NOTES 299 



to arm itself adequately. Not a single leading politician, 

 however, took his side — either from complete ignorance of 

 military matters or from unwillingness to risk popularity. 

 The theory, contrary to every military axiom, was held that 

 the nation could defend itself with one arm only, the navy. 

 The only change made by the politicians was to convert the 

 volunteer force into the territorial force — perhaps equivalent 

 to placing another bucket full of water by the side of a house 

 which might be burnt down ; and ever}' soldier saw that 

 that creation of the politicians, the Expeditionary Force, would 

 in the case of a great European war be about equivalent to 

 a pin against a sword. Our rulers, though they rejected 

 universal service, might at least have arranged the organisa- 

 tion for such service in case of need — for recruiting, munitions, 

 training, and all the other requirements of a national army ; 

 and this would at least have assured the Germans that if they 

 were to attack us we should mean a serious defence. In the 

 opinion of almost every soldier, if we had possessed a million 

 trained men, as Lord Roberts advised, the Germans would 

 not have precipitated the war, or, at least, would not have 

 made their treacherous attack on Belgium — the war would 

 have been either averted, or Belgium and Northern France 

 would not have been forced to endure their present great 

 suffering. It is also almost certain that if the politicians had 

 unequivocally declared themselves on the side of France and 

 Russia in July 19 14, as the French Government begged them 

 to declare themselves, the war would again have been averted. 

 After the outbreak of war, Lord Roberts' prophecies were 

 immediately and necessarily fulfilled by the German conquest 

 of Belgium, which, of course, was converted into a second 

 base for air-raids and for submarine attacks upon our com- 

 merce. For more than a year and a half after the outbreak, 

 the wretched oligarchy which ruled us did not possess enough 

 resolution even to enforce universal service — thus compelling 

 the noble young men who had volunteered at the commence- 

 ment of the war to return to the trenches over and over again, 

 even after frequent wounds, until they have been nearly 

 exterminated, while the shirkers lived at ease at home. They 

 allowed the country to remain full of spies. They permitted 

 a rebellion in Ireland. They failed to enforce a thorough 

 blockade against Germany. They enabled the king of Greece 



