then；　with　an　air　of　superior　modesty；　they　will　go　on　doing
  whatever　they　feel　inclined　to　do。　　Many　others；　a　degree　less
  simple　in　their　methods；　will　take　some　entirely　partial　aspect；
  arrive　at　some　guesswork　decision　upon　that；　and　then　behave　as
  though　that　met　every　question　we　have　to　face。　　Or　they　will
  make　a　sort　of　admonitory　forecast　that　is　conditional　upon　the
  good　behaviour　of　other　people。　　〃Unless　the　Trade　Unions　are
  more　reasonable；〃　they　will　say。　　Or；　〃Unless　the　shipping
  interest　is　grappled　with　and　controlled。〃　　Or；　〃Unless　England
  wakes　up。〃　　And　with　that　they　seem　to　wash　their　hands　of　further
  responsibility　for　the　future。
  One　delightful　form　of　put…off　is　the　sage　remark；　〃Let　us　finish
  the　war　first；　and　then　let　us　ask　what　is　going　to　happen　after
  it。〃　　One　likes　to　think　of　the　beautiful　blank　day　after　the
  signing　of　the　peace　when　these　wise　minds　swing　round　to　pick　up
  their　deferred　problems。。。。
  I　submit　that　a　man　has　not　done　his　duty　by　himself　as　a
  rational　creature　unless　he　has　formed　an　idea　of　what　is　going
  on；　as　one　complicated　process；　until　he　has　formed　an　idea
  sufficiently　definite　for　him　to　make　it　the　basis　of　a　further
  idea；　which　is　his　own　relationship　to　that　process。　　He　must
  have　some　notion　of　what　the　process　is　going　to　do　to　him；　and
  some　notion　of　what　he　means　to　do；　if　he　can；　to　the　process。
  That　is　to　say；　he　must　not　only　have　an　idea　how　the　process　is
  going；　but　also　an　idea　of　how　he　wants　it　to　go。　　It　seems　so
  natural　and　necessary　for　a　human　brain　to　do　this　that　it　is
  hard　to　suppose　that　everyone　has　not　more　or　less　attempted　it。
  But　few　people；　in　Great　Britain　at　any　rate；　have　the　habit　of
  frank　expression；　and　when　people　do　not　seem　to　have　made　out
  any　of　these　things　for　themselves　there　is　a　considerable
  element　of　secretiveness　and　inexpressiveness　to　be　allowed　for
  before　we　decide　that　they　have　not　in　some　sort　of　fashion　done
  so。　　Still；　after　all　allowances　have　been　made；　there　remains　a
  vast　amount　of　jerry…built　and　ready…made　borrowed　stuff　in　most
  of　people's　philosophies　of　the　war。　　The　systems　of　authentic
  opinion　in　this　world　of　thought　about　the　war　are　like
  comparatively　rare　thin　veins　of　living　mentality　in　a　vast　world
  of　dead　repetitions　and　echoed　suggestions。　　And　that　being　the
  case；　it　is　quite　possible　that　history　after　the　war；　like
  history　before　the　war；　will　not　be　so　much　a　display　of　human
  will　and　purpose　as　a　resultant　of　human　vacillations；
  obstructions；　and　inadvertences。　　We　shall　still　be　in　a　drama　of
  blind　forces　following　the　line　of　least　resistance。
  One　of　the　people　who　is　often　spoken　of　as　if　he　were　doing　an
  enormous　amount　of　concentrated　thinking　is　〃the　man　in　the
  trenches。〃　　We　are　toldby　gentlemen　writing　for　the　most　part　at
  homeof　the　most　extraordinary　things　that　are　going　on　in　those
  devoted　brains；　how　they　are　getting　new　views　about　the　duties
  of　labour；　religion；　morality；　monarchy；　and　any　other　notions
  that　the　gentleman　at　home　happens　to　fancy　and　wished　to　push。
