LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
[Letters of the length of one of our leading paragraphs are ellen snore read, and therefore more effective, than those which All treble the space.] THE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR.
[To THE EDIT. OP THE " SPECTATOR:] SE11,-1 doubt if even the logic of facts as propounded by "It." in his scheme of outlawry would convince Pacificists. They are, however well-meaning, essentially illogical, not to say woolly- minded persons, and they would, I fear, still be "martyrs." I have talked to some of the most highly educated of them, in The sympathetic desire to understand their position, only to find that there is none to discover. In these matters they do not reason, they only feel. Most, if not all, of them approve of the use of force to defend the law, but if asked "how should crime be punished where there is no law," or if "the line which they draw is at taking human life," they decline to "deal with gene- ralities." When the question is put in concrete form—e.g., a German attacking a woman—I have actually been told that such is "hypothetical." On its being pressed, the answer returned was that "Divine guidance would be given at the time." The Spirit of God could not apparently ho expected to instruct in right prim- eiples or judgment beforehand. I gather that if the Allies could have surrounded the invaders of Belgium and secured capitula- tion, it would have been analogous to a police measure, and all would have been well; but failing this, defence ehould have been abandoned. I am, however, myself possibly falling into the error of lookiog for a reasoned statement. More probably the Pacifieist would rely on the dual system of morals to which he is much addicted : "it might not be wrong for them to fight, though it would not he right for me." Conscientious objectors have the enjoyment of enunciating much benevolent sentiment with which we are all in agreement, but suck things as logic and fact, the world not as we should like it to be but as it is permitted by God to exist, these are less inspiring matters to be left to lower minds. Nevertheless one must and does " respect their conscience, even Gone cannot respect their intellect."—I am, Sir, Ac.,
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