The Spectator at war: Registering against conscription

From ‘Arraying the Nation’, The Spectator, 3 July 1915:

The voluntary system has no doubt certain advantages, but under a great strain it becomes the refuge of the slacker—of the lazy man, the selfish man, and the cowardly man, It is a system which reserves all the blows for the willing horse, and allows the unwilling to trot along in cynical security. But though this is our view, and we should not be candid if we did not set it forth, there is no reason per se why the advocate of the voluntary system should be against a National Register. Indeed, if he really believes that the voluntary method will get us all we want, as he professes to do, and that it is really the most just and efficient plan, then the National Register will greatly help him to adjust the system, and to make sure that the men who are best adapted for fighting go into the firing line, and the men whose talent lies in making munitions remain at home.