TEe Scheme Of

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 19

TEe Scheme Of

I lungs

(By M.H.C.)

An interesting disquisition on pacificism versus balanced outlook on peace and war.appears in a book by Dorothy Ganfield.. ■"■She was -in Paris in 1918, and with'an old man friend was viewing some'captured German cannon; He thought they io'iki'c] like the wreck of a'steel foundry, uut she saw the misery and cruelty of them, and said that ; whoever they belonged to they were instruments' of torture all the same. Such' things should be only on scrapheaps and decently hidden from view, for-people did not .put offal from slaughter-houses on.public. vie;wl Her friend said that .she was " talking pacificism." She retorted that if she saw a.man crazy drunk roaring down the- street she would feel two ways about . him—first that society was wrongly organised to permit anybody's son'to become'craved with whisky, .and second that children niust be protected from the .man. that minute. Shooting the man was not going to help the general situation at all. If crazy drunks' '(including her own folk) were not to'be amore or less perpetual procession, the. organisation of society must be changed by long£ patient,1 and constructive efforts.. But in the meantime, if the'drunken man was pounding at her door she would throw a dishpan of boiling water over him, but would not spendjthe rest of her life making speeches about the dishpan. '. ■

' Her. friend struck a shrewd, blow: at the root of the matter. "A wellmeaning, high-principled person can do a great deal," he said, "but she cannot amputate a vital part of human . nature. You can't make manly brave men ashamed of war, and it is a lucky thing you cannot, 'for if: ypu did there would-be no one to stand between you and the bullies. • Take ■it frohi me, that without the soldier in every man (arid that means love of force: and sub- ■ mission to force), there would be no order in the world. . You needn't try to reduce that element of force to mere businesslike police work. It can't be done. There would be anarchy'in the twinkling of an '■ eye. You won't' be- j •Ijeve this because it does: not fit into your womanish preconceived . notions. Butfit does not matter. whether'..you believe it'or-not. Such are the facts. All: your noble phrases cannot change them.," 'Several phrases remained in her mind—"anarchy in a moment if * respect for force were eliminated ... 'you cannot amputate a part of human nature.. . ." Thesewere sentences to think over seriously. The writer realised that, there is a practical side ■ to the question of war or peace, which has; to be reckoned with as well as the sentimental side. . Everyone finds it easy to rejoice in the picture of a world at peace, with all difficulties settledby arbitration, but the other side has to be kept in mind—the irresponsible,. or untaught nations, which regard .treaties as mere "scraps ofVpapter,'' and would ■prove a deadly iperil to.a country-from 'which .all power.of force ;by arms had ■.been -removed. Some rday> in the • future, "when a long and patient instruction in the, ideal ways of settling disputes has been patiently carried out, and ; the hearts-, of' the peoples are- changed-^— then.; can come the great disarmament which will bring joy and satisfaction to all. It is a wonderful and beautiful, thing to look forward to—the time when there will be ideal States filled with peace, goodwill towards others, and 'prosperity. But, so far as can be seen at present the time for that is not yet. The possibility of force, the respect for force, and the qualities of courage and self.-sacrJfice still exist in the present world. ; • . .■ :. '

■ Dorothy Canfiold's story ends ivith her thought, about the huge and wonderful park near Paris, in which her children played, joyously—a park which was made hundreds of years previously by a .king who planted, a sandy waste of l&ndv bringing. water ; from a great distance at immense expense, and making a forest' for his own enjoyment from! which.all that he -did not invite were excluded. This, in the course of years, had become the property of the people, and. the children, of poor and rich played there as a right while the shades of oppression and prill© looked on—perhaps, who knows T She felt that,evolution.of right feeling and justice was, perhaps,! as her old 'friend tanghtj. the right way to : accomplish the1 best for the world, andnot. to :try and jump over Teal obstacles as if they did not exist, and possibly wreck much that was good in the doing.

-'A correspondent in an English paper states the case of the elder daughters of ignite a large number ;of families. There1 will probably be many who will sympathise t with her view of life—a view that should never have occurred to her had she been treated fairly. She says: "I agree" with the person who wrote - that it' is no hardship for girls and boys to: have light duties to perform in their homes. But fronv my experience the lot of the eldest girl in a large family (unless wealthy) is far from enviable; lam myself the eldest o£: a; family of nijie. At the early age of four I- can remember having to rock by.brother's cradle—it seemedfor hours—until I almost hated the sight of him. ■ From about eight I had'to hurry home from school to perform household duties ot run errands. Tinlike some school friends, I could never go out to play, as, when I was not doing housework, I was taking care of the babies. From about twelve till fifteen I seldom had a night's unbroken rest, as one of the babies always share! my bed in order that, my mother should not be disturbed. From overwork and Jack: of rest and play, I grew up a nervous child, and am how, as au adult, thoroughly neurasthenic. I vowed as a child that I would never marry and have children, as they represented to me sleepless nights and playless days. I was'robbed of my childhood and my health- because my mother had unwanted babies every year. ... If women have more children than they can comfortably care for they should not shift the burden on to the eldest girl, who has a- right to a happy,, healthy girlhood." : There is a great deal of truth in this letter, and although no one would wish either girls or boys' to be Withont any duties at borne, for the doing of these is a good training for their future lives, they should be kept strictly within what is fair and right, and any others should be shared by the parents, whose real responsibility such duties are.