PATRIOTISM
AND
CHRISTIANITY
TO WHICH IS APPENDED
"A REPLY TO CRITICISMS" OF THE WORK
AND
A Letter called forth by the Venezuelan dispute between England and the United States.
BY
COUNT LEO TOLSTOY
With a Note to English Readers by
LONDON
WALTER SCOTT, LTD., PATERNOSTER SQUARE
1896
NOTE TO ENGLISH READERS.
In this remarkable work by Leo Tolstoy, which powerfully aroused European attention a year ago, the principle of "non-resistance," which is so often, by opponents, made to take a doctrinaire, or even absurd complexion, is seen in drastic application to the huge militarism under which the world groans. As reasonable people, following Tolstoy, we must ask: "What other principle of conduct than this, can possibly remove the incubus?"
To us, in England, the unusual contentions of this work may not seem so startling as to those who live under a system of compulsory military service. But a little thought reminds us that we also maintain hundreds of thousands of fighting-men, and that in paying taxes for government purposes, we are responsible for the appearance, upon the sea and in the field, of those whom Tolstoy might call "licensed murderers." So that the obligation of conscience raised by this book is equally binding upon all, whether Russian or English, French or American.
JOHN C. KENWORTHY.
March, 1896.
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.| Original: |
This work was published before January 1, 1927, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. |
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| Translation: |
This work was published before January 1, 1927 and it is anonymous or pseudonymous due to unknown authorship. It is in the public domain in the United States as well as countries and areas where the copyright terms of anonymous or pseudonymous works are 100 years or less since publication. |