  Now　that　is　not　at　all　the　impression　of　the　khaki　mentality　I
  have　reluctantly　accepted　as　correct。　　For　the　most　part　the　man
  in　khaki　is　up　against　a　round　of　tedious　immediate　duties　that
  forbid　consecutive　thought；　he　is　usually　rather　crowded　and　not
  very　comfortable。　　He　is　bored。
  The　real　horror　of　modern　war；　when　all　is　said　and　done；　is　the
  boredom。　　To　get　killed　our　wounded　may　be　unpleasant；　but　it　is
  at　any　rate　interesting；　the　real　tragedy　is　in　the　desolated
  fields；　the　desolated　houses；　the　desolated　hours　and　days；　the
  bored　and　desolated　minds　that　hang　behind　the　melee
  and　just　outside　the　melee。　　The　peculiar
  beastliness　of　the　German　crime　is　the　way　the　German　war　cant
  and　its　consequences　have　seized　upon　and　paralysed　the　mental
  movement　of　Western　Europe。　　Before　1914　war　was　theoretically
  unpopular　in　every　European　country；　we　thought　of　it　as
  something　tragic　and　dreadful。　　Now　everyone　knows　by　experience
  that　it　is　something　utterly　dirty　and　detestable。　　We　thought　it
  was　the　Nemean　lion；　and　we　have　found　it　is　the　Augean　stable。
  But　being　bored　by　war　and　hating　war　is　quite　unproductive
  /unless　you　are　thinking　about　its　nature　and　causes　so
  thoroughly　that　you　will　presently　be　able　to　take　hold　of　it　and
  control　it　and　end　it。/　It　is　no　good　for　everyone　to　say
  unanimously；　〃We　will　have　no　more　war；〃　unless　you　have　thought
  out　how　to　avoid　it；　and　mean　to　bring　that　end　about。　　It　is　as
  if　everyone　said；　〃We　will　have　no　more　catarrh；〃　or　〃no　more
  flies；〃　or　〃no　more　east　wind。〃　　And　my　point　is　that　the　immense
  sorrows　at　home　in　every　European　country　and　the　vast　boredom　of
  the　combatants　are　probably　not　really　producing　any　effective
  remedial　mental　action　at　all；　and　will　not　do　so　unless　we　get
  much　more　thoroughly　to　work　upon　the　thinking…out　process。
  In　such　talks　as　I　could　get　with　men　close　up　to　the　front　I
  found　beyond　this　great　boredom　and　attempts　at　distraction　only
  very　specialised　talk　about　changes　in　the　future。　　Men　were　keen
  upon　questions　of　army　promotion；　of　the　future　of　conscription；
  of　the　future　of　the　temporary　officer；　upon　the　education　of
  boys　in　relation　to　army　needs。　　But　the　war　itself　was　bearing
  them　all　upon　its　way；　as　unquestioned　and　uncontrolled　as　if　it
  were　the　planet　on　which　they　lived。
  II。　THE　YIELDING　PACIFIST　AND　THE　CONSCIENTIOUS　OBJECTOR
  1
  Among　the　minor　topics　that　people　are　talking　about　behind　the
  western　fronts　is　the　psychology　of　the　Yielding　Pacifist　and　the
  Conscientious　Objector。　　Of　course；　we　are　all　pacifists
  nowadays；　I　know　of　no　one　who　does　not　want　not　only　to　end　this
  war　but　to　put　an　end　to　war　altogether；　except　those　blood…red
  terrors　Count　Reventlow；　Mr。　Leo　Maxsehow　he　does　it　on　a
  vegetarian　dietary　I　cannot　imagine！and　our　wild…eyed
  desperados　of　/The　Morning　Post。/　　But　most　of　the　people　I
  meet；　and　most　of　the　people　I　met　on　my　journey；　are　pacifists
  like　myself　who　want　to　/make/　peace　by　beating　the　armed
