The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-30
THOU SHALT NOT KILL
Count ToIstOy Discusses the Modern
World and Its Wars.

World and Its Wars.
When Kings are tried and executed like
Charles I, Louis XVI. Macmillan of Next
CO. OF killed in palace conspiracy like
Peter III, Paul, and all kinds of Sultans,
Shahs, and Khans, the event is generally
passed over in silence. But when one OF
them is killed without trial, and not
by palace conspiracy, like Henry Nv,
Alexander II, Carnot, the Empress Of Aus
tria, the Shah OF Persia, and just now
King Humbert, then such murder causes
great surprise and Indignation among
Kings and Emperors, and those attached
to them, as II these persons were the
never profited by murder, never
took part in it, and never gave orders to
commit 1t. And yet the kindest Of these
murdered Kings, such as Alexander III or
Humhert. were guilty of the murder OF
tens OF thousands of persons killed en- the
battlefield. not to mention these executed
at home: while hundreds OF thousands,
even millions, of people have been killed.
hanged, beaten to death. or shot, by the
more cruel Kings and Emperors.
Christ's teaching cancels the law. IAN
eye for an eye. tooth for a TOOTH" but
those men who have kept to that law and
still keep to it. act upon II by furnishing
and carrying on wars; and not only an
eye for an eye," but give orders to kill
thousands without any provocation by de-
olaring war; they have M right to be in
6ignant when the same law is applied to
themselves in SO inflniteslmal measure
that hardly one king or emperor gets kill
ed to a hundred Thousand. perhaps to a
million, ordinary people killed by the or
der or with the consent of kings and en-
perors.
Kings and emperors should not be in
dignant when such murders as that Of
Alexander II or Rumbert occur. but
should, on the contrary. be surprised that
such murders are SO rare, considering the
continual and universal example OF COM
hitting murders they themselves set the
people.
Kings and emperors are surprised and
Mortified when one of themselves is muir
dered. and yet the whole of their activity
consists In managing murder and prepar-
ing for murder. The keeping up, the
teaching and exercising of armies with
which kings and emperors are always SO
much occupied, and of which they ale the
organizers, what is it but preparation for
murder?
The masses are so hypnotized that,
though they see what Is continually going
on around them. they do not understand
what IL means. They see the uneeasing
care Kings, Emperors, and Presidents be-
stow on disciplined armies, see the par
AIDES, reviews, and maneuyres they hold,
and of which they boast to one another.
. " n
their own brothers, dressed up in bright
coIored. giittering clothes, are turned into
machines 10 the sound. of drums and
Il unpets, and who. obedient to the shout
ing of one man, all make the same move
meats and they do not understand the
meaning of 1t all.
Yet the meaning OF such drilling is very
clear and simple. 1t is preparing for muir
der 1t means the Supplying of men In
order to convert them into instruments for
And it is just Kings and Emperors and
Presidents who do 1t, and organize 1t, and
pride themselves on it. And these same
people whose special employment is MUIR
der-organizing who have made murder
their profession. who dress in military
uniforms, who carry weapons swords at
their side, are horror-struck and indig-
nant when one of themselves is killed.
1t is not because such murders as the
recent murder of Humhert are exception
ally cruel that they are so terrible. Things
done by the order of Kings and Emperors,
not only in the days of old. such as the
massacre of st. Bartholomew, persecu-
tions for faith, terrible sFays of putting
down peasant riots, but also the present
executions, the torture of solitary coEfine-
ments and disciplinary tattalions, hang
ing, decapitation, shooting and slaughter
at the wars, are incomparably more cruel
than the murders committed by Anar-
chists.
II is not on account Of their injustice
that these murders are terrible. II Alex
ander and Humbert did net deserve death,
the thousands otRussians who persisted at
pleyna, and of Italians who persisted in
deserved it even less. No, IL
is not because OF their cruelty and injus-
tice these murders are terrible, but be-
cause of the want of reason in those who
perpetrate them.
If the regiciees commit murder under
the influence OF their feeling of indigna-
tion evoked by witnessing the sufferings
of the enslaved people, for which suffer-
ings they hold Alexander ii, Carnot, or
Humbert responsible. or by the personal
feeling of desire for revenge, however i'm
moral such persons conduct may be, still
it is comprehensive; but how can an or
ganized body of Anarchists by whom, as it
is now reported, Bresci was sent out. and
by whom another Emperor was threaten
ed. how can it, quietly considering means
of Improvement of the condition of the
people, the killing of whom is as nz sful
as cutting of one OF the Hydras heads?
Kings and Emperors have long estab-
lished a system resembling the arrange
ment of the magazine rifle e., as soon
as one bullet flies out another takes its
place. lie roi est mort-vive lie roit''
Then what is the use of killing them? 1t
Is only from q most superficial point OF
view that the murder of such persons can
seem means of saving the people from
oppression and wars, which destroy their
ives.
We need only remember that the same
x.nd of oppression and war went on quite |
of those who stood at the |
head Of the Government, whether it was |
Nicholas or Alexander, Louis or Napoleon, |
frederic or William, Palmerston or Glad |
stone. Mckinley or anyone else, to see |
hat it is not some definite person who !
,auses the oppression and the wars from |
which the people suffer.
The misery OF the people is not caused |
~ individuals. but by an order of society |
~ which they are bound together in a |
way that puts them in the power of a
ew, or more often one man; man so de-
,ray:d by his unnatural position of hay-
~, the fate ara lives of millions of peo-
Ia in his power that he is always in an |
state. and suffering more or |
eas from a mania of self-aggrandize
nent, which is not noticed in him only be-
ause of his exceptional position.
Apart from the fact that such men are
urrounded from the cradle to the grave
" the most insane luxury and its usual
of flattery and servility.