opinion and Government will cease to wish to persecute them. I got the
impression that Ll. George expects the war to go on for a long time yet; also
that he thinks the whole situation very black. He seemed quite heartless.
Afterwards I saw Anderson [a Labour ??] at the House: he is an oily humbug.
It is quite private about L. G. I suppose.
The ?rst thing that wants doing is to overhaul the whole of the decisions of
the Tribunals and have all conscience cases re-heard. No doubt a good many
the autobiography of bertrand russell 272are cowards: people are unspeakably cruel about cowardice – some have
gone mad, some have committed suicide, and people merely shrug their
shoulders and remark that they had no pluck. Nine-tenths of the human race
are incredibly hateful.
From Bernard Shaw 10 Adelphi Terrace. W.C.
18th April 1916
Dear Bertrand Russell
Yeats wrote to me about Chappelow, enclosing a letter from a lady, a
cousin of his. But I really don’t see what is to be done. The Act has been
passed; and he must either serve or go through with his martyrdom. There
is no ground on which exemption can be demanded for him: he seems to
have just let things slide, like a child unable to conceive that the law had
anything to do with him personally, instead of appealing or taking advice. I
have no private in?uence; and ex?uence, which I probably have, would not
help him.
His letter is not that of a man made of martyr-stu?. He seems to be, like
many literary people, helpless in practical a?airs and the army is in some
ways the very place for him; for he will be trained to face the inevitable, and
yet have no responsibilities. He will be fed and clothed and exercised and told
what to do; and he will have unlimited opportunities for thinking about
other things. He will not be asked to kill anybody for a year to come; and if he
?nds his conscience insuperably averse, he can throw down his arms and take
his two years hard labour then if he must, and be in much better condition
for it. But by that time he will either have been discharged as un?t for service
or else have realised that a man living in society must act according to the
collective conscience under whatever protest his individual conscience may
impel him to make. I think that is what we are bound to tell all the paci?c
young men who apply to us. Martyrdom is a matter for the individual soul:
you can’t advise a man to undertake it.
I do not blame any intelligent man for trying to dodge the atrocious
boredom of soldiering if it can be dodged; but Chappelow seems to have
been too helpless to make any attempt to dodge it: he simply stood gaping in
the path of the steamroller. I am sorry for him; but I can only advise him to
serve. Can you suggest anything better?
Yours ever
G. Bernard Shaw
Postscript
It would hardly help him to say ‘I don’t mind being bound by the con-
science of England, or by my own conscience; but I don’t feel at home
with the conscience of Lord Northcli?e, Sir Edward Carson, and General
Robertson, who naturally thinks there is nothing like leather’.
the first war 273P. P. S .
In?uence can work only in the direction of letting the prisoner out after he
is sentenced on some pretext or other.
The following is the lea?et for which I, in common with those who distributed it, was prosecuted:
??? ?????’ ???? ?????? ???
???????? ?? ??????? ???
???????? ?? ??????????.
This was the sentence passed on Ernest F. Everett, of 222, Denton’s Green
Lane, St Helens, by a Court Martial held on April 10th [1916].
Everett was a teacher at St Helens, and had been opposed to all war since
the age of 16. He appealed as a Conscientious Objector before the Local and
Appeal Tribunals, both of which treated him very unfairly, going out of their
way to recommend his dismissal from school. They recognised his conscien-
tious claim only so far as to award him noncombatant service. But as the
purpose of such service is to further the prosecution of the war, and to release
others for the trenches, it was impossible for him to accept the decision of the
Tribunals.
On March 31st he was arrested as an absentee, brought before the magis-
trates, ?ned ￡2, and handed over to the Military Authorities. By them he was
taken under escort to Warrington Barracks, where he was compelled to put
on uniform. On April 1st he was taken to Abergele, where he was placed in
the Non-Combatant Corps, which is part of the Army.
He adopted consistently a policy of passive resistance to all military orders.
The ?rst morning, April 2, when the men were ordered to fall in for fatigue
duty, he refused, saying: ‘I refuse to obey any order given by any military
authority.’ According to the Corporal, who gave the order, Everett ‘said it in
quite a nice way’.
The Corporal informed the Lieutenant, who repeated the order, and
warned Everett of the seriousness of his conduct. Everett still answered
politely, but explained why he could not obey. The Lieutenant ordered the
Conscientious Objector to the guard-room, where he remained all night.
The Captain visited the prisoner, who stated that ‘he was not going to take
orders’. The Captain ordered him to be brought before the Commanding
O?cer on a charge of disobedience.
Everett was next brought before the Colonel, who read aloud to him
Section 9 of the Army Act, and explained the serious consequences of dis-
obedience. But Everett remained ?rm, saying ‘He could not and would not
obey any military order’.