  man　until　he　gives　in　and　admits　the　error　of　his　ways；　disarming
  him　and　reorganising　the　world　for　the　forcible　suppression　of
  military　adventures　in　the　future。　　They　want　belligerency　put
  into　the　same　category　as　burglary；　as　a　matter　of　forcible
  suppression。　　The　Yielding　Pacifist　who　will　accept　any　sort　of
  peace；　and　the　Conscientious　Objector　who　will　not　fight　at　all；
  are　not　of　that　opinion。
  Both　Italy　and　France　produce　parallel　types　to　those　latter；　but
  it　would　seem　that　in　each　case　England　displays　the　finer
  developments。　　The　Latin　mind　is　directer　than　the　English；　and
  its　standardsshall　I　say？more　primitive；　it　gets　more
  directly　to　the　fact　that　here　are　men　who　will　not　fight。　　And
  it　is　less　charitable。　　I　was　asked　quite　a　number　of　times　for
  the　English　equivalent　of　an　/embusque。/　　〃We　don't
  generalise；〃　I　said；　〃we　treat　each　case　on　its　merits！〃
  One　interlocutor　near　Udine　was　exercised　by　our　Italian　Red
  Cross　work。
  〃Here；〃　he　said；　〃are　sixty　or　seventy　young　Englishmen；　all　fit
  for　military　service。。。。　　Of　course　they　go　under　fire；　but　it　is
  not　like　being　junior　officers　in　the　trenches。　　Not　one　of　them
  has　been　killed　or　wounded。〃
  He　reflected。　　〃One；　I　think；　has　been　decorated；〃　he　said。。。。
  My　French　and　Italian　are　only　for　very　rough　common　jobs；　when
  it　came　to　explaining　the　Conscientious　Objector　sympathetically
  they　broke　down　badly。　　I　had　to　construct　long　parenthetical
  explanations　of　our　antiquated　legislative　methods　to　show　how　it
  was　that　the　〃conscientious　objector〃　had　been　so　badly　defined。
  The　foreigner　does　not　understand　the　importance　of　vague
  definition　in　British　life。　　〃Practically；　of　course；　we　offered
  to　exempt　anyone　who　conscientiously　objected　to　fight　or　serve。
  Then　the　Pacifist　and　German　people　started　a　campaign　to　enrol
  objectors。　　Of　course　every　shirker；　every　coward　and　slacker　in
  the　country　decided　at　once　to　be　a　conscientious　objector。
  Anyone　but　a　British　legislator　could　have　foreseen　that。　　Then
  we　started　Tribunals　to　wrangle　with　the　objectors　about　their
  /bona　fides。/　　Then　the　Pacifists　and　the　Pro…Germans　issued
  little　leaflets　and　started　correspondence　courses　to　teach
  people　exactly　how　to　lie　to　the　Tribunals。　　Trouble　about
  freedom　of　the　pamphleteer　followed。　　I　had　to　admitit　has　been
  rather　a　sloppy　business。　　〃The　people　who　made　the　law　knew
  their　own　minds；　but　we　English　are　not　an　expressive　people。〃
  These　are　not　easy　things　to　say　in　Elementary　（and　slightly
  Decayed）　French　or　in　Elementary　and　Corrupt　Italian。
  〃But　why　do　people　support　the　sham　conscientious　objector　and
  issue　leaflets　to　help　himwhen　there　is　so　much　big　work
  clamouring　to　be　done？〃
  〃That；〃　I　said；　〃is　the　Whig　tradition。〃
  When　they　pressed　me　further；　I　said：　〃I　am　really　the
  questioner。　　I　am　visiting　/your/　country；　and　you　have　to
  tell　/me/　things。　　It　is　not　right　that　I　should　do　all　the
  telling。　　Tell　me　all　about　Romain　Rolland。〃
  And　so　I　pressed　them　about　the　official　socialists　in　Italy　and
  the　Socialist　minority　in　France　until