CHAPTER VII

PERVERSITIES OF THE ANTI-MILITARIST SPIRIT

British methods of recruiting in normal times 382 _The Conscription of Hunger_ 382 The cant of the voluntary principle 384 The 'economic' fallacy 385 The fallacy of underrating the moral of conscript armies 387 The army which we call 'voluntary' our enemies call 'mercenary' 389 'Mercenary' describes not the British Army but the British People 389 The true description of the British Army is 'Professional' 390 The theory of the British Army 391 That officers should pay for the privilege of serving 391 That the rank and file should contract for a term of years 392 Under pressure of want 392 At pay which is below the market rate 392 This contract is drastically enforced 393 With the full approval of anti-militarist opinion 393 Inconsistencies of the anti-militarists 394 Their crowning inconsistency 395 Other industries put pressure on society 396 Why should not a professional army? 396 The example of Rome 397 A professional army when it first interferes in politics usually does so as a liberator 397 Then military despotism follows speedily 399 A fool's paradise 399