THE WILLING HORSE
Sta,—I have read, with a good deal of pleasure, Miss Simpson's article, "The Willing Horse." It seems to paint a true picture of the behaviour of many of my friends. I do think, however, that Miss Simpson probes insufficiently the reasons for the dissatisfaction and cynicism felt by many of the people who volunteered for war work. Many of us volunteered because we thought the country had urgent need of our services, and this feeling was reinforced, first, by the speeches of the politicians, and, secondly, by the extensive and rigotous National Service regulations. It now seems that the speeches were not based on urgency, and this dis- covery is reinforced in its validity by the superabundance of evidence
that the "call up" is neither extensive or rigorous. The cynicism mentioned by Miss Simpson would therefore seem to have its basis in the feeling that one has volunteered for a job of work which is, in fact, not so essential as it was made out to be. But one has, of course, the personal satisfaction of knowing that one has volunteered—for what that is worth.
It is a pity that wider distribution cannot be given to Miss Simpson's article and also to Miss Irene Ward's article, "A Word on the Army." This latter article is full of grave implications and is worthy of study by those who believe that the demobilised soldier will be quite simply contented by a new and increased expectation of life and the cakes and ale provided by his grateful neighbours.—I am, Sir, your obedient
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