ON WITH THE PEACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20116, 29 November 1928, Page 15

ON WITH THE PEACE.

PRESBYTERIAN PACIFISTS. REFLECTIO?JS OF BROWN. "LIBERTY AT ANY PRICE." "I see the Presbyterians are getting on with the peace," !,aid Brown. "A pleasant placo and season for it, too. A comfortable part of the Empire in which to sit and set snares foi war-dues. Of course, there might come a day when (he pacifist activities of the present may take a lot of explaining, particularly if watchdogs should bo entangled at an inopportune moment for the S ate. "However, no peat harm will be done. It is always well for the State to know what is going on in all quarters. Longsuffering England does not interfere even with the orators in Hyde Park, and why, therefore, should New Zealand be seriously disturbed lecauso a zeal for peace sometimes carries a few folk into dan*

gerous territory '! "Don't misunderstand me. I know what the real Fresbylerian mind is on thi3 matter. Tho Church of Scotland in this Dominion w ill never be a source of weakness in a timo of war crisis. Unfortunately its 'parliament' has been swayed by a group that is not exactly representat ivc. Among the Blessings.

"The Presbyterian pacifists naturally thank God for all His Liberty is one of tho blessings, and it has been clearly purchased and dearly preserved. 'Peace, at any price* is just about the attitude of those who aro carrying these resolutions against compulsory military training and supporting conscientious objectors. Well. 'Liberty at any price.' is my motto, aud that, I believe, of tho average man.

"How often air we. informed by pacifists that the war wis fought to end war? Nothing of the kind. It. was fought because Germany lad at last, come to 'The Day.' Britain fought to honour her signature to a defensive alliance, which also meant generally for the liberty of nations and particularly for her own safety. 'War 13 end war' was a recruiting catch cry justified by circumstances. But whether justified or not it implied no promise to a very large number of men who stood the brunt of the onslaught when Germany was at her greatest, Before the Catch Cry.

"I happen to be ono of those who were under arms bofoie that cry was invented, and certainly I did not enlist on that ground. I enlisted as did most of the men of all the armies—early and late—to fight for the liberty of my country. I fought in particular for the protection of tne helpless. The ordinary protective instincts of an ordinary man impelled me. If the pacifists, who, by the way, forget, that sailors and soldiers and all who were behind then preserved for them the liberties they are now employing so strangely, cannot regard that attitude as a right one, and if they cannot believe that the conscierro of those holding it is clear 1 am sorry. But my conscience is clear, notwithstanding the fact that human blood is on my .hands.

"I refer particularly to a man I know I killed. He tried to snipe me and I won the duel. I would rather not have the memory. I bore him no ill-will and when he died I realised to the full the awful horror of war. I thought of a widow and orphans. I felt that he was a man whose purpose in life was not to be found on a battlefield, but as he was a unit, of an army menacing the liberty of nations and the safety of my own people any personal emotion had no bearing on the matter. The destruction and defeat of the enemy forces was my duty. Hn and I would never have exchanged bullets if his side had not, forced war on our nation. And. however much I loathed the thing, I Mt I bad done a good deed.

Missions to the Warlike. "The sn callpd rights r>f individual conscience an; hrinj; argued—after the Avar has preserved tho safety of the realm and tho rights of British subjects, including the pacifists. Why not. instead, send missionaries to preach goodwill to the several nations that, are getting ori with the peace in most warlike fashion 1 Thev are the people -who need to be shown the horror of war and its futility except when i f . is necessary to preserve liberty. Then it is by no means futile, whatever the price.

"Another poirt that occurs to a sol flier," added Brown, "is that the war made possible ilie League of Nations, which, in spite of the. limitations of its members, marks a great forward step in civilisation.

" Jri the meantime, seeing that consciences are out to pick and choose from the obligations or' citizenship, may I claim the right to be of good conscience over my infinitesimal share in enabling the Presbyterian General Assembly to gather in a comfortably British manner and preach doctrines dangerous to the State."