My fellow inhabitants of this planet, who call yourselves descendants of an ancient prophet, in your hands and not in ours is the momentous issue of religious war.

The West will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath in heaven to destroy us, while we shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend.

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this immense planet, will yet swell the chorus of the West, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

This was paraphrased from another great prophet (Abraham Lincoln) many scores ago who tried in vain to stem the tide of a future conflict.

P.F. Sturdivant

Standish


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.