The Washington herald., 1918-01-17

In the army, but he formulates no
brilliant plan for controlling an army
without discipline.
And it's the same way In private
life. The Conscientious Objector sim
ply registers protest and nothing more.
He Is sure that whatever you are do
ing Is bound to end In disaster and
that you are doing II the wrong way.
but he never offers you a better plan
or any theory OF action that ts more
likely to succeed. The Conscientious
Objector pours over you a flood Of de-
structive criticism, but he never hands
you even a straw OF constructive crit
icism to which you might cling and
, save yourself
When the Conscientious Objector N
a man he is generally in business by
himself. for his partners soon md out
that they have used up 30 much en-
ergy in combating his objections 10
every scheme they devise that they
have no steam left with which to
forge ahead. SO they quickly get rid Of
him. Then. not having much else to
do. the Conscientious ObJector has
time to turn his attention to the
country at large and tell how IL is
going to the dogs. and point out the
mistakes that President Wilson, the
War Board, Red Cross. Wall Street,
Lloyd George, Gen. Petain and Gen.
Haig, and the Bolsheviki are making.
None of them is doing things as
the. Conscientious Objectcr thinks
they should be done. and the mere fact
that he himself has never been able
to make even a bare living does not
hinder him from sitting in judgment
on the mightiest achievement Of great
men and announcing authoTitatively
that they are blundering.
II is in the bosom of his family.
however. that the Conscientious OBJ
jector does his perfect work. He Is
a standing Veto on his own hearth
stone and he objects on principle 10
everything that every individual in the
house wants TO do. Half the time he
really doesn't care a whoop about the
matter. He has no reason for oppos-
ing IL whatever. 1t is Just a consti-
tutiona1 affliction with him to say
mo" to eevrything.
know a dozen households in which
the wife and children keep every plan
as secret as they would a contem-
plated crime from the husband and
| father. wait and tell him after you
have done it and he won't care. but
if you tell him beforehand he will be
sure TO object and refuse TO let you
do it," is the philosophy they have
| learned from bitter experience with a
Conscientious Objector.
| OF course they outwit the Con-
scientious Objector. but he has spoiled
| for them the finest flower of their
( pleasure. for anticipation always has
realization beat a city block and to be
deprived of the fun of talking over
beforehand the thing you are going to
do is TO have a very large pin in
serted in your little balloon.
| The female Conscientious Directors
| form the class who begin every re-
mark TO their children with don't"
| Johnnie don't do this. don't do that.
Don't do everything that you are do
ing or are not doing. It's purely au-
tomato with them to object and the
child knows il and doesn't even make
pretense Of obeying. and then wher
the time comes when the woman really
needs to assert authority over the
child she finds that she has none.
The Conscientious Objector is a kill
, joy in her home. II her children want
to 90 to any place of amusement. no
matter how innocent, she is ready with
a thousand protests. She objects on
account OF the weather. She objects
If they are TO go in an automobile, OF
il they are TO walk. She objects "a
the dresses her daughters have put
on; to their beaux; to the girls her
iboys are to escort. Before they have