Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-18
THE MAN WHO WON'T FIGHT
England's Mistake in Not Sending Her Consclen,
, tious Directors Out to the Front WIN
Her Conscientious Volunteers
Bv GILBERT VIVIAN SELDES
Spccial Correspondent Evening Ledger

travention OF the rules OF the state. IL Is
necessary for each man to sacrihce some
thing. The rich man has to part WIN solne
of his wealth Many men, OF all classes
are calmly asked to part with their nVes'
why should not some others be wlllins 10
part with their principles?
Conscientious Volunteers"
However. the C. o. got the jump on the
Government. probably because the principles
Of pacinsm were so widespread III Ensianu si
before the war. II was up to the authorities
to distinguish between real and false G. o. s..
There would be, of course, a number OF
towards who created scruples on the spot.
From all hear this trick was not often
worked and very seldom succeeded 1t was
always necessary to establish objections
dating from before the war
The promise and the performance OF the
authorities did not hold we'll together, al
though there was a sincere effort at fair
play The Government had to play fair
with the people who did enlist, the con-
scientious volunteers, as a friend of mine
has called them, as well as with those who
refused to enlist on the high ground Of con-
science. Between them compromises were
made The first, work of national impor-
tanCc. did not satisfy all a great many
c. O's earned the contempt of their more
radical brethren by accepting such work.
Others refused,
But when the authorities we're not salts
fed with the proofs of objection, and handed
the men over to the military, trouble some
times began. q hope II will be understood
that the whole tribe Of c. O.s is small in
numbers ] do not want to suggest that this
group Is important numerically. The prn-
! oipe alone is importantly Usually the c. o.
rook things philoscphically, Sometimes not,
Members OF the House Of Commons with
', soft spot for conscience made the Prime
| Minister give pledge that those c. O.'s
| who refused to serve, after they had been
| compelled to Join, would not be subject To
| court-martial This was arranged by the
understanding that they would not be sent
to the area under martial law, l. e. the
front. But things happened and there was
| a very unpleasant time all around. No con-
| sclentous objector, however, has been made
a martyr to his cause.
The agitation has died down other top.
cs-Cuthberts, for lnstance,-have come up
| "Cuthberts" are men employed in Govern
| ment offices who are eligible for service
| They are being bounded by the cheaper
| press and they are, in most cases, invaluable
| servants Of the Government. But the c. o
| remains topic of interest to himself and
| to his friends.
The man at the front Is usually tolerant
| OF the "blighter." If the soldier in train
! Ing at home, comes into contact with a c
| o. IN knakl ne makes II very unpleaSan
! for him. What most people object to Il
| the pretense the c. o. makes of having
| monopoly on conscience. Except for tn,
| Qualers l have met here, l must confess
that the c. o. does give of the impression
| Of being a much more soulful and spiritua
| person than the benighted heather wht
| has heard his country's call and answered it
A final point about the c. O.-he ha
missed some of his best bets. He thought
| at the beginning, that he would have tn,
| support of all the big guns, the intellectuals
| the men of ideas. And he has missed out
| The men who had minority minds" founC
| themselves much to their surprise, in favo
| Of the war They tolerated the c. o., bu
| they pitied him.
on the whole, the C. o. has been vel
| treated Today, in the midst of a bite
| need for men, ! have heard of three e
| get total exemption on the sole ground
that they had objections But I am saf
| in saying that If the thing had to be don,
| over again the c. o. clause would not b.
written into the conscription act in tn
| form which it now has. 1t is too much o
! nuisance.