War Originates in Selfishness

Reverend Francis RitchieMiscellanyLeave a Comment

War originates in selfishness, which prompts man to trample on the rights of his fellow-man, and avail himself of his fortune. War has destroyed the lives of 10,000,000,000 (ten billions) of the human family. The wealth that has been destroyed or wasted by war, cannot be counted in dollars, but it would be sufficient to feed and clothe the whole human family, for five hundred years, or it would meet all the expenses of every benevolent society for a thousand years to come. The influence of war upon morals has been evil, and only evil in every age and country, destroying refined responsibilities, humanity and benevolence, and engendering malice and ill-will. It has destroyed the sense of sacredness of property and life, and has thereby been the parent of theft, robbery and murder. And the severest penalties, even capital punishment, will never secure the safety of life, and property, while war, the school of theft and murder, continues.

From The True Wesleyan, October 23, 1852. 160 years ago, this paragraph appeared on the front page of the weekly magazine of the Wesleyans, probably penned by the editor at that time, Lucius C. Matlack.