to carve a better world out of the present。 But much of it is
socialist only in name。 Its spirit is Anarchistic。 Its real
burthen is not construction but grievance； it tells the bitter
tale of the employee； it feeds and organises his malice； it
schemes annoyance and injury for the hated employer。 The state
and the order of the world is confounded with the capitalist。
Before the war the popular so…called socialist press reeked with
the cant of rebellion； the cant of any sort of rebellion。 〃I'm a
rebel；〃 was the silly boast of the young disciple。 〃Spoil
something； set fire to something；〃 was held to be the proper text
for any girl or lad of spirit。 And this blind discontent carried
on into the war。 While on the one hand a great rush of men
poured into the army saying； 〃Thank God！ we can serve our
country at last instead of some beastly profiteer；〃 a sourer
remnant； blind to the greater issues of the war； clung to the
reasonless proposition； 〃the state is only for the Capitalist。
This war is got up by Capitalists。 Whatever has to be done
/we are rebels。/〃
Such a typical paper as the British /Labour Leader/； for
example； may be read in vain； number after number； for any sound
and sincere constructive proposal。 It is a prolonged scream of
extreme individualism； a monotonous repetition of incoherent
discontent with authority； with direction； with union； with the
European effort。 It wants to do nothing。 It just wants effort
to stopeven at the price of German victory。 If the whole
fabric of society in western Europe were to be handed over to
those pseudo…socialists to…morrow； to be administered for the
common good； they would fly the task in terror。 They would make
excuses and refuse the undertaking。 They do not want the world
to go right。 The very idea of the world going right does not
exist in their minds。 They are embodied discontent and hatred；
making trouble； and that is all they are。 They want to be
〃rebels〃to be admired as 〃rebels〃。
That is the true psychology of the Resentful Employee。 He is a
de…socialised man。 His sense of the State has been destroyed。
The Resentful Employees are the outcome of our social injustices。
They are the failures of our social ad educational systems。 We
may regret their pitiful degradation； we may exonerate them from
blame； none the less they are a pitiful crew。 I have seen the
hardship of the trenches； the gay and gallant wounded。 I do a
little understand what our soldiers； officers and men alike； have
endured and done。 And though I know I ought to allow for all
that I have stated； I cannot regard these conscientious objectors
with anything but contempt。 Into my house there pours a dismal
literature rehearsing the hardships of these men who set
themselves up to be martyrs for liberty； So and So； brave hero；
has been sworn atpositively sworn at by a corporal； a nasty
rough man came into the cell of So and So and dropped several
h's； So and So； refusing to undress and wash； has been undressed
and washed； and soap was rubbed into his eyesperhaps purposely；
the food and accommodation are not of the best class； the doctors
in attendance seem hasty； So and So was put into a damp bed and
has got a nasty cold。 Then I recall a jolly vanload of wounded
men I saw out there。。。。
But after all； we must be just。 A church and state that
permitted these people to be thrust into dreary employment in
their early 'teens； without hope or pride； deserves such citizens
as these。 The marvel is that there are so few。 There are a poor
thousand or so of these hopeless； resentment…poisoned creatures
in Great Britain。 Against five willing millions。 The Allied
countries； I submit； have not got nearly all the conscientious
objectors they deserve。
3
If the Resentful Employee provides the emotional impulse of the
resisting pacifist； whose horizon is bounded by his one
passionate desire that the particular social system that has
treated him so ill should collapse and give in； and its leaders
and rulers be humiliated and destroyed； the intellectual
direction of a mischievous pacifism comes from an entirely
different class。
The Genteel Whig； though he differs very widely in almost every
other respect from the Resentful Employee； has this much in
common； that he has never been drawn into the whirl of collective
life in any real and assimilative fashion。 This is what is the
matter with both of them。 He is a little loose； shy； independent
person。 Except for eating and drinkingin moderation； he has
never done anything real from the day he was born。 He has
frequently not even faced the common challenge of matrimony。
Still more frequently is he childless； or the daring parent of
one particular child。 He has never traded nor manufactured。 He
has drawn his dividends or his salary with an entire
unconsciousness of any obligations to policemen or navy for these
punctual payments。 Probably he has never ventured even to
reinvest his little legacy。 He is acutely aware of possessing an
exceptionally fine intelligence； but he is entirely unconscious
