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"Often repulsive deeds of horror come to our ears - which are supposed to have taken place in lands far away, upon which we cross ourselves and damn the doers into the nethermost hell - but we do not consider that just as legend or rumour may grow larger as it travels from one village to another, like a snowball - how much more must the business of such far distant places have grown larger - even when it goes through the hands of the journalists or the novel-writers - that these serviceable people are accustomed to just that, to make a matter larger than it is, than the common run of people are - Of course they do it a little more skilfully than the common populace. Hardly anyone has the gift of relating a matter impartially and factually, how it is and just how it comes to their perception.

The greater part of mankind are egoists - every man for himself - whoever can snatch the most for himself - he does so - in this way people can always make each other's little lives right bitter for them - where things are still not too bad people are taking pains to drive up in price the crust of bread that another eats - and make it difficult for him to gain a living - Where armies stand at war with one another - one is trying to steal from another the most essential means of living, and whatever one can produce - one would rather throw it into water or sacrifice it to the fire sooner than let another have the benefit of it.

So be it then. Let everything go on in the same old way. Let the trumpets of war sound out again anew - let legions of the sons of earth stand over against one another in war, warm themselves up with brandy - all ready to cut each other's throats. May princes tremble on their thrones and lawyers die of vexation - let the holy father himself flee from his bloodthirsty residence, and wander in aimless flight - did not the Lord, whose vicar he calls himself, have no better fate - let his legions of apostles in cowls, mitres and hats turn pale at their fat feasts, that their lofty power may get a box on the ear - may those who have been a power in the land for so long be annihilated and others rise in their stead, as has happened from time out of mind till now - I will look quietly on at all this tumult and I too will go on in the same old way - have joy in God's dear beautiful Nature, rejoice in the immeasurable works of creation by the Incomprehensible and I will look quietly on at all the alarms upon earth..." [Voellmy, v 2 pp 291-293]

March (no exact date) Voellmy notes that Bräker's meditations on human weakness continue on the subject of incurable illness, particularly mental illness with thoughts of suicide.

"...Would it not be dealing more humanely, if in mental illnesses of this kind the doctors would admit their impotence and know from experience that such a person seldom returns to a healthy state of mind - would it not be dealing more humanely, a real service to the sick person and the people around him, if such a person, suffering and slowly dwindling away to his life's end, when all hope is lost, was helped to his death by reliable and bearable means - indeed I will not draw any conclusion - I can think to myself what I like - Oho, that would be to encroach on the right of the Lord of life and death, that's what the scribes and Pharisees would say to me - one must leave that to God - he has set every man his destiny - man must not advance it.

No, soldiers understand this better - for even among soldiers there are kind-hearted Samaritans, who will carry a severely wounded comrade on their backs out of the mélée into

237

Probably a reference to Ecclesiasticus ch 38 v 15: "He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician".

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