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they have invited the Western Powers to agree to these terms.This action has placed the Governments of the Western Powers in a mostcruel dilemma. If they refuse the German o?er, they are unmasked before theworld and before their own Labour and Socialist Parties: they make it clear toall that they are continuing the war for purposes of territorial aggrandise-ment. If they accept the o?er, they a?ord a triumph to the hated Bolsheviksthe autobiography of bertrand russell 292and an object lesson to democratic revolutionaries everywhere as to the wayto treat with capitalists, Imperialists and war-mongers. They know that fromthe patriotic point of view they cannot hope for a better peace by continuingthe war, but from the point of view of preventing liberty and universal peace,there is something to be hoped from continuation. It is known that unlesspeace comes soon there will be starvation throughout Europe. Mothers willbe maddened by the spectacle of their children dying. Men will ?ght eachother for possession of the bare necessaries of life. Under such conditions thesane constructive e?ort required for a successful revolution will be impos-sible. The American Garrison which will by that time be occupying Englandand France, whether or not they will prove e?cient against the Germans, willno doubt be capable of intimidating strikers, an occupation to which theAmerican Army is accustomed when at home. I do not say that these thoughtsare in the mind of the Government. All the evidence tends to show that thereare no thoughts whatever in their mind, and that they live from hand tomouth consoling themselves with ignorance and sentimental twaddle. I sayonly that if they were capable of thought, it would be along such lines as Ihave suggested that they would have to attempt to justify a refusal to makePeace on the basis of the German o?er, if indeed they do decide to refuse.Some democrats and Socialists are perhaps not unwilling that the warshould continue, since it is clear that if it does it must lead to universalrevolution. I think it is true that this consequence must follow, but I do notthink that we ought on that account to acquiesce in the refusal to negotiateshould that be the decision at which our Governments arrive. The kind ofrevolution with which we shall in that case be threatened will be far tooserious and terrible to be a source of good. It would be a revolution full ofviolence, hatred and bloodshed, driven by hunger, terror and suspicion, – arevolution in which all that is best in Western civilisation is bound to perish.It is this prospect that our rulers ought to be facing. It is this risk that theyrun for such paltry objects as the annexation of African Colonies andMesopotamia. Labour’s war aims accepted almost unanimously on December28th are on the whole very sane, and might easily form the basis for theimmediate initiation of negotiations. Labour at the moment has enormouspower. Is it too much to hope that it will use this power to compel someglimmer of sanity on the part of the blinded and maddened rulers of theWestern Powers? Labour holds the key. It can if it chooses secure a just andlasting peace within a month, but if this opportunity is allowed to pass by, allthat we hold dear will be swallowed up in universal ruin.The above article was that for which I was sentenced to prison.the first war 293To Professor Gilbert Murray 57, Gordon SquareLondon, W.C.115th February 1918My dear GilbertI am very much touched by the kindness of your letter. It really is good ofyou to act when our views are so di?erent. Of course if I had known the blazeof publicity that was going to be directed upon that one sentence of theTribunal, I should have phrased it very much more carefully, in such a way as toprevent misunderstanding by a public not used to the tone of exasperated andpugnacious paci?sts. Unless the Government had prosecuted, no-one butpaci?sts would ever have seen the sentence. Certainly it is a thousand to onethat no American would ever have seen it. I wrote for the Tribunal once a weekfor a year, generally in great haste in the middle of other work. In the courseof this time it was almost unavoidable that I should emit at least one carelesssentence – careless that is as to form, for as regards the matter I adhere to it.So far as I can discover, the immediate cause of the prosecution was the factthat I had ceased to write these articles, or indeed to take any part in paci?stwork beyond attending an occasional Committee. I made up my mind to thiscourse last autumn, but it was impossible to carry it out instantly withoutinconvenience to colleagues. I therefore informed the ??? that I would ceaseto be their Acting Chairman at the New Year. Accordingly, the last article Iwrote for the Tribunal appeared on January 10, a week after the article forwhich I am prosecuted. It seems that the authorities realised that if theywished to punish me they must act at once, as I should not be committingany further crimes. All my plans were made for going back entirely to writingand philosophical lecturing, but whether I shall now be able to resume theseplans when I come out of prison is of course doubtful. I