Page:Tolstoy - Christianity and Patriotism.djvu/103

 Indeed, one has only to think what we profess both as Christians and simply as men of our age, to think of the moral principles by which we are guided in our social, family, and personal life, and then of the position in which, in the name of patriotism, we have put ourselves, to realize the extreme contradiction which we have reached between our conscience and that which through the concentrated efforts of the Government is considered as public opinion amongst us. One has but to reflect on the most ordinary requirements of patriotism, which are presented to us as something quite simple and natural, in order to realize how completely contradictory these requirements are of the real public opinion which we all share. We all consider ourselves free, educated, humane men and even Christians; and yet we all find ourselves in such a position that, if Mr. N. N. writes a spirited article on the Eastern question, or Prince So-and-so plunders some Bulgarians or Serbians, or some Queen or Empress takes offence at something, all of us educated, humane Christians must go and murder men whom we do not know and for whom we have only friendly feelings, as we have for all men. For the fact that this has not yet happened we are indebted, so we are assured, to Alexander III.'s love of peace or his son Nicholas's marriage with the granddaughter of Victoria. And if someone else comes in