ToThePersonSittingInDarkness

by clayshannon

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<h1>To the Person Sitting in Darkness</h1>

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This anti-imperialistic essay, which was specifically provoked by U.S. involvement in the Philippines (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War" target="_blank">The Philippine-American War</a>), China (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion" target="_blank">The Boxer Rebellion</a>), and elsewhere, was published in 1901. Twain was a leading member of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Anti-Imperialist_League" target="_blank">the Anti-Imperialist League</a>, whose members included such luminaries as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Addams" target="_blank">Jane Addams</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie" target="_blank">Andrew Carnegie</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James" target="_blank">Henry James</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Schurz" target="_blank">Carl Schurz</a>.
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According to Wikipedia (doubtless correct), <cite>The title of the essay is "an ironic reference to Matthew 4:16 — "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light"</cite>
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<p>Shall we? That is, shall we go on conferring our Civilization upon the peoples that sit in darkness, or shall we give those poor things a rest? Shall we bang right ahead in our old-time, loud, pious way, and commit the new century to the game; or shall we sober up and sit down and think it over first? Would it not be prudent to get our Civilization-tools together, and see how much stock is left on hand in the way of Glass Beads and Theology, and Maxim Guns and Hymn Books, and Trade-Gin and Torches of Progress and Enlightenment (patent adjustable ones, good to fire villages with, upon occasion), and balance the books, and arrive at the profit and loss, so that we may intelligently decide whether to continue the business or sell out the property and start a new...

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