do not much dislikethe prospect of prison, provided I am allowed plenty of books to read. I thinkthe freedom from responsibility will be rather restful. I cannot imagine any-thing that there could be to do for me, unless the American Embassy were totake the view that the matter is too trumpery to be worth a prosecution, but Icannot say that I have any great desire to see the prosecution quashed. I thinkthose of us who live in luxury on money which is secured to us by theCriminal Law ought to have some idea of the mechanism by which ourhappiness is secured, and for this reason I shall be glad to know the inside of aprison.With my very warmest thanks,Yours ever a?ectionatelyBertrand Russellthe autobiography of bertrand russell 29457 Gordon Square W.C.127.3.18Dear GilbertYou have been so very kind that I feel I ought to write to you in regard towhat is being done in my case. Assuming that the sentence is con?rmed, itseems it will be the thing to ask for 1st Division. This will need preparingsoon, as things move slowly. Hirst is willing to approach Morley, Loreburn,Buckmaster, & Lansdowne, asking them to write to Cave. It seems to me thatAsquith & Grey might be willing to; also a certain number of un-politicallearned men. If you were willing, you could do this better than any one else.If private representations fail (as they probably will) letters to the Press willbe necessary. All this will have to be done quickly if it is to be e?ective.I saw E. D. Morel yesterday for the ?rst time since he came out, & wasimpressed by the seriousness of a six months’ sentence. His hair is completelywhite (there was hardly a tinge of white before) – when he ?rst came out, hecollapsed completely, physically & mentally, largely as the result of insu?-cient food. He says one only gets three quarters of an hour for reading in thewhole day – the rest of the time is spent on prison work etc. It seems highlyprobable that if the sentence is not mitigated my mind will not remain ascompetent as it has been. I should regret this, as I still have a lot of philosophythat I wish to do.Yrs everBertrand RussellFrom E. M. Forster Alexandria12-2-18Dear Russell,In the middle of a six course dinner at the Club last night I was told thatyou were in prison. This is to send you my love. I suppose they will let youhave it when you come out.Here all is comfort and calm. One will become very queer indeed if it, andthe war, last much longer.Your fraternallyE. M. ForsterFrom Lancelot Hogben London April 10th. 18Dear Mr RussellI am only writing a little note to tell you how splendid I think your standhas been. Being an ex convict, I understand a little at what cost you have beentrue. It is inspiring to us who are younger men and who see so many of ourown friends succumbing to cynical indi?erence or academic preoccupationthe first war 295to know that there is at least one of the Intellectuals of Europe who have notallowed the life of the mind to kill the life of the spirit . . . This is ratherine?ective, but well,Good luckYours very sincerelyLancelot HogbenFrom G. Lowes Dickinson 11 Edwardes SquareW. 8. Ap. 19, [1918]Dear BertieI wish I could have seen you, but I haven’t been able to ?t it in, and I goaway today for the rest of April. I hope to be there on May 1st. It is di?cult tohave any hope. I suppose the best thing that could happen now would be foryou to get ?rst-class imprisonment. If they ?ne you, you will I suppose becalled up at once, and have to go through the mill as a ??. The only chance isthat the brute [Lord] Derby has gone from the War O?ce and I understandthat Milner is more sympathetic to the ??s. We are governed by men as baseas they are incompetent, and the country, maddened by fear and hate, con-tinues to will it so. I blush all over to be English, sometimes. Yet one knowsthat the individual Englishman is a decent, kindly well-meaning chap. It’s thepack, and its leaders, that are so vile. But what use in words? One can alternothing; and human speech seems to have lost all meaning. To change thesubject, I am reading Aristotle on the Soul. It’s refreshing to be back at a timewhen the questions were being examined freshly by ?rst-class minds. Aristot-le’s method of approach might be yours. One sees however, I think, that theconception of ‘substance’ has already ?xed thought in a certain unconsciousrut. In my old age, owing I suppose to you and others, I ?nd my mind moredisencumbered and active than it was in youth. But the packs of wolves willnot be satis?ed until they have killed o? every free mind and brave soul.That’s the secret object of the war. So long.G.L.D.