The result was that he was tried by Court Martial on April 10th. He
the autobiography of bertrand russell 274stated in evidence in his own defence: ‘I am prepared to do work of
national importance which does not include military service, so long as I do
not thereby release some other man to do what I am not prepared to do myself.’
The sentence was two years’ hard labour. Everett is now su?ering this
savage punishment solely for refusal to go against his conscience. He is ?ght-
ing the old ?ght for liberty and against religious persecution in the same
spirit in which martyrs su?ered in the past. Will you join the persecutors? Or
will you stand for those who are defending conscience at the cost of obloquy
and pain of mind and body?
Forty other men are su?ering persecution for conscience sake in the same
way as Mr Everett. Can you remain silent whilst this goes on?
Issued by the No-Conscription Fellowship, 8, Merton House, Salisbury Court,
Fleet Street, London, E.C.
From The Times of May 17th, 1916
????? ??? ????.
25
To the editor of The Times
Sir, A lea?et was lately issued by the No-Conscription Fellowship dealing with
the case of Mr Everett, a conscientious objector, who was sentenced to two
years’ hard labour by Court-martial for disobedience to the military author-
ities. Six men have been condemned to varying terms of imprisonment with
hard labour for distributing this lea?et. I wish to make it known that I am the
author of this lea?et, and that if anyone is to be prosecuted I am the person
primarily responsible.
Yours faithfully
Bertrand Russell
From A. N. Whitehead June 4th [1916]
Dearest Bertie
Good luck to you in every way. Let me know if and how I can help or shew
any o?ce of friendship. You know well enough that the mere fact that I think
your views of state policy and of private duty in relation to it to be mistaken,
do not diminish a?ection.
Yours a?ectionately
A. N. Whitehead
I am just going to commence my address for Section A at Newcastle in
September – I will shew it you in ms.
the first war 275From Cecil Spring Rice British Embassy
[British Ambassador in Washington] Washington
8 June 1916
My dear Mr President
26
I am sorry to say that Russell has been convicted under ‘defence of the
realm act’ for writing an undesirable pamphlet. Under these circumstances it
would be impossible to issue a passport to him to leave the country.
I am sorry, and Sir Edward Grey is sorry, that it is impossible to meet
your wishes but I trust that you will understand the necessity in which my
government is placed.
Oddly enough I was at the Berlin Embassy when we got into trouble owing
to Russell’s attitude when on a visit to Berlin as the German government
strongly objected to his language.
27
Yours sincerely
Cecil Spring Rice
To Professor James H. Woods,
of the Harvard Department of
Philosophy 34 Russell Chambers
30 July 1916
Dear Professor Woods
Your letter and the Ambassador’s were not wholly a surprise to me. I
cabled to you on receiving them, but I doubt if the cable ever reached
you. Your letter was most kind. The allusion to my doings in Berlin was
misleading. I was there in 1895 for the purpose of writing a book on German
Socialism; this led me to associate with Socialists, and therefore to be
excluded from the Embassy. I did nothing publicly all the time I was there.
The Kaiser was having Socialists imprisoned in large numbers for their opin-
ions, which gave me a hatred for him that I retain to this day. But unless in
quite private conversations I never expressed my feelings all the time I was
there. I have never been in Berlin since 1895.
I should be glad to know whether you have seen or received the verbatim
report of my trial. It has been sent you, but may have been stopped by the
Censor, who is anxious that America should not know the nature of my
crime. You will have heard that I have been turned out of Trinity for the same
o?ence. The sum-total of my crime was that I said two years’ hard labour in
prison was an excessive punishment for the o?ence of having a conscientious
objection to participation in war. Since then, the same o?ence has been
punished by the death-sentence, commuted to 10 years’ penal servitude.
Anyone who thinks that I can be made to hold my tongue when such things
are being done is grossly mistaken. And the Government only advertises
the autobiography of bertrand russell 276its own errors by trying ine?ectually to punish those of us who won’t be
silent. Working men are sent to prison when they commit the crime that I
committed. And when they come out, no one will employ them, so that they
are reduced to living on charity. This is a war for liberty.
This letter will no doubt never reach you, but it may be found interesting
by the Censor. If it does reach you, please let me know by return of post. It is a
matter of some public interest to know what is allowed to pass, and if I don’t
hear from you within 6 weeks I shall assume that this letter has been stopped.
These are ?erce times. But there is a new spirit abroad, and good will come
out of it all in the end. I wish your country had not embarked upon the career
of militarism.
Yours ever gratefully
B.R.
To Ottoline Morrell
[June 1916]
My Darling
A 1000 thanks for your dear dear letter which I have just got. I am grateful
for it.
