FROM ENGLAND
7l
It
was my intention to find a job in or near Cambridge, but it did not
take me long to realise that in war time a pacifist is regarded as a kind of
moral leper, and that practically the only work open to me was a kind of
enlightened gang-labour organised by the county War Agricultural Com–
mittee, composed of similar outcasts engaged upon hedging and ditching,
reclaiming fen land, and so on. There are large numbers of pacifists near
here engaged on this kind of work, and as they are mainly artists, archi–
tects, musicians, writers, accountants or lecturers, doctors, etc., you can
imagine that they are pretty inefficient labourers. Of course, the reason
they are doing this work is that they have been ordered to do
it
by the
Conscientious Objectors' Tribunals, as an alternative to military service.
I was fortunate enough to go before my tribunal quite early on in the
war, before the war atmosphere had assumed its present fog-like quality,
and also to have my tribunal in Cambridge, where there was an academic
element sitting on the tribunal. Three other applicants, or whatever you
call them, were there with me, each had his written statement read out, and
was then questioned, harangued, or what not, by the tribunal. I happened
to be the second, and after taking the oath on a white prayer hook some
singularly inane questions were put to me, which I answered quite sweep–
ingly and categorically. One of the things which most amused me was the
fact that as an "unemployed clerk" I was treated with, at first, very scant
respect, hut later.! happened to mention that I was a writer and a poet,
and from peremptoriness the tone of the tribunal altered to one of purring
confidentialness. I think perhaps the main reason for my unconditional
exemption was the fact, which evidently impressed the tribunal, that I had
stated I was associated editorially with an American quarterly magazine.
At any rate,
all
the applicants who were with me were likewise exempted.
One of these was a very simple, uneducated farm-boy, who "just knew"
that war wa3 wrong: his simplicity and earnestness, plus his inarticulate–
ness, was very impressive. Another was an earnest, anxious-to-please
schoolmaster, of the kind who spends his holidays mixing with the unem–
ployed in holiday camps, and who had got a plump clergyman to put in a
word as to his excellent character. The other was a bible-punching
"Brother," who had written a statement a mile long, which read like some–
thing out of Revelations. He appeared carrying a huge bible, and was
very contemptuous of the whole tribunal. Altogether he put up the fun–
niest performance I have ever heard outside of a place of entertainment.
He was a mechanic or fitter of some sort. I thought the whole thing pretty
ludicrous. There were about five members of the tribunal, and each re–
ceived I know, several guineas for a few hours' sitting. At any rate the
result was that I walked out with a ticket of freedom from interference
from the army, which I was quite glad ta have.
All that was nearly two years ago now, and since then I have led a
somewhat peculiar existence on the money I have been receiving from the
Labour Exchange. My position is a peculiar one because, (a) I will not