[Lowes Dickinson]From C. P. Sanger 58 Oakley StreetChelsea, S.W.328th April 1918Dear BertieAlthough we haven’t met much lately, you are constantly in my thoughts.It’s di?cult to say what one feels – you have always been so very much to meand I can’t bear the thought that you may go to prison, though I know thatyour fortitude and self control will bring you safely through the ordeal. It’s amad world – a nightmare. I sometimes think I shall wake up and ?nd that itthe autobiography of bertrand russell 296was a dream after all. I hope that reality will prove to be better than appear-ance – if there is anything besides this absurd world of blood and explosives.But if things can be improved, it is you and those like you who will do itand the younger men – if any of them survive – will look to you.Yours fraternallyC. P. SangerP.S. Daphne36directs me to send her love.From G. B. Shaw Ayot St LawrenceWelwyn, Herts.18th March 1918Dear Miss MackenzieI am naturally a good deal concerned about Russell; but I can do nothing:he must help himself, and that vigorously, if he is to win his appeal. At histrial there seems to have been no adequate defence: he, or his counsel, shouldhave talked for a week and clamoured to the heavens against tyranny andinjustice and destruction of popular rights and deuce knows what else inorder to make the authorities as sorry as possible that they had stirred upthese questions, even if they had obtained the sentence all the same. Russell isnot an imbecile who cannot defend himself. He is not a poor man whocannot a?ord a strong bar. He is practically a nobleman with a tremendousfamily record on the Whig side as a hereditary defender of popular liberties.Yet the impression left on the public is that he has been disposed of in tenminutes like an ordinary pickpocket. That must be to some extent the fault ofhimself and his friends. It seems like a repetition of the monstrous mistake ofMorell’s plea of guilty, which must have been made under silly advice underthe impression that guilt is a question of fact, and not of the ethical characterof the action in question.The only matter that is really in doubt is whether Russell should conducthis own case or employ counsel. In his place I should unhesitatingly do thejob myself. A barrister will put up some super?cially ingenious plea whichwill give him a good professional chance of shewing o? before the Court ofAppeal, one which will not compromise him by any suspicion of sympathywith Russell’s views, and the failure of which will be a foregone conclusion.Russell will have no preoccupations of that sort; and he can, as an amateur,take liberties with court procedure which a barrister cannot. He is accus-tomed to public speaking, and therefore not under the necessity of gettinganother man to speak for him simply through nervousness and inexperience.His case is not by any means a weak one. To begin with, he can point outthat he is being prosecuted for a hypothetical prophecy occupying half adozen lines in an article containing several positive statements which havesince turned out to be entirely wrong and might even have been dangerouslythe first war 297misleading. He was wrong about the Bolsheviks, about the ConstituentAssembly, about the German and Austrian Governments. Yet no exception istaken to these errors.But when he got on to the soldier ground taken by Lord Lansdowne, andargued that a continuation of the war must lead inevitably to starvationthroughout Europe, a ridiculous pretext is found for attacking him. The waris full of ironies: the belligerents claiming to be the defenders of libertieswhich they have all been engaged at one time or another in vigorouslysuppressing. The Germans forget their oppression of Prussian Poland, anddenounce England as the oppressor of Ireland, Egypt and India. The Frenchforget Tonquin, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and the Bonapartist regime,and revile the Germans as conquerors and annexationists. Italy forgets Abys-sinia and the Tripolitaine, and claims Dalmatia and part of the Austrian Tyrol,whilst driving Austria from the Trentino on nationalist grounds. Finally,America, which has been engaged in con?icts with her own workers whichin Colorado and some other States have almost approached the proportions ofa civil war, assumes the mission of redeeming the German proletariat fromslavery. All these ironies have been pointed out again and again in the bitterestterms by philosophic journalists, except the last which Russell was the ?rst tohint at very mildly in The Tribunal. Immediately some foolish censor, knowingnothing about irony or history or anything else except the rule of thumb ofhis department, pounces on the allusion as something that has not beenpassed before, and therefore must be challenged.But the main point is that if Russell, in spite of his social and academicposition, is to be savagely punished for writing about the war as a Paci?st anda philosopher, the intimidation of the Press will be carried thereby to a pointin England which it has not yet attained in Germany or Austria; and if it bereally an advantage to be a free country, that advantage will go to Germany.We are claiming the support of the world in this war solely on the groundthat we represent Liberal institutions, and that our enemies represent despoticones. The enemy retorts that we are the most formidable and arbitary Empireon the face of the earth; and there is so much to be said for this view inconsequence of our former conquests that American and Russian publicopinion is sorely perplexed about us. Russell can say, ‘If you like to persecuteme for my Liberal opinions, persecute away and be damned: I am not the ?rstof my family to su?er in that good cause; but if you have any regard forthe solidarity of the Alliance, you will take care to proclaim to the worldthat England is still the place where a man can say the thing he will &c.