Leo Tolstoy on the Philippines, 15 December 1902:Mr. Herbert Welsh Dear Sir: I received your letter,
Leo Tolstoy on the Philippines, 15 December 1902:Mr. Herbert Welsh Dear Sir: I received your letter, book, and pamphlets. I can not help to admire your activity, but the crimes which have been committed in the Philippines are special cases, which by my opinion will always occur in States governed by violence, or in which violence is admitted as necessary and lawful. Violence, which in itself is a crime, cannot be used to a certain extent. When it is admitted it will always transgress the limits which we would put to it. Deeds as those that have been done in the Philippines, in China, and are daily done in all pseudo-Christian States will continue, till humanity will not accept the chief precepts of Christianity to act on our brethren, not as an animal by violence, but by ‘sweet reasonable’ (as Matthew Arnold termed it), which is the only way to act thoroughly and durably on reasonable beings. Hoping that my bad English will not hinder you to understand what I mean to say, I remain, dear sir, Yours truly, Leo Tolstoy 15 Dec., 1902 -- source link