This prosecution is the very thing I wanted. I have a very good case morally –
as good as possible. I think myself that the legal case is good tho’ no doubt
they will convict, and I rather hope they will. I have seen the solicitor (George
Baker) and arranged to defend myself without a barrister in the 1st Court on
Monday. Then I shall appeal,
28
and employ a barrister the 2nd time. The 2nd
time is not till the autumn, so I shall be able to go round the country in the
summer as I had planned. That is not at all a wild scheme – apart from any
good it may do, I shall learn a lot that I want to know.
I saw Miss Marshall and Allen and a number of the others – they were all
delighted and hoping I should get a savage sentence. It is all great fun, as well
as a magni?cent opportunity. The sort of opportunity I have longed for – and
I have come by it legitimately, without going out of my way. I am going back
to Cambridge now, coming up again Friday and staying here till Monday.
Think of me Monday 11.30. I hope I shall be worthy of the occasion.
Goodbye my Darling Love. Your love and sympathy do help far more than
you know.
Your
B.
Monday evg. [1916]
Today I had lunch and a country walk with the Rev. Morgan Jones, a
prominent paci?st here [in South Wales] and a real saint. Then I went to a
neighbouring town for a meeting – it was to have been in the school, but that
the first war 277was refused at the last moment, so we had it in the open air. A Unitarian
Minister spoke who has a son a co. It is wonderful what the ??s. have done
for the cause of peace – the heroism is no longer all on the side of war.
I ought to have gone into more hostile districts. Here it is merely a picnic
and I feel I should be better employed in town. After the 23rd I shall be back
in town – by then most of our Nat. Committee will be gone.
I am longing to know how Allen’s visit went o?. I am so terribly afraid it will
have been a failure.
Speaking is a great nervous strain. I feel very slack all the rest of the time.
But I sleep well and my mind is at peace so I don’t get really tired. I never have
any fundamental worries now-a-days.
I shall be very poor, having lost America and probably Trinity. I shall have
to ?nd some other way of making money. I think if Trinity turns me out I
shall advertise academic lectures in London on philosophical subjects. It
would be delightful if they succeeded, as they wouldn’t interfere with polit-
ical work. I have often dreamt of having an independent school like Abelard.
It might lead to great things. I feel I am only on the threshold of life – the rest
has been preparation – I mean as far as work is concerned. Quite lately I have
somehow found myself – I have poise and sanity – I no longer have the
feeling of powers unrealised within me, which used to be a perpetual torture.
I don’t care what the authorities do to me, they can’t stop me long. Before I
have felt either wicked or passively resigned – now I feel fully active and
contented with my activity – I have no inward discords any more – and
nothing ever really troubles me.
I realise that as soon as the worst of the stress is over I shall want some
more intellectual occupation. But I see room for endless work on political
theory. And it will have the advantage that it will involve seeing all sorts of
people and getting to know all sorts of human facts – it won’t leave half of me
unsatis?ed as abstract work does. The only doubt is whether I shan’t some
day be suddenly overwhelmed by the passion for the things that are eternal
and perfect, like mathematics. Even the most abstract political theory is
terribly mundane and temporary. But that must be left to the future.
It is very sad seeing you so seldom. I feel as if we should lose intimacy and
get out of the way of speaking of personal things – it would be a great loss if
that happened. I know extraordinarily little of your inner life now-a-days,
and I wish I knew more, but I don’t know how to elicit it. My own existence
has become so objective that I hardly have an inner life any more for the
present – but I should have if I had leisure.
My Dearest, I am full of love to you – visions are always in my mind of
happy days after the war, when we shall get back to poetry and beauty and
summer woods, and the vision of things outside this earth. But the war keeps
one tied to earth. And sometimes I wonder if we have both grown so
the autobiography of bertrand russell 278impersonal that it has become di?cult to give oneself to personal love – it
always was di?cult for you. It is a great loss if it is so. I hope it isn’t. Do write
a full letter when you can, and tell me something of your inward life.
From the Trinity College Council Trinity College
Cambridge
11 July 1916
Dear Russell
It is my duty to inform you that the following resolution was unanimously
passed by the College Council today:
‘That, since Mr Russell has been convicted under the Defence of the Realm
Act, and the conviction has been a?rmed on appeal, he be removed from his
Lectureship in the College.’
Yours sincerely
H. McLeod Innes
From S. Alexander 24, Brunswick Road
Withington
M/C
16.7.16
Dear Russell
I feel indignant about the action of Trinity, which disgraces them (as well
as making them ridiculous). I don’t share your views about War (as I think
you may know) and I can’t well judge the e?ect of your action – though I
have hated the bungling and injustice of the treatment of Conscientious
Objectors. But sensible people, even if they don’t know and admire you
personally, respect honest convictions; and Trinity’s action is both intolerant
and impertinent. It matters to all of us at Universities (and elsewhere) more
perhaps than it matters to you.
Yours sincerely
S. Alexander
[The distinguished philosopher]
I have only the Trinity address, and must send that way.
