Peter's Conscience

Had the U. S. Government declared war last week, Rev. Peter Pastor, average U. S. Protestant clergyman, would pretty well have denounced it and refused to participate. He might, however, have become entangled in it if it were a defensive war; he might have served as an Army chaplain.

On the whole, Rev. Peter Pastor is not so enthusiastic about combat as he was in 1917-18. In fact, he has been troubled in mind since then, whenever he reflects how militant he, the Prince of Peace's devotee, was in those days of "fighting parsons," flag-draped pulpits, flayed "Huns." He has pondered the differences between war psychology and the tolerance and pacifism of Jesus.

These are conclusions which may be drawn from questionnaire-answers of 19372 clergymen of 13 arbitrarily selected Protestant sects, tabulation of which was completed last week in Manhattan.* Specifically they stated that among this interested 20% of the more than 100,000 Protestant pastors in the land. 62% would have the churches withdraw their sanction from any war whatsoever, 54% personally would refuse to take up arms, 83% were opposed to military training in schools and colleges, 80% favored substantial reduction of armaments even if the U. S. were to expose itself by preceding the other nations. Yet the large section represented by 45% could conscientiously serve as chaplains; 43% distinguished between offensive and defensive war, preferring the latter. In a denominational listing, the Protestant Episcopalians stood 49% against absolute condemnation of war and 70% of them could serve as chaplains. Members of the Evangelical Synod were at the opposite pole: 69% condemning all wars, 49% refusing to be chaplains

To questions of U. S. foreign policy many replied that they were not sufficiently informed to possess opinions. Most of those who did feel informed favored immediate U. S. entrance into the League of Nations; most would not have armed protection of U. S. property in foreign countries.

Because modern wars, before they can be successfully waged, must be sold to the public,* observers wondered if Peter Pastor's sales-resistance would be as great six weeks after the first battle as it was last week, more than a decade after the last one. With 45% of his fellows serving as chaplains and with the Press screaming, the pressure on his peace-built conscience would be great.

*By Rev. Kirby Page, editor of The World Tomorrow, in conjunction with Samuel Parkes Cadman, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Daniel Alfred Poling, Walter Russell Bowie, John Nevin Sayre, i Ralph Washington Sockman, Reinhold Niebuhr, j Sherwood Eddy and William Pierson Merrill, all of whom suspected, and hoped for, the effect of Peter's conscience on his views.

*Were there a war last week, propaganda would immediately have started flowing from the office of Lieut.-Colonel William Hector Rankin, U. S. reserve corps, lately commissioned for that very purpose (TIME, April 6).

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