Serbia sinned and repented her sins, and again sinned. Put yourselves,
gentlemen, in the chair of a judge, and I will confess to you all the
sins of Serbia. Serbia sinned and suffered. Her sins have been her hell,
her sufferings--her purgatory. I don't pray you to forgive Serbia, but
only to compare justly her sins with her sufferings. The Serbs sinned
against all the ten commandments, it is true, but still regarded the ten
commandments as the standard which is better than a nation's doings.
Although the people said beautifully: "A grain of truth is better than a
ton of lies," still the lie, like a parasite, had its nest in Serbia as
elsewhere. Although the people said: "It is better to be blind with
justice than to have eyes with injustice," still injustice had its seed,
its growth and fruits among the same people. Although Cain's sin has
been abhorred by the conscience of the Serbs, still this sin of taking
the life of a brother has defiled the very soil of Serbia, which has
been so much sanctified by the sufferings and unselfish sacrifices of
her people. You will not find certainly in Serbia the refined vices
which are practised in the shadow of great civilisations, but you will
find quite enough great and small sins, which the Serbian conscience
does not justify any more than yours.