A LEAGUE OF PEACE 409 



despatches, poisoned wells, agreements made to be broken and all the 

 diabolic weapons which, for very shame, men have been forced to 

 abandon as too infamous even for the trade of man-slaying. It pro- 

 claims that any party to a dispute can first in his right hand carry 

 gentle peace, sitting in friendly conference, ostensibly engaged in 

 finding a peaceful solution of differences, while with the left he grasps, 

 concealed, the assassin's dagger. The parallel between duel and war 

 runs very close through history. The challenger to a duel gave the 

 other party notice. In 1187, the German diet at Nuremberg enacted, 

 " We decree and enact by this edict that he who intends to damage 

 another or to injure him shall give him notice three days before." It 

 is to be hoped that the coming conference will stamp this treachery 

 as contrary to the rules of war, and thus return to the ancient and more 

 chivalrous idea of attack only after notice. 



We come now to the consideration of the other commanding force 

 in the campaign against war — peaceful arbitration. 



The originator of the world-wide arbitration idea was Emeric Cruce, 

 born at Paris about 1590. Of his small book of 226 pages upon the 

 subject only one copy exists. Gerloius had propounded the idea in the 

 12th century, but it failed to attract attention. Balch says, " Cruce 

 presented what was probably the first real proposal of substituting 

 international arbitration for war as the court of last resort of nations." 

 It has a quaint preface : " This book would gladly make the tour of 

 the inhabited world so as to be seen by all the kings,. and it would not 

 fear any disgrace, having truth for its escort and the merit of its sub- 

 ject, which must serve as letters of recommendation and credit." 



Henry IV., in 1603, produced his scheme for consolidating Europe 

 in order to abolish war; but as its fundamental idea was armed force 

 and involved the overthrow of the Hapsburgs, it can not be considered 

 as in line with the system of peaceful arbitration. 



St. Pierre, the Due de Lorraine, William Perm, the Quaker founder 

 of Pennsylvania, Bentham, Kant, Mill and others have labored to sub- 

 stitute the reign of law for war by producing schemes much alike in 

 character, so that we have many proofs of the irrepressible longing of 

 man for release from the scourge. 



I beg now to direct your attention to the most fruitful of all con- 

 ferences that have ever taken place. Other conferences have been held, 

 but always at the end of war, and their first duty was to restore peace 

 between the belligerents. The Hague conference was the first ever 

 called to discuss the means of establishing peace without reference to 

 any particular war. Twenty-six nations were represented, including 

 all the leading powers. 



The conference was called by the present Emperor of Eussia, Au- 

 gust 24, 1898, and is destined to be forever memorable from having 



