Substitute Great Britain for Russia and Germany for Japan in this forecast, which has been proved true, and every word holds good except two.  We now know that Russia’s policy was not deliberate; that her Government bungled into the war without knowing what it was doing.  In just the same way British Governments have drifted blindly into the present difficult relations with Germany.  Those in England who would push the country into a war with Germany are indeed not a bureaucracy, they are merely a fraction of one of the parties, and do not represent the mass of our people, who have no desire for such a war, and are so little aware of its possibility that they have never even taken the trouble to find out why it may come.  A larger section of the other party is steeped in the belief that force, violence, and war are wicked in themselves, and ought therefore not to be thought about.  It is a prejudice which, unless removed, may ruin this country, and there is no way of dissipating it except that of patient argument based upon observation of the world we live in.  That way I shall attempt to follow in the next chapter.

III.

FORCE AND RIGHT

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:  but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:  but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy:  but I say unto you, Love your enemies.”  (Matt. v. 38-44).

If there are any among us who adopt these words as the governing rule of their lives they will certainly cause no difficulty to the State in its military policy whatever that may be, and will find their natural places even in time of war to the public good.  If the whole population were of their way of thinking and acting there would be no need to discuss war.  An invader would not be resisted.  His troops would be hospitably entertained and treated with affection.  No opposition would be made to the change of Government which he would introduce, and the taxes which he imposed would be cheerfully paid.  But there would be no State, except that created by the invader; and the problem of conduct for those living the life described would arise when the State so set up issued its ordinances requiring every able-bodied man to become a competent soldier.