[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—The article by Gerard
Boutelleau on Conscription interests me greatly, since I myself will be called up for service in two years' time. And if I thought that a correct impression of conscription was given in this article, I would not oppose it. But the writer of the article has completely omitted what is, after all, the most important part of con- scription—that is military training. That the change of environment, the comradeship, the discipline and the physical exertion are beneficial no one will deny. But I do suggest that the effect which military training will have on the minds of these conscripts is very serious, and it is a matter which has been almost entirely neglected. The conscripts will be trained to destroy human life, they will be taught to regard war as something to be expected—almost something to be desired—so that they might show their skill and knowledge.
The immediate effect of conscription is, perhaps, to lessen the likelihood of war by warning the aggressors. But in the long run it will make the young men of this country far more ready to accept war and will therefore make war more
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