It is my one hope that great men will spring up
in the future and take hold of this work--men with minds so strong, so
broad, so courageous, and so unselfish, that they will be willing to
devote their lives to the noble task of trying to put the whole human
race on a footing of equality. There can be no equality so long as those
who are strong want to take more of nature's gifts than those who are
weak, and no man can ever be great who thinks that one human being is
entitled to more than another. That is selfishness. Selfishness and
greatness are the extreme opposites.
This is my last day on earth, to use a common but erroneous expression.
At noon today my soul will be separated from its body by the hand of
man, acting according to a most unnatural, diabolical, and murderous
law. And the poor unfortunate creature, who actually slays me, will do
so, not because he has a thirst for blood, but for money. Money
furnished by the State--a Christian civilization which bred and reared
us both.
I am now forty-four years old, and have just reached the threshold of
mental strength. As I am in perfect condition physically, and have a
splendid constitution as a foundation, there is no good reason why I
could not have lived at least forty years more. Forty years longer could
I have served the world at my very best, but my fellow beings have
decided to kill me, right at a time when I could have been of the most
use to them. I am really sorry that I must die, not because I fear
death, but because my opportunity to do good to others is taken from me.
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