Reading Albion's Journal

“The true journal can have no plan for the simple reason that no man can plan his days. Do you seriously doubt this? I did. I ventured forth early this summer with a definite project in my mind: It was my intention to set down the story of what happened to myself and to a little group of my friends and I soon discovered that what was happening to us was happening to everyone. Let me explain: we all of us live in many worlds, worlds made up of the color of our skins, the size of our noses, the amount of our incomes, the condition of our teeth, our capacities for joy, pain, fear and reverence, the we walk, the sound of our voices; and there is above these way little worlds another world which is common to all men: the world of what is everywhere on earth. This bigger world is usually obscured by our concern in the things which happen directly to us; but this summer a miraculous event took place: for the first time in the history of our race all men became aware of the same world-the devil-flames of murder and madness raced like wild fire into the consciousness of every one. A monster walked into every house; men asked themselves a terrible question: Is the darkness to close over us forever? has the time of the great destruction come at last?”