Snt,—As the result of my letter in reply to your
article "Braced and Compact? " I have received numerous letters from both men and women, and with one exception they expressed their thanks for having seen in print feelings which they have long had themselves. Some of the letters were also very kind and one or two very sad, and I
would like to thank their writers for sending them to me. I think ‘ou are to be congratulated on having first of all published the article and allowing free expression of the opinions resulting from it, We still have a free Press, and it is far better to be able to say what we think, however much we may disagree with one another, than to have to suppress it, which only makes matters worse and, in any case, everyone knows how much better one feels after letting off steam.
Your article " Ourselves and Russia " is very disturbing. If only the Government could be prevailed upon to send representatives of each section of the community to Russia and the U.S.A. and vice versa to explain ourselves to each other, I am sure things would be much better. We could each explain what sort of a world we want after the war and what we want in it. I think most people would agree that a home, security and peace of mind would come first. It is some time since I had any of these things.
In reply to the letter from Mr. F. F. Prickett, I would point out that for too years after the Napoleonic wars we were continually involved in wars which, though on a smaller scale than the European wars, nevertheless involved us in great loss of life and waste of money, the following wars among them: The Afghan Wars, 1839-42 ; war with China, 1839 ; the Crimean War, 1854 ; the Indian Mutiny, 1859 the Sudan Campaign ; the Boer War, 1899, and numerous smaller affairs. Mr. PricEett's contention that a large population is necessary as a safeguard presupposes that that large population is for use as cannon fodder and, in any case, the large populations of Russia, China and America have not saved them from wars.—Yours faithfully,
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