TRUE CONSCIENCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 85, 21 January 1942, Page 2

TRUE CONSCIENCE.

JUDGE ON OBJECTORS. A remarkable statement of what constitutes the real conscientious objector was given in a judgment by Mr Justice Atkinson in an English case, in which an objector to military service claimed 1 damages for wrongful dismissal and breach of an apprenticeship deed. His Honour said: “The legislature has thought it right to say that, if this young man can satisfy the tribunal that he has a conscientious objection to defending his own or the country’s liberty or freedom, or protecting women and children from organised massacre from the. air or protecting our sea-borne supplies of food upon which he lives, he shall be exempted from military service, and, if he is a conscientious objector he has a right to register as such and try to satisfy the tribunal that he has that conscientious objection. He succeeded in satisfying them. “There has been a body of evidence called here by the defendants, and I believe that evidence. I think that it was given by truthful witnesses, and, in my view, it is perfectly plain that the plaintiff was not a conscientious objector in the true sense. He was a political conscientious objector. A true conscientious objector, which is! what Parliament had in mind, is one who on religious grounds thinks it wrong to kill and to resist fbree by force. He thinks that that is the teaching of Christ. But the true conscientious objector remembers other undoubted teachings by Christ—namely, to help the injured, the suffering and the helpless remembers that there is such a thing as duty. “The true conscientious objector is ready to do ambulance ivork, rescue work, A.R.P. work, and work among the helpless in shelters. There are many conscientious objectors who have proved the genuineness, of their belief by that which they have done. “This plaintiff likened himself to Quakers. Everybody knows the fine work done by Quakers, particularly in the last war. One remembers the work they did on mine sweepers, probably the most dangerous work there is. They were logical in their views. “They recognised their duty to do all they could, except to kill, if need be. The true conscientious objector is loyal to his country. He is not proGerman. He does not scoff at what other people do, and lie is not a defeatist.”