by John Ashbrook Pierre Loti was the pseudonym of a French writer and naval hero of the last century. In his autobiography he tells of reading about some of the Roman Catholic saints of the past. In particular, he read of Simeon Stylites who lived on top of a pillar at Antioch for forty years and thereby gained a great reputation. Emulating his hero he got a tall stool, set it in the kitchen, and announced to his mother and [...]