28 NOVEMBER 1931, Page 15

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—If Christians object to

fight for their country, the logical result may be that they should also abstain from any share in the Government. For both are things of this world, and under the present system of Representative Government the right to vote is the most important part of that share in any such Government.

So suffrage and service should go together, and if, twenty years ago, every voter had been obliged to show some proper qualification to bear arms, besides forming part of some unit, in all probability there would never have been the European War, from the effects of which the whole world now suffers.

For with even a limited liability, as according to age, at least two million men could have been sent to the front during the first weeks of the War, and the mere knowledge of this might have prevented any hostilities at all.

And it may not be too late, even now, to make suffrage dependent on service, which would also help to balance the Budget in years to come, if not at present, while volunteer bat- talions could serve abroad during peace.

The ladies could qualify by nursing, munition work and