Page:Gregg - Pacifist Program in Time of War.pdf/9

 generations to remake a civilization. Yet that very acceleration, together with the delicacy of balance of modern economic and social forces, makes it possible in much shorter time to escape war, provided we work at its causes.

So sure am I that the real task of pacifists is to remake the entire civilization that I feel that the very word ‘pacifist’ is so inadequate a description as to be practically a misnomer. The makers of peace will have to deal with far more concrete and detailed matters than an abstraction called peace.

If these assumptions be true, and if war or fascism should come or be imminent in a country which does not have universal compulsory military service in peace time, what ought a pacifist citizen of that country to do? I am not fitted by knowledge or experience to make suggestions to people of other nations, though possibly in this discussion there may be something that could be partly adapted for their use.

Before war comes, absolute pacifists of eighteen years or over, men and women, ought first of all to sign a written pledge not to support or take part in any war, and file that pledge with some appropriate organization.

Such a pledge is more than a public gesture of refusal to do something on moral grounds. It is an affirmation that the human will is free, that a man can resist the slavery and dictator ship inherent in war. It is a step toward the renunciation of all domination, a step in support of a deeper freedom and democracy. Furthermore, such a written statement objectifies purpose, gets it outside. One can look at it and realize more fully and clearly its implications, relationships, and probable effects. Filing the pledge with a pacifist organization commits the signer to new relationships and new efforts, brings into play his sense of consistency, of honor, and of pride, starts new consistent friendships and gains strength from them. Modern war is so highly mechanized that more energy is needed for making and repairing machines than for fighting. Industrial