Sons"
In this essay, Sadhika Pant helps us to see why Turgenev’s fourth novel remains the most enduring portrait of Russia’s 19th-century ideological storm. More than a mere history, the novel continues to resonate as an antidote to the revolutionary spirits of today.
FLATLAND
In the Valles Caldera
If Being Virtuous Feels Easy, It Could Be Junk
Although no one likes to admit to doing it, virtue signaling is a practice that is a natural part of being a human. Yet, in this essay, philosopher Jimmy Alfonso Licon advises caution by comparing the practice to the culinary equivalent of junk food–tempting but counterproductive.
Bubble of Loneliness
Agnosticism Is Not Reasonable
Refusal to make a choice is a choice of its own. Although often presented as the intellectually humble third option between belief and atheism, Stuart Doyle argues that agnosticism presents a false middle path that is neither coherent nor practical.