BY THE WAY

Evening Star, Issue 16777, 4 July 1918, Page 2

BY THE WAY

[By Cabkl Ceos3.]

:-::3|i : BjEp«(ri6BW' of Govßtiuneni enterprise In ffhe ' dwaala of literature is not' encourag- , Ing. Good books are the outcome oi per- ■:'; tonal iiurpiration, associated with personal goiiusy and a more or less wholesoma con";adonanesa. that failure will be a bad thing v.'fiMr the "writer. In anv case, such a work fta that contemplated % Six James Alien M'« .Few'.ZealanoYs part in the war ■would : reqn3:» : sympathetic halp from the GoTeiiimeaQtj 'but" itt & State publication the ■■■'maigee is that it shall not be a living work l*y aa inspired author, but a more com--i'jJMation'of undigested or ill-digested decu-'^nwais-arranged and'strong tog-ether some..bow'/by some editor stir? of his money. : fitffi, ■ the . situation, is difficult in many "wiTß,'and plainly calls for State enterprise aa&; generosity. As the proposed work is, ■■&a : :fofr*s possible, to relate- to New Zealand <mly, Us circulation, will not ertend very '. macea&Uy beyond crar own small popnlaI tiom. : and may be .not largo oven withm it. i' so that private enterprise would be un- ' «ptal to the' task Our clear duty, thereldre,ia to receive tho Pefence Ministers profeck mt3i hearty and practical sympathy. Mar it be aavecl 'from, tho provcrttallat© of dishes that cmorgo from the at- '. .|enti<ja. of too many cooks, and may .Sea Tea preserve the volume or volumes from, behi-p reduced to Trasto paper by a toaiol' pushful phillatines who world leave 60 Bfcone' unfenrned to have their lllastnou.? '.■'.jUumei'StaniEg in the record I I■ ■' "' # » * * * * *■

f'V ;Anwßff statesmen of the Dominion few, • ; ! » i!i «rr/!aw earned a heavier burden dur!'bg the war than oat Minister of I>eier,ce 1 fifr. James Allen, thenfrb. bo has not-served >■■■&■'" Hsi" Irent, W quite a consider - ables«iperien<» of massed atas.. awi ■■■ta&i"mi explosives, spies, and mipei^ 'ted even some other tiling tnat ■BeM'Bet be i»m«L By ia> means ins teuHe 'bas. been the objector _ and fni M some ol the latter showimi a - :£ndow fcterust in the objector «bu ■-■■£■*& .fatetMt in the bovs who have no. objected baa stood steadily at zero, to : . feme of ttoe people a tough objertorjM 0 %01 neither flaht nor help a wounriei. , a phl» of safety, and yWjs " In authorities the maximum o, troub.e ♦a a valuable find, which they may be "Med to exploit to the uttermost, 111 ■ 'ffiafcf'snii-Britisb cause. "~~~.. # # # £ # -k : ' Tha, WMFfliatfng stubbcrnnew of some Obfectcw-ccnmentious and to ...pi&ryi.wrviee seem.fi, in some.nstmco to'have goaded tbo*e rcpLJ 6-rb]e,ior' getting them into kliaa ii:» a : . W rrettable.. a m6unt i ot violence. But U» Rbjeeb' brMles with difiicnlty. # It bj Um% :thdr.teeth in domed rests ancelo the Iw'and defiance of authority, ...nd findergobiß tie penally in the shape of a KADIS' imprisenment. mm conk ccmpletelv eaoipe from babibtv to *.er% e . . the Government would be unable_to_ ctai 'With'"the task on their hands. L> w no fiTjarantee of genuine sanctity that a ;onn.i fellow .-will brave any amount 01 roiifrh feeatmerrt rather than don the khaki. ■There are types oi men to whom sorv-ee at the ■front has such terrors tnat they ■would Eladly suffer anj thing to eeeape It, -without professing and religious scrur-.* at all.- They will ri*k beins; P motherod as stawa-wavs, thev will live the furtive n.r of auimak in the wilds, they will mutilate themselves, and in Kmie cases even 20 to the extreme of suicide. Convince them that if we lose the war we lose our treedom and come under the hated Prussiar: BVBiem—it Is all the same to them whatever happens, so long as they can avoid military service. Then there are _ objectors who will put up as good a n-ht fox eom© non-religions theory as the most devout could pat rep for his religions scruples. Who Is to judge in those tmnjp end say whether the objection is a purely felons fear of damnation for disobeying God, or a pronounced •constitution,-!,! re.uc'■itmce, or a'form of egotistic eii-rsedness 4 # # # * * * *

In my Judgment, refusal to khaki 'fend accept non-combatant service, eo far froia being, strong evidence that the objection" is genuinely relifdcus, is rather an indication that it isn't. Surely it 13 a gfcrange perversity that makes a roan refuse to save in" the name of Him who earn© to save. Surely, if his heart was in right place, tho religious objector Sould jump at the opportunity of succoring the poor wound-od fellows who had been flghtinp for him, without bcim? naked to fight himself. To my mind, tho mo. 11 who refuses any and every kind of noneombatant service that is un<br militarr control stamps himself as an ordina-y doctrinaire theorist, and forfeits any claim to consideration as objector on hfch Christian grounds Such 1-1 vir iually turn* a deaf cir to th t (ft ■wonnded, and rofu <=••> to t" 1 e in e It the stretcher that i& to kn hij ov n *< 1 „ trother to the ueare td- -sit g "tat m I bare no time for him Pth-r tin bm * favorable, the Govrnrn«nt B h uU t j ( ther -with any man what'n r ha, IL ? end whatever his xo+ ors 1 n 3 c otherwise, than to rtke-ve lim of to gation to fight, while sfti i< to 1' ti !► i played Mb part in * no 1 -""i c the" peTrice. EspeculK 11 ° icl 1 i*- t -» that which is now ucon u= the diJm uOl between civil and nr htirv =0 oft n n 1 by objectors to mihtirv strrs 15 m hi and spurious. The war demand* t 1 e r tiro energies and icources of tho Fmnr It 13 not only th irmv ird rav- +*• „ aio at war, but the nitior ord Lj m e FFe are all at war, and all ovr rnk ij niiitarr. # # # # * * *r

