The Enemy Within

Pacifism in Islands Seen as "Fifth Column " Activity

By Maurice Prater

THROUGHOUT the South Seas many people sustained a rude shock and were filled with shame when they learned that four members of the intel ligentsia of England, viz., Aldous Hux ley, author and anthropologist; Chris topher Isherwood, novelist; W. H.

Auden, poet; and Gerald Heard, scien tist, had deserted their country and sought a haven of rest in U.S.A. to escape from the nightmare of the European holocaust. Wherever the Eng lish language is spoken, these four dis tinguished men of letters were held in high estimation and their betrayal of England has created bewilderment.

In the Pacific Islands where he was widely read and appreciated, Huxley was the best known of the four and to all his readers his desertion of England will appear well-nigh incredible. As an exponent of anthropological research, he made a strong appeal to people whose daily lives are snent in association with native races and he was accorded the esteem everywhere paid to brilliant work. Though he had no connection with Missions and was an unbeliever in Christianity, it was recognised that he was inspired with the zeal of a mission ary in advocating the interests and de fining the ancestral thought forms of native races.

By his exalted conception of the pos sibilities within native reach, he did much to remove from smart circles the old attitude of amused contempt for foreign missions. He assumed as axiom atic that some philosophy of life was essential for the continuation of even the most primitive society in the South Seas and maintained that, however ele mentary might be the faith of the animistic Melanesian, it provided a suffi cient basis for tribal organisation. Hux ley believed that when this faith van ished, life went with it. He was among the first to recognise that the introduc tion of European civilisation led to a disintegration of tribal organisation and asserted that in order to ensure its sur vival there must be a synthesis of European and Melanesian.

His views were gradually adopted by Government officials, and a correspond ing change took place in the attitude of missionaries towards the ancestral life of the native. The missionary of to-day realises that the temple of Christianity can be built upon a more solid founda tion when resting on the social system the natives have inherited from the past. rE great majority of Huxley’s readers in the Pacific find it difficult to believe that such a stal wart personality and champion of native races could disown the British Com monwealth which, with all its faults, is the greatest bulwark of subject peoples.

They think that he, and those who believe that the war was waged in defence of British Imperialism, might ponder the reasons why the much maligned British rule could in the pre sent struggle have rallied the spontan eous and hearty support of its native subjects if these did not know how much better was the regime under which they lived compared with the brutalities of German dominion over coloured peoples.

During recent weeks the attitude of Americans has undergone a revolution

ary change, but when the exiles arrived in Hollywood the defection of four such striking figures could not but have a disturbing influence in U.S.A. where there was a large proportion of people only too prone to doubt the justice of the Allied cause. How could Britain proclaim that she was fighting to pro tect the ramparts of Western civilisa tion against the savage barbarism of Nazidom when some of her intelligentsia refused to identify themselves with the Allies, and proclaimed by their flight that the war was being fought in sup port of British Imperialism? One won ders if the exiles to-day view their behaviour with the same complacency, in view of the sweeping reversal of American public opinion.

SOME of Huxley’s admirers were aware of his adhesion to pacifism and extended to him sympathetic consideration. For even of those who cannot accept the pacifist position it is hard to reconcile participation in the beastialities of war with Christian citizenship. The majority of his read ers, however, who make no pretensions of belonging to the intelligentsia, but are just ordinary folk whose mental processes have not been thrown out of gear by the nerve-racking experiences of the past few weeks, believe that if they, like Huxley, had been confirmed pacifists and members of the Peace Pledge Union they should have been militant pacifists and not deserted England and the cause with which they were identified. For many years Huxley, a prominent agnos tic, has been associating with Christian pacifists, and in joint meetings all over Britain has been preaching peace and denouncing war. He issued a text book on “pacifism” for the Peace Pledge Union which had a wide circulation, and by

his brilliant powers of dialectic, suc ceeded in inflencing thousands of people to enlist under the banner of pacifism.

“War,” wrote Huxley, “is justified when it is waged in defence of the vital interests of the community; but the nature of modern war is such that the vital interests of the community can not be defended by it.” In this defini tion, the truth of which Huxley regards as self-evident, he preaches the doctrine of non-resistance, but it reveals a total misunderstanding of the underlying causes of the present struggle in Europe.

All men of goodwill believe that there is no issue between nations that is not capable of a peaceful setlement; but Germany has chosen instead the arbitra ment of war.* Reasonable men every where claim that justice and honesty are the foundations of all good govern ment. It is Germany that has poisoned the springs of truth and repudiated the ideals on which civilisation is founded.

After the horrors of the past few weeks one wonders if Huxley is now so confident of his own axiom. There are times when he and all confirmed paci fists must ask themselves whether they are not guilty of spiritual arrogance.

IN contrast to the action of these four literati is the declaration by the English branch of the International P.E.N. Club and signed by the equally distinguished men-of-letters, viz., H. G.

Wells, J. B. Priestly, Walter de la Mare, and Professor Gilbert Murray.

Appealing to the conscience of the world these signatories say, “Our country has been blamed in the past for actions that were manifestly taken because we hoped to avert war. We failed. We ask you to make it clear to the people of your country that we are with the Allies. We are not fighting only for

ourselves, but for the belief that we share with every one, of any race and religion, who holds that men should respect each other, and that minds should be free. Where the invading armies of Germany have gone freedom of mind and spirit have been crushed.”

THE Islands are confronted with the greatest crisis in their history and present a rich field for exploitation by subversive elements of the “fifth” column”, bent on delivering the Terri tories into the hands of the enemy. The great body of colonists offer whole hearted allegiance to the Allied cause and can be depended upon for doing everything possible to promote the suc cessful prosecution of the war. But in widely scattered communities where there is a large proportion of natives and alien foreigners it is recognised that ample opportunities are presented to the agents of the “fifth column” for pursuing their sinister propaganda. Paci fist and innocuous as their activities appear, these agents are traitors to the Allies and the Territories in which they live. Islands specially exposed to the subterranean activities of the “fifth column” are the former German colonies (New Guinea, etc.) and the New Heb rides which is under divided control. In good natured banter the Condominium was euphemistically styled the “Pande monium”, but never in their wildest dreams did the humorists imagine that there was a likelihood of it becoming so in reality.

If the Pacific Islands are to learn the lesson which the tragic episodes of the past weeks in Europe have to teach, it is that the Territories must be remorse less in dealing with the enemy within as they are courageous in meeting the enemy without.

Mr. and Mrs. K. R. Sands, of Suva, were among the passengers on the ill fated “Niagara”. The couple were married in Sydney shortly before the vessel’s de parture and were en route to Fiji, where Mr. Sands was to take over the manage ment of Sands, Junor and Co.’s Suva office.

CULTURED lady, neither beautiful nor rich, nor very young, but affection ate, home-loving, and good com rade, would marry gentleman with similar tastes. Resident South Sea island preferred.

Apply: Martin, c/o Box 3408 R, G.P.0., Sydney.