The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-15
DECLINE 10 FIGHT
 BUT WORK FRONT
The British NOncombatant
 Corps Is Unique Sight
DO MANUAL LABOR
Is Composed of Those Who Have Conscientious Scruples Against Taking Life-Butt of RidicuIe
 of the Army and Nation

British Headquarters in France, May 29 Correspondence of the Associated Press
 Unique among all the variegated units of the armies on the continent is the
 British noncombatant corps-the conscien- tious objectors, who do not want to fight and who are not expected to fight. Not fear but conscience is their reason for
 being excused.
 In England, where individual rights are so strongly recognized, the Quaker is not required to bear arms because it is against his religious scruples
 When compulson was applied another class arose. They said they had conscien- tious scruples against the taking of life If they would not fight then they must work, the government decided. Where a man who enters the army under normal conditions must drill for many months before he is sent to the front, the con- scientious objector is given few days of drill. put in khaki and sent to France at once. There he yields the spade in- stead of the rifle.
 TREATED AS PRIVATES There are the noncombatants doing their bit" said their commander, an off cer with a strip of colors on his breast who had been in several campaigns and was so badly wounded in this war that he was hardly fit for active service "They get the same pay as the men in the trenches and the same rations, with the extra allowance of meat which is given to the laborers corps.'
 {; engaged in some railway work. Virtually all are men unused to manual labor; but though it was pretty hard at first, they said they would be inured to it in time One was a. B. A. of Cambridge university. None had any complaints to make. The majority were clerks, and those who were not were usually shopkeepers. Many were members of the Plymouth Breth- ren, a sect which holds much the same views as the Quakers. These said that 1t was against their creed to fight and they would not renounce their creed They spoke quite frankly about the charge of cowardice which is made against them; and seemed to realize that they were the anathema and laughing stock of the
 millions of their fellow countrymen who
 are offering their lives for Britain.
 DON'T BELIEVE IN WAR 'I 0O not want to XIII dnyDOQy. dC
 not believe in war;" one said. As an ex-
 ponent of passive resistance he was ready
 to work at command, but no powers could
 make him fight. 'If we are sent up to
 work under shell fire I think that you
 will find that most of us will not flinch,'
 he added.
 One of the unmilitary characteristics which amuse the average British sol dier is that the noncombatants address one another as mister" One mentioned
 that their conversation around the mess
 table was very intellectual and thor
 oughly enjoyable
 "If you want any proof that England
 is free country said sergeant of
 regulars, you have it in this lot. How
 much of chance would a band of con-
 scientious objectors stand in the German army? Meanwhile, the fighting army pro-
 tects them from the enemy and from public opinion. But let them have their
 way. There aren't many of them.''
 A shirker may not suddenly become a conscientious objector in order to escape service. Anyone who aspires to the non combatants must prove that he held con-
 scientious scruples against fighting be- fore the war. One conscientious objector has already deserted This backslider de-
 cided to fight and he is back in Eng land drilling in a line regiment.