(peroration ad lib.).This is the best advice I can give in the matter as Russell’s friend.Yours faithfullyG. Bernard Shawthe autobiography of bertrand russell 29810 Adelphi Terrace W.C.229th April 1917 [1918]Dear Bertrand RussellI have an uneasy feeling that you will take legal advice on Wednesday, andgo into prison for six months for the sake of allowing your advocate to makea favourable impression on the bench by advancing some ingenious defence,long since worn out in the service of innumerable pickpockets, which theywill be able to dismiss (with a compliment to the bar) with owl-like gravity.I see nothing for it but to make a scene by refusing indignantly to o?er anydefence at all of a statement that any man in a free country has a perfect rightto make, and declaring that as you are not an unknown person, and your casewill be reported in every capital from San Francisco east to Tokyo, and will betaken as the measure of England’s notion of the liberty she professes to be?ghting for, you leave it to the good sense of the bench to save the reputationof the country from the folly of its discredited and panic striken Government.Or words to that e?ect. You will gain nothing by being considerate, and(unlike a barrister) lose nothing by remembering that a cat may look at aking, and, a fortiori, a philosopher at a judge.everG.B.S.To my brother Frank BrixtonJune 3, 1918Existence here is not disagreeable, but for the fact that one can’t see one’sfriends. The one fact does make it, to me, very disagreeable – but if I weredevoid of a?ection, like many middle aged men, I should ?nd nothing todislike. One has no responsibilities, and in?nite leisure. My time passes veryfruitfully. In a normal day, I do four hours philosophical writing, four hoursphilosophical reading, and four hours general reading – so you can under-stand my wanting a lot of books. I have been reading Madame Roland’smemoirs and have come to the conclusion that she was a very over-ratedwoman: snobbish, vain, sentimental, envious – rather a German type. Her lastdays before her execution were spent in chronicling petty social snubs ortriumphs of many years back. She was a democrat chie?y from envy of thenoblesse. Prisons in her day were more cheerful than now: she says if she werenot writing her memoirs she would be painting ?owers or playing an air.Pianos are not provided in Brixton. On the other hand, one is not guillotinedon leaving, which is in some ways an advantage. – During my two hours’exercise I re?ect upon all manner of things. It is good to have a time of leisurefor re?ection and altogether it is a godsend being here. But I don’t want toomuch godsend!I am quite happy and my mind is very active. I enjoy the sense that the timethe first war 299is fruitful – after giving out all these last years, reading almost nothing andwriting very little and having no opportunity for anything civilised, it is a realdelight to get back to a civilised existence. But oh I shall be glad when it isover! I have given up the bad habit of imagining the war may be over someday. One must compare the time with that of the Barbarian invasion. Ifeel like Appolinaris Sidonius – The best one could be would be to be likeSt Augustine. For the next 1000 years people will look back to the time before1914 as they did in the Dark Ages to the time before the Gauls sacked Rome.Queer animal, man!Your loving brotherBertrand RussellTo Colette 5th July 1918Beloved I do long for you – I keep thinking of all the wonderful things wewill do together – I think of what we will do when we can go abroad after thewar – I long to go with you to Spain: to see the great Cathedral of Burgos, theVelasquez in Madrid – the gloomy Escorial, from which madmen used tospread ruin over the world in the days before madness was universal – Sevillein dancing sunlight, all orange groves and fountains – Granada, where theMoors lingered till Ferdinand and Isabella drove them out – Then we couldcross the straits, as the Moors did, into Morocco – and come back by Naplesand Rome and Siena and Florence and Pisa – Imagine the unspeakable joy ofit – the riot of colour and beauty – freedom – the sound of Italian bells – thestrange cries, rich, full-throated, and melancholy with all the weight of theages – the great masses of ?owers, inconceivably bright – men with allthe beauty of wild animals, very erect, with bright swiftly-glancing eyes –and to step out into the morning sunshine, with blue sea and blue hills – it isall there for us, some day. I long for the madness of the South with you.The other thing I long for with you – which we can get sooner – is theAtlantic – the Connemara coast – driving mist – rain – waves that moan onthe rocks – ?ocks of sea-birds with wild notes that seem the very soul of therestless sadness of the sea – and gleams of sun, unreal, like glimpses intoanother world – and wild wild wind, free and strong and ?erce – There, thereis life – and there, I feel, I could stand with you and let our love communewith the western storm – for the same spirit is in both. My Colette, my Soul, Ifeel the breath of greatness inspiring me through our love – I want to