Evening star., 1938-08-28
By Mary Carter Roberts.
THREE GUINEAS. BY Virginia
woon New York: Harcourt, Grace

"HE reviewer, in recent sea-
sons, has had to read great
many works on the subject of
L paciflsm and the prevention
OF war. With tiny number of ex-
ceptions. these works have seemed to
her without individual significance.
Such Importance as they have had
has lain in their numbers rather than
In their content. For by their num-
bers they have indicated that war
prevention is uppermost in the minds
Of good many people and that, of
course, is desirable thing. But when
these books have been examined in
dividually for helpful suggestions they
have been disappointing.
The general procedure in the ma
1ority of them has been the same.
The author points out, supporting
his statements with indiSputable facts
and figures that war is barbarous,
prof1tless, wasteful and without the
hope of conclusive victory for any
contender Then after a chapter has
been given to the proof of each Of
with its discussion OF what may be
done. A society of nations, world
court, an international league of
pacifist citizens, educational cam
paigns, attempts to influence anti-war
egislation-these are the remedies
customarily offered What of them?
They are no more useful than the
elaborate proofs set down that war
Is curse.
We already know that it is a curse.
And we know, too, if we know any
thing, that the aforementioned reme-
dies will not work, precisely for the
reason that any remedy at all should
be needed They are remedies die
tated by the desire for peace, and
war is a curse springing from the
desire for war; 1t is plain. or it
should be plain, that, when it comes
to the point of conflict. pacif1st
will always go down before mill
tarlst unless he defends himself
militaristically. when he becomes a
militarist too How, then, does this
serve to eliminate war?
A LMosT none OF our pacifists SO
far has found way to restrain
the forces of war except by the
maintenance of greater forces. In
other words, the majority of peace
minded men suggest that national
militarism is to be cured by interna-
tional militarism. Up to the present
moment only Aldous Huxley and
Thomas Mann have offered truly
non -militaristic approach to peace.
These two men have found the causes
Of war to lie in the hearts OF men
rather than in the faults of govern
ment, and they have suggeted reme-
dies which begin with individuals,
and not with states. They have not
urged that we meet force with greater
force, but that we learn a way OF
behaving In which force has no part.
To this pair must now be added the
name of Virginia Woolf.
She too has written book against
war. She too sees the complete aban-
donment of force as the only way to
avoid war. But, beyond this general
agreement, her work has little like
ness to that of Mr.. Huxley and Herr
Mann. For she is writing as woman,
not as a citizen, and she addresses
her argument to women. Further
more, she makes it plain that she
believes that if this abandonment OF
force is to be made a reality it will
be through women that the accom-
plishment is brought about.
The reviewer has long suspected
that there was a deep basic relation
between feminism Cfor lack of better
term) and pacifism, and at one time
under the influence of this belief, she
went to a prominent feminist organi.
zation and an equally prominent peace
organization and offered both hel
services free of any charge, If these
services would be deemed to be Of
value to either. Both organizations
thanked her, politely but absent
mindedly. She never heard from
either of them.
At the feminist headquarters, on the
day OF her CALL she found group
animatedly discussing the need fol
having more women's faces repro
duced on postage stamps. At the
pacifist Office she was told that there
were practically no fund available, sc
that even for her offer to work free
would probably not be acceptable, since
the budget could not cover the print
Ing and distribution charges OF sucf
arguments as she might contribute
Since then, the reviewer has cherished
her belief that women might end wal
strictly in private.
IT SHOULD be immensely hearteninf
to all women who hold that belief
to read this work of Mrs Woolf's. Fol
In it there is a profoundly wise analyst!
Of womans place in society-in this
so-called civilized society wherein wal
Is the major industry of every gov
ernment, and women, up to the las1
20 years, have not even had the righ1
to vote. She has received, she says. 6
letter from an educated man. asking
her to make a suggestion as to how wal
may be prevented and to join hi!
peace society and give it money. She
replies by saying that, though SHE
agrees with him in abhorring war
she holds by reason of her sex, diff
ferent outlook from his own.
With this as her point of departure
she enters upon terrible analysis Of
the treatment accorded upper class
Englishwomen by upper class English
men. What of education, she asks ?
And what of the opportunities afforded
educated women to earn their livings
in the professions? She gives then a
history Of the women's colleges OF
Cambridge and Oxford. The facts
which she sets forth are, as she points
out, available to any one; they are
taken largely from university reports
They are q record of shocking dis
elimination. inconceivably petty In
spirit and brutal in execution.
Women students for long were moi