Goldberg's Recap of Last Night

From the Corner...

WASHINGTON & LEE [Jonah Goldberg]

I had a very nice time down in Lexington last night. The campus is beautiful. I gave my remarks in Lee Chapel which is stately, impressive and contains the remains of the whole Lee family from what I gather (the horse is somewhere nearby too). Giving a speech in a chapel, never mind this particular chapel, was a bit inhibiting when it comes to the usual porn jokes and what not. But I told them in Latin so only the really cool kids got them. My one regret is that I didn't get to make likee Cyrus in the "Warriors" and shout "Caaaaannnnn youuuuuu diiiiiiggggg it!?" even once. (Also, just for the record since I hear the W&L administration is fixated on Williams College, their chapel is nicer looking though less historic).

The crowd wasn't as big as I would have expected from a school which is allegedly the most conservative in the country (#2 actually after Grove City according to Princeton Review). Other impressions: as I anticipated, the students at first were painfully polite in the finest southern tradition (Mr. Goldberg this, Mr. Goldberg that) almost -- but not quite -- reaching that children-of-the-corn uniformity. But once they loosened up they were a very impressive bunch of kids and at least the ones I met are disturbingly up-to-speed on all things NRO. Brett Kirwan the young man who introduced me might as well have been parked outside my house in a gray Buick with a parabolic mic taking notes, he had so many G-philic details (that's G-phillic with two "i"s, one "l" an no "a"s). Lexington is a very charming little town from what I saw of it (which wasn't much). And, man, what a thriving gay community!

Anyway, thanks very much to Brett, Victoria Guroian (Chairwoman of the ominously titled "Welcoming Committee") and to the Young Americans Foundation and W&L Hillel (go figure!) for bringing me to campus.