war and the future-第28章

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then；　with　an　air　of　superior　modesty；　they　will　go　on　doing
whatever　they　feel　inclined　to　do。　　Many　others；　a　degree　less
simple　in　their　methods；　will　take　some　entirely　partial　aspect；
arrive　at　some　guesswork　decision　upon　that；　and　then　behave　as
though　that　met　every　question　we　have　to　face。　　Or　they　will
make　a　sort　of　admonitory　forecast　that　is　conditional　upon　the
good　behaviour　of　other　people。　　〃Unless　the　Trade　Unions　are
more　reasonable；〃　they　will　say。　　Or；　〃Unless　the　shipping
interest　is　grappled　with　and　controlled。〃　　Or；　〃Unless　England
wakes　up。〃　　And　with　that　they　seem　to　wash　their　hands　of　further
responsibility　for　the　future。

One　delightful　form　of　put…off　is　the　sage　remark；　〃Let　us　finish
the　war　first；　and　then　let　us　ask　what　is　going　to　happen　after
it。〃　　One　likes　to　think　of　the　beautiful　blank　day　after　the
signing　of　the　peace　when　these　wise　minds　swing　round　to　pick　up
their　deferred　problems。。。。

I　submit　that　a　man　has　not　done　his　duty　by　himself　as　a
rational　creature　unless　he　has　formed　an　idea　of　what　is　going
on；　as　one　complicated　process；　until　he　has　formed　an　idea
sufficiently　definite　for　him　to　make　it　the　basis　of　a　further
idea；　which　is　his　own　relationship　to　that　process。　　He　must
have　some　notion　of　what　the　process　is　going　to　do　to　him；　and
some　notion　of　what　he　means　to　do；　if　he　can；　to　the　process。
That　is　to　say；　he　must　not　only　have　an　idea　how　the　process　is
going；　but　also　an　idea　of　how　he　wants　it　to　go。　　It　seems　so
natural　and　necessary　for　a　human　brain　to　do　this　that　it　is
hard　to　suppose　that　everyone　has　not　more　or　less　attempted　it。
But　few　people；　in　Great　Britain　at　any　rate；　have　the　habit　of
frank　expression；　and　when　people　do　not　seem　to　have　made　out
any　of　these　things　for　themselves　there　is　a　considerable
element　of　secretiveness　and　inexpressiveness　to　be　allowed　for
before　we　decide　that　they　have　not　in　some　sort　of　fashion　done
so。　　Still；　after　all　allowances　have　been　made；　there　remains　a
vast　amount　of　jerry…built　and　ready…made　borrowed　stuff　in　most
of　people's　philosophies　of　the　war。　　The　systems　of　authentic
opinion　in　this　world　of　thought　about　the　war　are　like
comparatively　rare　thin　veins　of　living　mentality　in　a　vast　world
of　dead　repetitions　and　echoed　suggestions。　　And　that　being　the
case；　it　is　quite　possible　that　history　after　the　war；　like
history　before　the　war；　will　not　be　so　much　a　display　of　human
will　and　purpose　as　a　resultant　of　human　vacillations；
obstructions；　and　inadvertences。　　We　shall　still　be　in　a　drama　of
blind　forces　following　the　line　of　least　resistance。

One　of　the　people　who　is　often　spoken　of　as　if　he　were　doing　an
enormous　amount　of　concentrated　thinking　is　〃the　man　in　the
trenches。〃　　We　are　toldby　gentlemen　writing　for　the　most　part　at
homeof　the　most　extraordinary　things　that　are　going　on　in　those
devoted　brains；　how　they　are　getting　new　views　about　the　duties
of　labour；　religion；　morality；　monarchy；　and　any　other　notions
that　the　gentleman　at　home　happens　to　fancy　and　wished　to　push。
Now　that　is　not　at　all　the　impression　of　the　khaki　mentality　I
have　reluctantly　accepted　as　correct。　　For　the　most　part　the　man
in　khaki　is　up　against　a　round　of　tedious　immediate　duties　that
forbid　consecutive　thought；　he　is　usually　rather　crowded　and　not
very　comfortable。　　He　is　bored。

