The man, who would be recognized as “The Legend” in the near future, a national treasure in the US/Canadian Territories, stood, sans clothing, in the middle of the classroom, quite unembarrassed.
Samuel, an art student, was standing next to him, and indicated the fifty-something-year-old man. “I met him a few months ago. I have come to expect very odd things from him. I don’t know if I can tell you I will ever like him, but I just might respect him. I asked him if he wanted to pose nude for my art class. I had already cleared it with Professor Delaney. He said he loves nudism, and promptly said ‘yes.’”
Professor Delaney spoke to the nude model. “Thank you for coming. Students, begin when you are ready.”
The model said, “Do I need to be silent, or can I speak?”
The teacher was slightly taken aback. “Oh. No, go right ahead. Freedom of Speech is mandated by our respective governments, right class?”
The nude man smiled and then looked across the room, gazing at each and every one of them. He thought it was important to discuss with them The Freedom of Speech Act that the US/Canadian Territories had passed a hundred years ago. When he finished, some students rose to be heard.
A young woman was first. “This is an art class, not government, right?”
“I agree. But, tolerance is one thing and censorship is another. Most folks want to censor me once I begin. I won’t mind.”
Professor Delaney interjected. “We won’t ask you to stop.”
He smiled with a toothy malevolence. “We’ll see. We’ll see.” He put his clothes in neat piles and sat on a chair to pose.
An attentive student had a recording device, and for some reason, he pushed the RECORD button. The situation amused him and he thought it would be interesting to hear what the old man said. He made sure, after hearing the man recite the first chapter with memorized perfection, to always have his recording device for each class. It is entirely because of this student that we have the manuscript intact.
The old man opened his mouth and, word-for-word, this is exactly what he said: