TILE sincerity of this "explanation of the position of a
pacifist towards war" need not be questioned, but it is unlikely to
convince any readers who do not share the author's views. The suggestion that "Socialism is definitely anti-militarist" is hardly borne out by the facts ; the largest standing Army in Europe is that of Socialist Russia, and her attack on Poland in 1£120 is not yet forgotten. But Mr. Ponsonby errs more gravely in his belief that there is a "great conspiracy," that it is "the fixed and sustained determination of Authority to popularize war." This is the converse of the belief, cherished by some nervous Conservatives, in the existence of a secret group of Satanic mischief-makers to whom all revolutions are due, and it is equally fallacious. Mr. Ponsonby fails in his attempt to define what he means by "Authority." To say that it is "the established ruling mind" is not helpful : we might just as well attribute the bellicose spirit to "human nature." Mr. Ponsonby, we fear, is wrong in thinking that "the people," as distinguished from "the Government;" are naturally pacific, and that a mere change in the form Of the
State organization will insure lasting peace.
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