From my brother Frank Telegraph House
Chichester
16 July 1916
My dear Bertie
I have seen the Trinity announcement in the paper, and whatever you may
say, I very much regret it. No doubt these stu?y old dons were very
uncongenial to you, and were also unfriendly on account of your views, but
the first war 279still, I always thought you well suited to an academic life, and a personality of
great value to the young – in stirring their ideas. I think as time goes on you
will miss it more than you realise and probably regret it.
I can’t attempt to shape your career for you – you must be the only guide
and the only judge of your own actions – but don’t ?nally cut yourself o?
too rashly and above all beware of popular audiences. The average [man]
is such a fool that any able man who can talk can sway him for a time. What
the world wants of ?rst class intellects like yours is not action – for which
the ordinary politician or demagogue is good enough – but thought, a
much more rare quality. Think out our problems, embody the result in
writing, and let it slowly percolate through the teachers of the next gener-
ation. And don’t suppose the people you meet are as earnest, as deep or as
sincere as you are.
As mere experience and learning about human beings what you are doing
now may have its value, but you see what I am trying to say is that you are
wasting yourself. You are not making the best use for the world of your talents.
As soon as you come to see that you will change your activities.
Well – I don’t preach to you often, because as a rule you don’t need it, but
at the moment I think you are a little (or rather, a great deal) carried away.
It’s a long time to Feb. 1 – why not go to America sooner? – they ought to
be glad to get rid of you!
Come and see us when you are in London and try and spend a few placid
days here with us in August.
Yours a?ectionately
F
From F. M. Cornford29
Burrows Hill
Gomshall
Surrey
23 July 1916
Dear Russell
I have only today received an account of the College Council’s action and a
report of your trial before the Mayor.
I must tell you that I think your case was as unanswerable as it was
unanswered, and the decision, so far as I can see, was utterly unwarranted by
the evidence.
I was glad you said you could respect your friends who are not paci?sts in
quite the same sense that you are. What you think of me I don’t know: but I
have admired the ?ght you have put up.
As for the College Council, you know too much to confuse it with
the College. The older dons, last time I saw them, seemed to me to be
in various stages of insanity. Something will have to be done when the
the autobiography of bertrand russell 280younger ones come back. I am sure there would have been a majority of
the whole body against the Council, if it had come before a full College
meeting.
I feel very bitterly that the Council has disgraced us. When you and Moore
came back,
30
I was delighted that we had recovered you both, and now we
have lost one of you, it is a real grief and humiliation.
Yours sincerely
F. M. Cornford
To G. Lowes Dickinson 34 Russell Chambers
Bury Street, W.C.
Sunday [1916]
Dear Goldie
Thank you very much for your letter in the Nation,
31
which I read
with gratitude. One has a little the sense of reading one’s own obituaries,
32
a thing I have always wished to be able to do! The Whiteheads are very
decent about this. I think McT.
33
and Lawrence were the prime movers.
I have been sold up, but owing to kind friends I have lost nothing. I
don’t know who they are – whoever they are, I am most grateful and
touched.
Cli?ord Allen is to be taken tomorrow. Casement
34
is to be shot. I am
ashamed to be at large.
Yours ever
B.R.
From C. P. Sanger Finches
Aston Tirrold
22 Aug. 1916
Dear Bertie
You will have realised how I feel about all this persecution. Did you
ever meet Constable – a young economist who was going to the bar – at
our house. He’s a Major now and in writing to me from the front says
‘I was very glad to see that there have been protests against the action
of Trinity with regard to Bertrand Russell. I must say that men I have met
out here nearly all agree with me that the College has merely stulti?ed
itself ’ ...
Mase?eld writing up the Dardanelles – has been allowed to see some
o?cial documents and so on. It is most disheartening that literary men
of standing should try to make a mere calamity ‘epic’ for American
consumption.
Yours fraternally
Charles Percy Sanger
the first war 281From James Ward 6, Selwyn Gardens
Cambridge
3.ix.16
Dear Russell
I am amazed and grieved to see how you are being badgered and hounded
about. It is most outrageous, and what the motive for it all may be I am quite
at a loss to surmise. Are they afraid that you will sneak o? to America or is
there some rabid fanatic trying to persuade them that you are what the
McTaggarts call us – pro-Germans? I see you are announced to lecture in
Manchester: is there no danger of your lectures being prohibited? Well you
have just got to compose yourself with dignity and patience and there will be
voices in your favour to speak out before long.
Since I saw you I have been trying to draw up a statement to justify your
action and to serve as a separate preamble to accompany an invitation to
protest against the action of the College Council to be sent to all the fellows of
the College (exclusive of the Council)
35
...
Yours ever
James Ward
The writer of the following letter was killed not long afterwards. I never met him, but I came
to know his ?ancée, Dorothy Mackenzie, who, on the news of his death, became blind for
