This document is in his
own writing and accompanied by remarks and references to previous
correspondence which render its authenticity indisputable."
"Granted that the proposals themselves are genuine, there still
remain the three signatures," Julian observed.
"Why should we doubt them?" Fenn protested. "Freistner guarantees
them, and Freistner is our friend, the friend and champion of
Labour throughout the world. To attempt to deceive us would be to
cover himself with eternal obloquy."
"Yet these terms," Julian pointed out, "differ fundamentally from
anything which Germany has yet allowed to be made public."
"There are two factors here which may be considered," Miles Furley
intervened. "The first is that the economic condition of Germany
is far worse than she has allowed us to know. The second, which
is even more interesting to us, is the rapid growth in influence,
power, and numbers of the Socialist and Labour Party in that
country."
"Of both these factors," the Bishop reminded them, "we have had
very frequent hints from our friends, the neutrals. Let me tell
you all what I think. I think that those terms are as much as we
have the right to expect, even if our armies had reached the
Rhine. It is possible that we might obtain some slight
modifications, if we continued the war, but would those
modifications be worth the loss of a few more hundred thousands of
human lives, of a few more months of this hideous, pagan slaughter
and defilement of God's beautiful world?"
There was a murmur of approval.
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