"The beautiful is as useful as the useful."

Sometimes I am refreshed with affirmations of beauty’s value in the most unexpected places. Like last night as I was reading Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. I was reading about a conversation between Monseigneur Charles-Francois-Benvienu Myriel (the Bishop of Digne in 1815) and one of his housemates, Mme Magloire. They were talking about the garden.

Mme Magliore once said teasingly to him: “Monseigneur, you believe in making use of everything, but this fourth plot is wasted. Salads are more useful than flowers.”

“You are wrong,” replied the bishop. “The beautiful is as useful as the useful.” Then, after a pause, he added, “More so, perhaps.”

Wonderful! And so true!

Thoughts?