PRESENT AND FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 497 



But the need of reducing to a minimum the realm of conflicts in 

 these particularly delicate matters caused the calling by the govern- 

 ment of Holland of a conference, which met in divers sessions and 

 brought about the convention signed June 12, 1902, relating to 

 marriage, divorce, separation, and the guardianship of minors. 

 This convention will soon be followed by other similar conventions, 

 which will cover the whole field of rights in personam. 



On the other side the conference had already adopted, during a 

 previous session, a convention signed November 14, 1896, relating 

 to ticklish questions of civil procedure, particularly in matters of 

 proving of judiciary and extrajudiciary documents, of rogatory 

 commissions, security for costs, legal aid, and civil arrest. 



What may likewise be considered as a sign of the times and a first 

 step toward conventions of a still more extended reach than those 

 which we have just noted is the convention agreed upon July 8, 1899, 

 between France and Belgium regarding judicial jurisdiction, and 

 the authority and execution of judiciary decisions, arbitrations, 

 and also notarial documents. It is really certain that forms of 

 procedure when so varied and special are one of the means most 

 effectually availed of by persons of bad faith to render more pre- 

 carious the economic relations between the several nations. Under 

 the pressure of necessity, in this matter so strongly formalized and 

 routine-like, the spirit of reform and reciprocal confidence has taken 

 hold, and this again is a circumstance which, more than those we 

 have enumerated, permits us to believe in human unity, and the 

 unification of the law of the world. 



It is pertinent to recall and proclaim here that the states of South 

 America, by the memorable convention of Montevideo, entered into 

 in January and February, 1889, had the honor and glory of giving 

 the world a good example in the realm of private international law. 

 When we examine the manner in which the unification of law has 

 been accomplished among the several nations, we find that it was 

 not brought about, with all the fullness which it involves, until the 

 day when each people became definitely constituted in national 

 unity. The private law of a nation was codified when the adminis- 

 trative and political instrumentality of that nation had become an 

 accomplished fact. 



We think that the same thing will occur for the family of nations, 

 and that the private international law code will become a reality 

 only on the day when the international administration will be defin- 

 itely organized, and when the public law of nations will have been 

 wholly formulated. We have the profound conviction that that 

 is the duty nearest at hand of jurists and legislators, and already 

 many conventions lead us surely toward the organization of a 

 universal federation of nations. 



