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CONCLUSION BY LEO TOLSTOY

VIII

CONCLUSION BY LEO TOLSTOY

The facts related in this Appeal,[1] composed by three of my friends, have been repeatedly verified, revised, and sifted; the Appeal itself has been several times recast and corrected; everything has been rejected from it which, although true, might seem an exaggeration; so that all that is now stated in this Appeal is the real, indubitable truth, so far as the truth is accessible to men guided only by the religious desire, in this revelation of the truth, to serve God and their neighbour, both the oppressors and the oppressed. But, however striking the facts here related, their importance is determined, not by the facts themselves, but by the way in which they will be regarded by those who learn about them. And I fear that the majority of those who read this Appeal will not understand all its importance.

  1. See Chapter I.