It is difficult to understand \ hit it u' hj the doings of the Bolshev ks m Ri '-i, ihat has won the sympathy .u 1 pj L' ■ s( > if a large (section of Labor in Bit sin Co 1 jmmitiea, unless it be the ratnne ibii feckless violence with which 11»- hi * reduced everything to ckao* -z i Vt ' frantic campaign of ruin aiu 1 <• u'J t against men of outstanding i"t '1 lEnd ability, whether in the ar-iv, ■>> * paw, the administration, or .ndi'itr 1 life." Of such stuff the dream-, ri t 1 « English-speaking Bolshevist ha\e 1 ■>< m * in far vears. JSvcry form of TcTj-r"! c 1 jinctaon and superior merit is KU x ~> hn sit were possible he v ou'l e i-Mo l state of things into existence in much ivery head that presumed to - 1 -r i* ihove a certain line agreed upc K Labor conference would he wrd' " iir 1 fhe whole catalogue of German infi"i 1 1 hi= !ess effect in Etirrins his wrath t'n bare thought of men guilty ri si a J of the crime of owning industrial concerns. He would not take up j»rrr.s asrainst the torturers of half a dozen nationalitms, th-j , assassins of Sister Ovell and Captain Fry- : a£t', btst he has declared aiain and airain ! that he would wHlrnclv Ehonidcr a rifle to . square matters with the capitalist—i.e., his fellow-citizens, including the man wljopays . liis wa£6s. For tho rest, t'lie Bolshevist has neither programme nor propaganda. He feeds his enthusiasm with the prospect of expropriation, pathetically confident that, whatever welter of violence and disorder resulted from the process, a beautiful social OTder would be sure to arise from it, as Venus is said to have risen from the eeo.

There aro nut wanting indications th.it '• Bolshevism and other iwms of d'eleyalty 4a Australia hare over-i «vchcd thorns©-ve?. ] *Ehoaglitfvrl unionists have allowed their i official" xorccseutativca to go to creat lengths -without protest, b.rt they are boMnnW to show fL-hi. Tho audacity ot She disloyalists has stunp them to thcquick, and they are beginning to renßro Ebe infinite meanness as well aa the peril jrf Indifference to fchur country in tee hsigbtiesfe straggle for freedom thai ever ten* heroes to'death. The unionist is first |jf all a man, and us much ontit.cd to tho kxsseajian of a soul as any other human, and Uhvo trua friend ot the worker who teats that item in drawing up his list ct lb© -workers.' rights. ?t is the wa ci Labor that is now besng revealed, that is !>' fcaruing upon its tyrant is, and that is re- ,\ i Ensing to deny and repudiate tho country !;>.",< ftrhose democratic ideals and -whoso largo V«'-- W-erattco bare given to Labor a status arid i\ 0. poiitJcal dignity unknown in any other "} \ if part of tke world.

: ; Tbe frequent reports aa to the disgust- %-- fag. amount of di ankennesa in evidence in

that too frequently punctuate tho arrivals of returned soldiers there aw doing much,! to prepare the people for the " Hurricane Cinijw gn'" fOl the uuuhilaiion of the ■drink ti ule tlut 1, now bung oignmeed It 18 tot todid tint the u am ibk ho toiaty ut ouj. en- t 1 i" aen ideJL in h\ tho tut Out tot loiu ua sit hut. btn tho mht i> an it tin. thmnai, <.oi tan mnae t c'liu i> id then li n i aid i ji oi ii-vil tub ana iulo tin >ia tli it tl i coiiumt mtotmj, B md pjiUJjj, ji 1 [Jt t<-> rxrvruihu wl Ji tj w i n \ in tuithjii ibb omit tarn dttk wiah o o tat mean diun lennt hj 1 th s in c i ree it <> hj pitntd t-o no hj that las upon us futi l 10 it i liu, tUt long expuri u o i"»x>vt fc> L Injt t y saoi-Utul wuh di' dun i. and i itr tun nuy t i'it Uib > t iu„ K ion pi a iis but tho err u lhiu Hue *n *u to t a r nrnt L 1 nkt II thcite a en oi 1,-L 1)J 1S It Oil 1 I <ti lit i iudi to Htck It, turn i ui\ it t 'f lu'di t. rht uu tlyt itnii" 1 iiiji t ti lit d n xj-m o rru hj < 1 n\ W it m mdui-fciy nitbtito it i u tI 1 i nd tcl-itttl Itpi '] t i i 1 ! r puts t lofoim iv\c lit in't 1 tht \ iJ iltv of Mich iu k jiiii I I ii <k iuii uc tl ox tl j 1114 ti Itounni ot 1 kid" so fr i,. 1 tl i\ ptc t ii nis hief tin tl \ 1 1 (1 t > mil tb tin i nll r ) 1 -1 1 i tn i « 111 tMtlon nt 1 t 1 r ml