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... ...Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10, 1948 -- "A Cause for Celebration" ... 'Demands of Dignity' 'Demands of Dignity' <DEVELOPING THE DISCOURSE ON OUR DECEMBER 1Oth DECLARATION>
On-Line Edition of the Book by Ed Aurelio C. Reyes Appendix 5-- C: Mark Twain's 'The War Prayer' |
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CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK: Response
to the Spanish Response Response to the American Non-Response Demands of Dignity
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Chapter Five ------------------------
Appendix 5-C Mark Twain's 'The War Prayer' [Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) is said to have dictated this “War Prayer” around 1904-05; it was rejected by his publisher, and was found after his death among his unpublished manuscripts. It was first published in 1923 in Albert Bigelow Paine’s anthology, Europe and Elsewhere. The story is in response to a particular war, namely the Philippine- American War, which Twain opposed. See Jim Zwick’s page Mark Twain on the Philippines for more of Twain’s writings on the subject. Transcribed by Steven Orso <snorso@facstaff.wisc.edu>.] IT WAS A TIME of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety’s sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way. Sunday
morning came — next day the battalions would leave for the front; the
church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight
with martial dreams — visions of the stern advance, the gathering
momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe,
the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!
Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged
in golden seas of glory! With
the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the
neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the
field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of
noble deaths. The
service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the
first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the
building, and with one impulse
the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that
tremendous invocation “God
the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning
thy sword!” Then came the
“long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate
pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication
was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over
our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their
patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour
of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident,
invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them
and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory — An
aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main
aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe
that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a
frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale
even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made
his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher’s side and
stood there waiting. With
shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his
moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent
appeal, “Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father
and Protector of our land and flag!” The
stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside — which the
startled minister did — and took his place.
During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn
eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said: “I
come from the Throne — bearing a message from Almighty God!”
The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived
it he gave no attention. “He has heard the prayer of His servant your
shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His
messenger, shall have explained to you its import — that is to say, its
full import. For it is like
unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who
utters it is aware of — except he pause and think. “God’s
servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought?
Is it one prayer? No, it is two — one uttered, the other not. Both have
reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the
unspoken. Ponder this — keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing
upon yourself, beware! Lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a
neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your
crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon
some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it. “You
have heard your servant’s prayer — the uttered part of it. I am
commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it — that part
which the pastor — and also you in your hearts — fervently prayed
silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You
heard these words: ‘Grant
us the victory, O Lord our God!’ That is sufficient. The
"whole" of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant
words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory
you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory—'must'
follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God
fell also the unspoken part of the prayer.
He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen! “O
Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to
battle — be Thou near them! With
them — in spirit — we also go forth from the sweet peace of our
beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their
soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their (After
a pause…) “Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The
messenger of the Most High waits!” back to top of this page. back to main chapter text.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: Demands of Dignity THE HARDCOPY EDITION, in about 180 regular sized bookpaper pages with full-color paperback cover FREE ACCESS FOR ALL to the ON-LINE EDITION until February. 4, 2009, 110th Anni- versary of the Fil-Am War.
APPENDICES: App 5-A: Open
Letter to the American People App 5-B: Dear Whites, I Am No Racist! App 5-C: Mark Twain's 'The War Prayer'
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