War Prayer By Mark Twain

Be careful for what you wish for. War Prayer, by Mark Twain, says just that. Written during the Philippine War, this thoughtful and philosophical story is a prayer for the victory of the American warriors that are leaving for battle. During the prayer, the priest is interrupted by an old cloaked man, who claims to be a messenger from "God" himself. "Is it one prayer?" the stranger asks, "No, it is two", he answers, meaning there is more to this prayer than meets the eye. This prayer is a double sided sword, in praying for their own victory they are also praying for the destruction of the other side. Not only will a country be destroyed in war, but soldiers will die, and their loved ones, families and friends, will be in distress, grieving and mourning."If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you may invoke a curse upon your neighbor at the same time."

Twain's opinion in this short story reflects the bad influence too much patriotism has on mankind. The men going into battle, and those whom prayed for their victory, never thought of the other side and the repercussions that would occur. "When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory." This blindness leads the fact that we treat other nations with without decency. Horrible actions occur in war and people are bound to die bloody gruesome deaths. “Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth into battle — be Thou near them! With them — in spirit — we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended in the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames in summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it —" This is what they prayed for. This is what happens in battles. Afterward, the messengers wisdom was not excepted, the prayers dismissed him, the prayer was doomed.

I have never read anything like this, it is a parable I will remember. Mark Twain is bold and daring in his message questioning patriotism. The book was so controversial that his publisher rejected it, and it was not published until after his death. I can understand that many people disagree with this idea of un-patriotism, however, he isn't fighting patriotism, after all it is good to have some pride in your country, but too much can potentially make you naive to the consequences of such a strong fanatic beliefs, and that is what he despises. I had never thought of this before I read this. It has changed my view of war and overly proud nationalistic people, beliefs, and actions.