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Article ON THE DEPOPULATING INFLUENCE OF WAR. Page 1 of 2 →
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On The Depopulating Influence Of War.
ON THE DEPOPULATING INFLUENCE OF WAR .
FOR THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
EVERY sympathetic and feeling man , however he may be warped by party prejudice or interested motives , must , when he contemplates the dreadful ravages of war pervading any nation whatever , feel the most painful emotions of regret aud commiseration for those unhappy victims who fall a prey to the devouring steel in the field of battle . War , in opposition to peace , carries with it the
anguish of dread and danger ; it creates in the rational mind of man a secret horror , peculiarly affecting and disgusting . The immediate preservation of the dearest rights and privileges of a country , when hostilely menaced by another , may render it , however , perfectly consistent and necessary ; although , at the same time , if it can be prevented by any honourable means , it surely behoves those who
conduct the reins' of government to ward it off , as the result of wisdom , prudence , and discretion . Considering , therefore , the depopulation necessarily occasioned by the destructive tendency of war and bloodshed , we are led to review an unhappy neighbouring kingdom , whose decrease in point of human kind must be prodigious . However they themselves may boast of a multiplicity pf Sans Culottes ( to use a fashionable expression of their own ) ,, it must nevertheless be recollected with impulsive anguish , the daily havock committed amongst them , either by , the
sword or disease , or other chances of war , which must of necessity have diminished their numbers , while it has consigned thousands to a premature and unrelenting death . Horrid thought ' , and , what is worse than all , the leading powers of that country acted as if they were entirely callous to every spark of humanity and fellow-feeling . Indeed , it may be observed , that this infective callousness not only for a considerable time enveloped the Convention itselfbut
even-, tually spread itself throughout the whole army employed under their immediate direction and influence , which excited them to the most imprudent and dangerous steps , totally derogatory to the just and reasonable character of rational or consistent men . Inured to dangers ofthe highest magnitude , and accustomed to the solemn din of war , they were insensibly rendered a hardy and desperate race , ready at
once to face the most glaring dangers , or subscribe to the most unjustifiable actions . Hence arose their uncommon desperation and impetuosity ; which , being incessantly galled by their capricious employers , or by those with whom they were contending , naturally constituted them , in the eyes of the world , an enthusiastic and cruel people . No free country , possessed of liberty in the most extensive , ' Liz
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Depopulating Influence Of War.
ON THE DEPOPULATING INFLUENCE OF WAR .
FOR THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
EVERY sympathetic and feeling man , however he may be warped by party prejudice or interested motives , must , when he contemplates the dreadful ravages of war pervading any nation whatever , feel the most painful emotions of regret aud commiseration for those unhappy victims who fall a prey to the devouring steel in the field of battle . War , in opposition to peace , carries with it the
anguish of dread and danger ; it creates in the rational mind of man a secret horror , peculiarly affecting and disgusting . The immediate preservation of the dearest rights and privileges of a country , when hostilely menaced by another , may render it , however , perfectly consistent and necessary ; although , at the same time , if it can be prevented by any honourable means , it surely behoves those who
conduct the reins' of government to ward it off , as the result of wisdom , prudence , and discretion . Considering , therefore , the depopulation necessarily occasioned by the destructive tendency of war and bloodshed , we are led to review an unhappy neighbouring kingdom , whose decrease in point of human kind must be prodigious . However they themselves may boast of a multiplicity pf Sans Culottes ( to use a fashionable expression of their own ) ,, it must nevertheless be recollected with impulsive anguish , the daily havock committed amongst them , either by , the
sword or disease , or other chances of war , which must of necessity have diminished their numbers , while it has consigned thousands to a premature and unrelenting death . Horrid thought ' , and , what is worse than all , the leading powers of that country acted as if they were entirely callous to every spark of humanity and fellow-feeling . Indeed , it may be observed , that this infective callousness not only for a considerable time enveloped the Convention itselfbut
even-, tually spread itself throughout the whole army employed under their immediate direction and influence , which excited them to the most imprudent and dangerous steps , totally derogatory to the just and reasonable character of rational or consistent men . Inured to dangers ofthe highest magnitude , and accustomed to the solemn din of war , they were insensibly rendered a hardy and desperate race , ready at
once to face the most glaring dangers , or subscribe to the most unjustifiable actions . Hence arose their uncommon desperation and impetuosity ; which , being incessantly galled by their capricious employers , or by those with whom they were contending , naturally constituted them , in the eyes of the world , an enthusiastic and cruel people . No free country , possessed of liberty in the most extensive , ' Liz