CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 78, 31 March 1916, Page 7

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS.

TO DEFENCE SERVICE. Two young men, both fairly recent arrivals from England, appeared before Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., to apply for exemption from service with the Territorials upon the ground that it was contrary to their religious convictions. The first stated that he was a member of the Church of England, but attended the weekly meetings of the Society of Friends as well as his own church. He believed that bearing arms, even for purposes of defence, was entirely contrary to the teaching of Christ. “Suppose that the whole of the Christian world acted according to that view, and, say, the Turks set out to exterminate the Christians, do you think that the Turks should be allowed to go on massacring without interference,” asked the magistrate. “I think that the Turks would be conquered by the weapons of love,” replied the young man. In answer to another question, he replied that he would not take up arms against a murderous burglar, if one broke into his house, and tried to kill the inmates. He considered that he would not be justified, as the burglar could only do material harm. Mr. Frazer, after ascertaining that the other man heid the same views, said that as the law stdod he must grant the exemptions, though it was hard to understand how anyone who had studied the causes and effects of the present war could hold such opinions. He hoped that if the two men altered their views they would tear up their exemptions at once. The exemptions were temporarily suspended to allow the dates of the applicants’ arrival in the Dominion to be .verified. The sergeant-major who represented the Defence Department could not help showing some signs of impatience during the hearing, as was only natural in a man with several war ribbons on his breast, and at one point he was unable to help tolling the two applicants that if he had his way they would both be in the firing line armed with a gun apiece.