The notes reminded the men that the children, women, and old men whom they allowed to die were their sons, their wives, and their fathers, and that it would be more just for everyone to be reduced to the common misery, in order that equal conditions should give birth to unanimous resolutions.
Tot hiertoe, hetzij uit machteloosheid om zich er tegen te verzetten, was die grondstelling, zonder algemeen te zijn aangenomen, van theorie in praktijk gebracht; maar die briefjes maakten er inbreuk op.