The Progress of the World. 



393 



few points of contact, few common 

 interests, with them. How very much 

 the situation should be taken to heart 

 in London may be judged by the 

 following extract from an Indian corre- 

 spondent of the Times, who writes : 



" r.in-Isl.imism has steadily progressed, until now, 

 under the inBuence of recent events, it has undoubtedly 

 attained to a power, an importance, and a cohesion such 

 as has never previously been the case. . . . The 

 loyal Mohammedan community is greatly disturbed by 

 the course of British policy, not understanding the in- 

 tricacies of European politics. In this frame of mind 

 it has been approached by the emissaries of Pan- 

 Islamism with results which are most unfortunate from 

 our point of view. . . . Those closest in touch with 

 Mohammedan feeling seem unanimous in considering 

 that never before within itheir recollection has that 

 feeling Ix'en so stirred by events outside India, and never 

 has so great a strain been placed on the loyalty of what 

 we have always regarded as perhaps the most loyal 

 community." 



We must consider whether we can 

 afford to allow Turkey to be beaten, or 

 even to have Turkey victorious, in 

 war, although one or the other results 

 may be pleasing to Austria or to 

 Russia. We have the fact to face that, 

 to quote an eminent authorit}^ " Islam 

 is the key to the British Empire." Nor 

 is the matter made easier for us by a 

 knowledge that, had we openly come 

 out before this with a declaration of the 

 community of interests between the two 

 Mohammedan Empires, there would 

 have l)cen real progress in reform, there 

 would liave been tranquillity in Turkey, 

 and there would have been no war and 

 no menace of further war. Our moral 

 responsibility runs with our material and 

 vital interests in this matter, and a 

 mere st-ntimental tradition perpetuating 

 an ignorant prejudice against religious 

 differences should weigh no longer in the 

 determination of adelinite line of policy. 



Last month we pub- 



Univer«nl Service Hshcd aU articlc UpOU 



by Conient. the duty of citizcuship 



as shown in Japan. If 



there is one lesson which is strikingly 



predominant in that country it is that 

 every citizen feels that he has a duty 

 to perform towards his mother coun- 

 try — a duty imposed upon him by the 

 sense of gratitude which he feels for 

 all the advantages he gains by his 

 citizenship. This is the only basis upon 

 which a nation can remain really great, 

 and present a firm and undivided front 

 against all dangers. Citizenship should 

 imply the duty of service to the coun- 

 try. We would, therefore, urge upon 

 all not to be led away by the idea that 

 universal service necessarily means 

 conscription. In our mind it does not 

 even necessarily mean military train- 

 ing. We prefer a broader and more 

 national view of universal service, and 

 believe that the citizen should he serve 

 his country in any recognised capacity, 

 or should he show that his efforts on 

 behalf of the country are producing, 

 or will produce, good results, is as 

 truly performing his service as is the 

 voluntary soldier or the conscript. 

 Service there must be if citizenship is 

 to be worth anything. With regard 

 to universal militarj' service, this should 

 be based upon a positive realisation by 

 the individual of his love for his coun- 

 try, with the inevitable result that as 

 a good citizen he must desire to be 

 competent and trained in order to be a 

 worthy son of his country in time of 

 attack. We do not think that any 

 system of conscription based upon a 

 Continental model would be satisfactory 

 or what is needed here. No great 

 national change can come by compul- 

 sion. We think it only fair, however, 

 to say tliat we do not believe those 

 opponents of conscription who use as 

 their most important argument that 

 the people of Hiis country would ne\"er 



