1. In 1813, U.S. Navy Commodore Perry sent
a message to Army General William
Henry Harrison after his victory in the
Battle of Lake Erie, stating, "We have met
the enemy, and they are ours."
Cartoonist Walt Kelly made a parody of
this quote in his comic
strip, Pogo.(parody-humorous imitation)

3. Walt Kelly was sharply criticized
for this line. He explained:
Traces of nobility, gentleness and
courage persist in all people, do
what we will to stamp out the
trend. So, too, do those
characteristics which are ugly. It
is just unfortunate that in the

4. clumsy hands of a cartoonist all traits
become ridiculous, leading to a
certain amount of self-conscious
expostulation and the desire to join
battle. (To reason earnestly with
someone in an effort to dissuade or
correct)

5. There is no need to sally forth, for it
remains true that those things which
make us human are, curiously
enough, always close at hand. Resolve
then, that on this very ground, with small
flags waving and tinny blasts on tiny
trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and
not only may he be ours, he may be us.

6. The natural man is, therefore, truly
an enemy to God, because he is an
enemy to God's children. He
validates Pogo's "We have met the
enemy and he is us!" And he is the
most frequent obstructionist to
happiness.

7. Take, for instance, how we attempt
to set aside, or at least bend, a
principle in order to be "well
liked." It seems so incidental at the
time, but we mistakenly soften our
integrity in order to manifest
empathy. Or we may simply "let

8. down" for a brief
moment, allowing ourselves to be
carried willingly along on some
froth of circumstance, even while
knowing we must soon trudge
back after the easy exhilaration of
the moment is over! Neal A. Maxwell, That
Ye May Believe , p.196