Memoirs of Bertha von Suttner: The Records of an Eventful Life (Vol. 2 of 2)Suttner, Bertha von
History
Memoirs of Bertha von Suttner: The Records of an Eventful Life (Vol. 2 of 2)
Suttner, Bertha von
Peace; Suttner, Bertha von, 1843-1914; Women -- Austria -- Biography
During the month of November the Dreyfus case made the whole world hold
its breath. My Own and I followed the affair with the greatest interest
and sympathy. At that time Scheurer-Kestner, Bernard Lazare, and Émile
Zola came out in favor of the reopening of the trial. The _Figaro_ had
published Esterhazy’s autograph; it was an ocular demonstration that the
handwriting was the same as that on the _bordereau_. All the military,
and especially the Anti-Semitic circles, were against a new trial. The
interest which I took in the course of the affair is frequently
reflected in my diary:
November 18. Probably the case will be taken up again. The mere
possibility that the man banished to Devil’s Island is innocent would be
horrible, supposing the sentence should stand ... and we are bound now
to believe in this possibility. The public conscience would remain
forever oppressed by this thought.... Again it has been strikingly shown
that there is such a thing as a “European soul.” A French journal
remarks, in a peevish tone, about the many comments in other countries,
“In the last analysis, the matter concerns France only.”
No, no! such national exclusiveness has ceased in our day. If a
catastrophe occurs in any country,—the assassination of a ruler, the
burning of a charity bazaar,—expressions of sympathy stream in from all
directions, making the afflicted country glad. But if it permits other
countries to share in its good and evil fortunes, then it must also be
willing that its right and wrong actions should be judged everywhere.
The partisans of justice all over the world have an equal interest in
the conquest of justice and truth over tyranny and concealment. And,
vice versa, the partisans of authority, the race persecutors, are in the
same camp all over the world; not only in France but also in Austria and
everywhere are to be found passionate anti-Dreyfusards!
The two camps are growing more and more clearly divided. But the forces
are very unequally distributed. The party that champions the right has
certainly on its side the overwhelming power that is peculiar to its
object,—universal human happiness; the other party has the actual power,
however—has the cannon behind it....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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