put thespirit of the Atlantic into words – I must, I must, before I die, ?nd some way tosay the essential thing that is in me, that I have never said yet – a thing that isnot love or hate or pity or scorn, but the very breath of life, ?erce, andcoming from far away, bringing into human life the vastness and the fearfulpassionless force of non-human things.the autobiography of bertrand russell 30010th August [1918]If I had been in Gladstone’s place I would never have let Gordon go toKhartoum, but having let him go I think it was foolish not to back him up,because it was bound to incense people. It started the movement of imperial-ism which led on to the Boer War and thence to the present horror. It isuseless in politics to apply a policy people won’t understand. I remember atalk we had in the woods once about what Allen would do if he were PrimeMinister, in which this came up.I didn’t realise that the ?lm job you refused was the life of Lloyd George.Certainly you had to refuse that. One might as well have expected St Johnto take employment under Pontius Pilate as o?cial biographer of JudasIscariot.What a queer work the Bible is. Abraham (who is a pattern of all thevirtues) twice over, when he is going abroad, says to his wife: ‘Sarah my dear,you are a very good-looking person, and the King is very likely to fall in lovewith you. If he thinks I am your husband, he will put me to death, so as to beable to marry you; so you shall travel as my sister, which you are, by theway.’ On each occasion the King does fall in love with her, takes her into hisharem, and gets diseased in consequence, so he returns her to Abraham.Meanwhile Abraham has a child by the maidservant, whom Sarah dismissesinto the wilderness with the new-born infant, without Abraham objecting.Rum tale.And God has talks with Abraham at intervals, giving shrewd worldlyadvice. Then later, when Moses begs to see God, God allows him to see his‘hind parts’. There is a terrible fuss, thunder and whirlwind and all theparaphernalia, and then all God has to say is that he wants the Jews to eatunleavened bread at the Passover – he says this over and over again, like an oldgentleman in his dotage. Queer book.Some texts are very funny. Deut. XXIV, 5: ‘When a man hath taken a newwife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any busi-ness: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife whichhe hath taken.’ I should never have guessed ‘cheer up’ was a Biblical expres-sion. Here is another really inspiring text: ‘Cursed be he that lieth with hismother-in-law. And all the people shall say, Amen.’ St Paul on marriage: ‘I saytherefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide evenas I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry thanto burn.’ This has remained the doctrine of the Church to this day. It is clearthat the Divine purpose in the text ‘it is better to marry than to burn’ is tomake us all feel how very dreadful the torments of Hell must be.the first war 301Thursday 16th [August 1918]Dear one, will you be very patient and kind with me the seven weeks thatremain, and bear with me if I grow horrid? It has been di?cult after thehopes of release. I am very tired, very weary. I am of course tortured byjealousy; I knew I should be. I know so little of your doings that I probablyimagine more than the truth. I have grown so nervy from con?nement anddwelling on the future that I feel a sort of vertigo, an impulse to destroy thehappiness in prospect. Will you please quite calmly ignore anything I do these next weeks inobedience to this impulse. As yet, I am just able to see that it is mad, but soon it willseem the only sanity. I shall set to work to hurt you, to make you break withme; I shall say I won’t see you when I ?rst come out; I shall pretend to havelost all a?ection for you. All this is madness – the e?ect of jealousy andimpatience combined. The pain of wanting a thing very much at last growsso great that one has to try not to want it any longer – Now here it is: I wanteverything as we planned it – Ashford, then Winchelsea if you can. If later I say I don’t want this,please pay no attention.To Miss Rinder3730th July, 1918Many thanks for Spectator review. Is it not odd that people can in the samebreath praise ‘the free man’s worship’ and ?nd fault with my views on thewar? The free man’s worship is merely the expression of the paci?st outlookwhen it was new to me. So many people enjoy rhetorical expressions of ?nefeelings, but hate to see people perform the actions that must go with thefeelings if they are genuine. How could any one, approving the free man’sworship, expect me to join in the trivial self-righteous moral condemnationof the Germans? All moral condemnation is utterly against the whole view oflife that was then new to me but is now more and more a part of my being. Iam naturally pugnacious, and am only restrained (when I am restrained) by arealisation of the tragedy of human existence, and the absurdity of spendingour little moment in strife and heat. That I, a funny little gesticulating animalon two legs, should stand beneath the stars and declaim in a passion about myrights – it seems so laughable, so out of all proportion. Much better, like