The　real　horror　of　modern　war；　when　all　is　said　and　done；　is　the
boredom。　　To　get　killed　our　wounded　may　be　unpleasant；　but　it　is
at　any　rate　interesting；　the　real　tragedy　is　in　the　desolated
fields；　the　desolated　houses；　the　desolated　hours　and　days；　the
bored　and　desolated　minds　that　hang　behind　the　melee
and　just　outside　the　melee。　　The　peculiar
beastliness　of　the　German　crime　is　the　way　the　German　war　cant
and　its　consequences　have　seized　upon　and　paralysed　the　mental
movement　of　Western　Europe。　　Before　1914　war　was　theoretically
unpopular　in　every　European　country；　we　thought　of　it　as
something　tragic　and　dreadful。　　Now　everyone　knows　by　experience
that　it　is　something　utterly　dirty　and　detestable。　　We　thought　it
was　the　Nemean　lion；　and　we　have　found　it　is　the　Augean　stable。
But　being　bored　by　war　and　hating　war　is　quite　unproductive
/unless　you　are　thinking　about　its　nature　and　causes　so
thoroughly　that　you　will　presently　be　able　to　take　hold　of　it　and
control　it　and　end　it。/　It　is　no　good　for　everyone　to　say
unanimously；　〃We　will　have　no　more　war；〃　unless　you　have　thought
out　how　to　avoid　it；　and　mean　to　bring　that　end　about。　　It　is　as
if　everyone　said；　〃We　will　have　no　more　catarrh；〃　or　〃no　more
flies；〃　or　〃no　more　east　wind。〃　　And　my　point　is　that　the　immense
sorrows　at　home　in　every　European　country　and　the　vast　boredom　of
the　combatants　are　probably　not　really　producing　any　effective
remedial　mental　action　at　all；　and　will　not　do　so　unless　we　get
much　more　thoroughly　to　work　upon　the　thinking…out　process。

In　such　talks　as　I　could　get　with　men　close　up　to　the　front　I
found　beyond　this　great　boredom　and　attempts　at　distraction　only
very　specialised　talk　about　changes　in　the　future。　　Men　were　keen
upon　questions　of　army　promotion；　of　the　future　of　conscription；
of　the　future　of　the　temporary　officer；　upon　the　education　of
boys　in　relation　to　army　needs。　　But　the　war　itself　was　bearing
them　all　upon　its　way；　as　unquestioned　and　uncontrolled　as　if　it
were　the　planet　on　which　they　lived。


II。　THE　YIELDING　PACIFIST　AND　THE　CONSCIENTIOUS　OBJECTOR


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Among　the　minor　topics　that　people　are　talking　about　behind　the
western　fronts　is　the　psychology　of　the　Yielding　Pacifist　and　the
Conscientious　Objector。　　Of　course；　we　are　all　pacifists
nowadays；　I　know　of　no　one　who　does　not　want　not　only　to　end　this
war　but　to　put　an　end　to　war　altogether；　except　those　blood…red
terrors　Count　Reventlow；　Mr。　Leo　Maxsehow　he　does　it　on　a
vegetarian　dietary　I　cannot　imagine！and　our　wild…eyed
desperados　of　/The　Morning　Post。/　　But　most　of　the　people　I
meet；　and　most　of　the　people　I　met　on　my　journey；　are　pacifists
like　myself　who　want　to　/make/　peace　by　beating　the　armed
man　until　he　gives　in　and　admits　the　error　of　his　ways；　disarming
him　and　reorganising　the　world　for　the　forcible　suppression　of
military　adventures　in　the　future。　　They　want　belligerency　put
into　the　same　category　as　burglary；　as　a　matter　of　forcible
suppression。　　The　Yielding　Pacifist　who　will　accept　any　sort　of
peace；　and　the　Conscientious　Objector　who　will　not　fight　at　all；
are　not　of　that　opinion。

Both　Italy　and　France　produce　parallel　types　to　those　latter；　but
it　would　seem　that　in　each　case　England　displays　the　finer
developments。　　The　Latin　mind　is　directer　than　the　English；　and
its　standardsshall　I　say？more　primitive；　it　gets　more
directly　to　the　fact　that　here　are　men　who　will　not　fight。　　And
it　is　less　charitable。　　I　was　asked　quite　a　number　of　times　for
the　English　equivalent　of　an　/embusque。/　　〃We　don't
generalise；〃　I　said；　〃we　treat　each　case　on　its　merits！〃

One　interlocutor　near　Udine　was　exercised　by　our　Italian　Red
Cross　work。

〃Here；〃　he　said；　〃are　sixty　or　seventy　young　Englishmen；　all　fit
for　military　service。。。。　　Of　course　they　go　under　fire；　but　it　is
not　like　being　junior　officers　in　the　trenches。　　Not　one　of　them
has　been　killed　or　wounded。〃

He　reflected。　　〃One；　I　think；　has　been　decorated；〃　he　said。。。。

My　French　and　Italian　are　only　for　very　rough　common　jobs；　when
it　came　to　explaining　the　Conscientious　Objector　sympathetically
they　broke　down　badly。　　I　had　to　construct　long　parenthetical
explanations　of　our　antiquated　legislative　methods　to　show　how　it
was　that　the　〃conscientious　objector〃　had　been　so　badly　defined。
The　foreigner　does　not　understand　the　importance　of　vague
definition　in　British　life。　　〃Practically；　of　course；　we　offered
to　exempt　anyone　who　conscientiously　objected　to　fight　or　serve。
Then　the　Pacifist　and　German　people　started　a　campaign　to　enrol
objectors。　　Of　course　every　shirker；　every　coward　and　slacker　in
the　country　decided　at　once　to　be　a　conscientious　objector。
Anyone　but　a　British　legislator　could　have　foreseen　that。　　Then
we　started　Tribunals　to　wrangle　with　the　objectors　about　t