of a fundamental unreality。 Nothing has ever occurred to him to
make him ask why the mass of men were either not possessed of his
security or discontented with it。 The impulses that took his
school friends out upon all sorts of odd feats and adventures
struck him as needless。 As he grew up he turned with an equal
distrust from passion or ambition。 His friends went out after
love； after adventure； after power； after knowledge； after this
or that desire； and became men。 But he noted merely that they
became fleshly； that effort strained them； that they were
sometimes angry or violent or heated。 He could not but feel that
theirs were vulgar experiences； and he sought some finer exercise
for his exceptional quality。 He pursued art or philosophy or
literature upon their more esoteric levels； and realised more and
more the general vulgarity and coarseness of the world about him；
and his own detachment。 The vulgarity and crudity of the things
nearest him impressed him most； the dreadful insincerity of the
Press； the meretriciousness of success； the loudness of the rich；
the baseness of common people in his own land。 The world
overseas had by comparison a certain glamour。 Except that when
you said 〃United States〃 to him he would draw the air sharply
between his teeth and beg you not to。。。
Nobody took him by the collar and shook him。
If our world had considered the advice of William James and
insisted upon national service from everyone； national service in
the drains or the nationalised mines or the nationalised deep…sea
fisheries if not in the army or navy； we should not have had any
such men。 If it had insisted that wealth and property are no
more than a trust for the public benefit； we should have had no
genteel indispensables。 These discords in our national unanimity
are the direct consequence of our bad social organisation。 We
permit the profiteer and the usurer； they evoke the response of
the Reluctant Employee； and the inheritor of their wealth becomes
the Genteel Whig。
But that is by the way。 It was of course natural and inevitable
that the German onslaught upon Belgium and civilisation generally
should strike these recluse minds not as a monstrous ugly
wickedness to be resisted and overcome at any cost； but merely as
a nerve…racking experience。 Guns were going off on both sides。
The Genteel Whig was chiefly conscious of a repulsive vast
excitement all about him； in which many people did inelegant and
irrational things。 They waved flagsnasty little flags。 This
child of the ages； this last fruit of the gigantic and tragic
tree of life； could no more than stick its fingers in its ears as
say； 〃Oh； please； do /all/ stop！〃 and then as the strain
grew intenser and intenser set itself with feeble pawings now to
clamber 〃Au…dessus de la Melee；〃 and now toin some
weak waystop the conflict。 （〃Au…dessus de la
Melee〃as the man said when they asked him where he
was when the bull gored his sister。） The efforts to stop the
conflict at any price； even at the price of entire submission to
the German Will； grew more urgent as the necessity that everyone
should help against the German Thing grew more manifest。
Of all the strange freaks of distressed thinking that this war
has produced； the freaks of the Genteel Whig have been among the
most remarkable。 With an air of profound wisdom he returns
perpetually to his proposition that there are faults on both
sides。 To say that is his conception of impartiality。 I suppose
that if a bull gored his sister he would say that there were
faults on both sides； his sister ought not to have strayed into
the field； she was wearing a red hat of a highly provocative
type； she ought to have been a cow and then everything would have
been different。 In the face of the history of the last forty
years； the Genteel Whig struggles persistently to minimise the
German outrage upon civilisation and to find excuses for Germany。
He does this； not because he has any real passion for falsehood；
but because by training； circumstance； and disposition he is
passionately averse from action with the vulgar majority and from
self…sacrifice in a common cause； and because he finds in the
justification of Germany and； failing that； in the blackening of
the Allies to an equal blackness； one line of defence against the
wave of impulse that threatens to submerge his private self。 But
when at last that line is forced he is driven back upon others
equally extraordinary。 You can often find simultaneously in the
same Pacifist paper； and sometimes even in the utterances of the
same writer； two entirely incompatible statements。 The first is
that Germany is so invincible that it is useless to prolong the
war since no effort of the Allies is likely to produce any
material improvement in their position； and the second is that
Germany is so thoroughly beaten that she is now ready to abandon
militarism and make terms and compensations entirely acceptable
to the countries she has forced into war。 And when finally facts
are produced to establish the truth that Germany； though still
largely