The North did not understand the bitter, dreadful hatred of the South toward them, and were unprepared for their deep-laid plots. The North had boasted of their strength and ridiculed the idea of the South leaving the Union. They considered it like the threats of a willful, stubborn child, and thought that the South would soon come to their senses, and, becoming sick of leaving the Union, would with humble apologies return to their allegiance. The North have had no just idea of the strength of the accursed system of slavery. It is this, and this alone, which lies at the foundation of the war. The South have been more and more exacting. They consider it perfectly right to engage in human traffic, to deal in slaves and the souls of men. They are annoyed and become perfectly exasperated if they cannot claim all the territory they desire. They would tear down the boundaries and bring their slaves to any spot they please, and curse the soil with slave labor. The language of the South has be…
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
The EGW passage describes the pride and arrogance of the South, leading to their downfall in the Civil War. This aligns with the proverb's warning that pride precedes destruction. The connection is thematic, focusing on the consequences of pride.
"A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident."
The EGW passage describes the confident and raging attitude of the South, contrasted with the wisdom of fearing evil. This aligns with the proverb's contrast between the wise and the foolish. The connection is thematic, focusing on the difference between wisdom and foolishness in the face of danger.