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	October 2004
		Editor's angle by Sheelagh Wegman
			Beneath the surface Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is a book that should be read often; like Tolstoy's War and Peace, which some people re-read every few years. The popular musical version of Hugo's book focusses on a love story set in a time of immense upheaval in France after the Napoleonic wars; the book tells much, much more and examines the 'big themes' - love, greed, power, redemption, forgiveness. It also discusses - in great detail - the sewers of Paris. Thinking about this book, I had another sideways mind-lurch when I heard some enthusiasts saying how they spend their weekends travelling through the sewers and tunnels beneath our big cities. They described the fascination of the dark, damp mazes of small tunnels and large caverns that run beneath city streets. Sometimes street signs indicate what's above; and there is helpful graffiti: 'worth following', or 'don't bother with this one', or 'dead-end'. Protective boots and clothing are sensible requirements; claustrophobia is a liability. But essential is a light - no sunshine here. Some people move cautiously and carry a simple lantern that softly illuminates a circle around itself, showing just a small area at a time; others prefer a bright headtorch that can beam far ahead, revealing a bigger picture. Maybe there's another dimension to this. On our 'subterranean soul-journey' we could take a lantern and stay snug within its small circle of light. But if we use a strong-beamed torch we may see far beyond our own small corner, and be guided by the light. That light can show where the safe path lies, and will reveal the signposts and the deadends, the potholes and the slippery steps on the way. Which would we use on our pilgrimage. . .? Correction to September's Editor's Angle. It was Arthur Stace who wrote the word 'Eternity' on the streets of Sydney, not Albert Stacey.