es of
deterioration; and working people are experiencing a sense of pride in
their class which may have no inconsiderable effect on their attitude
regarding social developments in the future.

Already the national temper has not submitted without protest to the
disgraceful sweating of our troops merely because their patriotism has led
them to sacrifice their lives, which are beyond all money payment. But the
feeling in favour of the war and the spirit of trust in the Government has,
up to the present, overridden serious criticism. The result has been that
the Government has often remained inactive when action was needed and has
acted unwisely and ignorantly at times; for example, in the case of the
Local Government Board circular, stating that the Army Council are prepared
to issue allowances through the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association
or the Local Representation Committees. It has been said that "the whole
system is an outrage on democratic principles. The State sweats its
servants and then compels them to take the niggardly wages it allows them
from a charitable society[1]." This type of action may pass muster during a
time of stress, but whether the spirit of the people will accept it after
the war is over and there are the dependants of the slain to be maintained
and the permanently crippled to be provided for is a different matter. Not
merely justice, but the new pride of the people will rebel against it.
These are but phases of the larger social problem. There is the question of
poverty in all its ramifications. For the moment, economic injustices and
social evils have fallen into the back of people's minds, and the new
and abnormal causes of destitution are calling forth special measures
of assistance. After the war, the ever-present deep-seated poverty will
reassert its presence, and in the hearts of many people the question will
arise as to whether the community which courageously and whole-heartedly
fought the enemy without the gates will turn with equal courage and
determination when the time comes to fight the enemy within the gates. The
experiences of the war time, the willingness to embark on great projects
in face of a national crisis, will not be forgotten, but will inspire in
social reformers the hope that the country may also face the internal
national peril in a similar spirit. The national--as opposed to the
individual--poverty which the war will cause may itself be a force making
for good