THE POST-WAR GENERATION AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Being a student of international affairs and belonging, moreover, to the post-War generation, I strongly feel the necessity of .protesting against the feeling and the reasoning of Miss Conyngham Greene's views, too tolerantly labelled rhfailiste, even if they are courageous. • Firstly, to draw any conclusions from the General Election of 1929 as to the attitude of youth towards international matters seems rather rash. There has crystallized an opinion in every country throughout the world—England certainly not excluded—an opinion to the effect that " we do not want any more nonsense about war." That opinion has not got anything to do with the slogan " Safety First," nor is it everywhere connected with the work of more trained minds along League of Nations (and other) lines. It is just the very simple reaction of youth against ever. committing the folly of warfare, the abhorrence to the greatest crime invented by mankind.
Secondly, Miss Greene is interpreting the feelings of youth quite wrongly when she asserts that we are " bored by the League, as people must always be bored by a negative ideal." Thinking people, even if they are very young, are not always bored by negative ideals, and, moreover, we do not find the ideals of the League negative. We certainly do not love the ideals and the mentality pervading pre-War statesmanship.
That much I concede. But this fact does not make us
disown the gallant and heroic effort to put the house in order : the establishment of the League. " The new race" in the house rearranged by the fathers of the League will use it in the way and in the spirit it was built.
I want to add that similar views to these are held by a very, very large number of young people in this as well as in other small countries not participating in the War.—I am,
Sir, &c., Per VOGT, B.A.
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