It may at first sight seem fantastic on our part to suggest that the whole weight of the world's press as to the facts of the Spanish war is false while the feebly whispered denials emanating from Salamanca are probably true. The Englishman has a rooted belief in what he calls " fair play," in taking a bit from one side and a bit from the other and, in general, in believing that veritas stat in medio.
It must, however, be realised that the Spanish war is not being waged between two nations or even between two territorially divided sides: it is being waged be tween two philosophies of life, between materialists and theists. (The fact that these labels are inapplicable to a large number of individuals on either side is not
to the point: it applies to the operative ends of the sides as such). Materialism, as
we have often said, must logically worship. force, the personal domination of the strongest.
Truth can have no value in itself in such a philosophy: it is a commodity to be used if it happens to serve the purpose of those
interested, to be rejected if it does not. It is only if the world is spiritual and created by God that truth has a value in itself, the value of being. and therefore of being in conformity with the Supreme Being.
Whatever be the faults on either side, there must remain a strong presumption that truth for one side .is a commodity as useful or as harmful as falsehood. while truth for the other side remains something to be respected for its own and God's sake. For these reasons we cannot accept the evidence of either side as on the same plane, and, because it is a fact that the Government propaganda finds its way into our Press without question while the Burgos news is suspected, we cannot but have a bias against our Press in so far as it reports news from Spain. Our experience so far has certainly not led us to revise this view.