And then, as the guards reluctantly began to adjust the
straps about his body, three men burst into loud sobs and rushed from
the room, bitterly denouncing the electrocution as savagery, and
refusing to witness the proceedings any further. With the exception of
the condemned man, everybody was completely unstrung. But John Convert,
in the shadow of death, did not lose his wonderful self-control for a
moment, but sat with perfect equipoise in that murderous chair, calmly
watching with apparent interest the work of fastening him in. "'You have
that strap around the abdomen twisted,' he coolly remarked to one of the
excited guards, and then quietly added, 'you are not sufficiently
hardened for this kind of work, my man, but perhaps your children may
be.' And as if stung by remorse at these words, the guard suddenly burst
into a frenzy of grief and cried out in piteous tones: 'No, no! Don't
say that! I love my children. I undertook this objectionable work for
their sakes, that I might be able to give them the same advantages that
other children enjoy. But now that you have spoken, I can see that I am
paying for their advantages at the expense of their moral characters,
and that they too might follow in my miserable footsteps and, eventually
sell themselves for money. But listen, I have but just taken this
position, and now I am getting my first experience at this kind of work,
and I feel as if _I_ were about to commit murder. And now, after hearing
your wonderful words, my conscience is crying out within me to stop, and
so, in the presence of these witnesses, I not only renounce all further
connection with this abominable act, but I most solemnly swear that I
believe in Natural Law, and that I shall henceforth devote my life to
teaching its principles to my own children, and also to those of my
fellow beings.
Pages:
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209