THE MORALITY OF WAR.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In your notice of the memoirs of Henry Richard, in the Spectator of December 7th, you speak of the view that war is wrong, as being neither a very noble nor a very Christian view, since you think it is founded on a false and distorted estimate of the value and sacredness of human life.
In this remark—and where further on you say, "Better that thousands of American citizens should have their days shortened than," &c.,—you speak as though people who object to all war objected on the ground of its fatality.
But it is not so. Those who believe war to be un-Christian, lament not half so much the numbers who meet their death, nor even the fate of the slain, as they lament the purpose of killing,—the part of the slayers.—I am, Sir, &c.,
ISABEL WEDMORE.
Druids' Stoke, near Bristol, December 8th.
[In other words the frightful injustices which all defensive war, and some indirectly defensive though apparently offensive wars prevent, are nothing in the scale against the injustice of killing men who voluntarily undertake the risk of being killed on behalf of their country.—En. Spectator.]
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