There are many hopeful signs in the world to-day which counteract the
evil elements. The peace spirit is spreading between nations, if not
between classes. The British people, in the Mother Country and in the
sister nations of the Empire, stand solidly and almost passionately for
peace in the world. It is true, as cynics point out, that the material
interests of the British Empire are safeguarded by peace, and that
poverty in gold and man-power and military strength has brought about
this dove-like attitude. That is true, but not all the truth, nor the
best part of it.
It is also true that in most of the homes in England, Scotland and
Wales the memory of dead boys sacrificed to the war spirit has produced
a loathing of war which compels these people to seek for some new
leadership, some new philosophy of statesmanship, some new system of
international agreement, which will prevent another sacrifice like
that among their children and children’s children. They may not regret
with passionate revolt the call which caused those boys of ours to
die—though many do—and they may believe with unchanging faith that if
it happened again in that way the duty of youth would be to fight as
they fought and die as they died in a righteous cause and in defence of
that country. There are not many pacifists in England or Scotland who
think that all war is wrong, or even that the last war was wrong. But
they are all pacifists in believing that another war must be prevented
by eliminating the causes of quarrel. They are all League of Nations
men—and women—in allegiance to the spirit of the League, even if they
deplore its weakness and futility. In the vast majority they would
refuse now to follow any leadership which involved them in war, beyond
military police work on far frontiers, unless the safety of the Empire
or civilisation itself were utterly at stake.
That may seem like “hedging.” It leaves a loophole for wars in India,
Africa, Egypt. To some extent it is “hedging,” for even the Labour
Party, most vowed to peace, is prepared to use the regular army for
the protection of the Soudan or the crushing of rebellion in India.
But with certain mental reservations and irresistible exceptions,
which I think all nations would make (the greatest pacifists in the
United States would advocate force against a Black rebellion in the
Southern States) the British people, apart from a very small minority,
will give an eager support to any plan for general disarmament down
to the irreducible minimum for maintaining the military police work
of the world, and will be hostile to any power or leadership which is
convicted of warlike policy and designs. It is not a negligible fact
in world history when an assembly of nations like the British Empire
is dedicated to the spirit of international peace, at least within
the confines of the white races of the world, and, if possible, of
liberal forms of government, gradual relaxation of direct control in
its Eastern world. It is the first time that it has happened with such
spiritual conviction in the minds of millions.