152 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



communities outside of Europe have their affairs settled by representa- 

 tives of the people — the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan. 

 Even China has recently appointed a commission to travel in Europe 

 and America to inspect the best forms of representative government. 

 Federal government has been successfully tried in a number of cases — 

 the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and Australia. The 

 moral sentiment which will support such a movement has been in- 

 creased very noticeably in the nineteenth century. The idea of the 

 brotherhood of man has gained great strength; there is a growing idea 

 that moral law is fully as binding on nations as on individuals; there 

 is an ever increasing number who think it is just as wrong to kill a 

 man in battle as to commit murder. Then along with these forces 

 there is the so-called ' Welt-Geist,' a cosmopolitan spirit, the idea of 

 world-citizenship. 



The hope that the powers may some time unite to establish a per- 

 manent international legislative body does not seem unreasonable. The 

 past century produced what is called the Concert of European Powers. 

 They have met at irregular intervals to discuss affairs of mutual in- 

 terest; the enactments of some of these congresses have become recog- 

 nized international law. A few examples will suffice. The Congress 

 of Vienna (1814-1815) rearranged the map of Europe and undid 

 much of the work of the revolutionary era. The Near Eastern Ques- 

 tion has frequently occasioned united action on the part of the great 

 j:>owers of Europe. The navigation of the Ehine, the Elbe and the 

 Danube has been regulated by European congresses, held at various 

 times. In 1856, at Paris, the powers drew up rules concerning priva- 

 teers, neutral goods, goods contraband of war and blockades; and these 

 rules are a part of recognized international law to-day. In 1888 the 

 Suez Canal was neutralized. In 1881 and 1885 the powers assembled 

 in order to partition Africa peaceably and to make definite regulations 

 concerning African affairs. In 1874, at Berne, was established the 

 Universal Postal Union, whereby most of the nations of the world have 

 secured a more adequate foreign-mail service. In the past few months 

 the conference of Algeciras met to discuss international interests in 

 Morocco. These facts show that in the past and present century the 

 nations, not only of Europe, but of the whole world, have successfully 

 cooperated in affairs of mutual interest. If they can meet irregularly 

 for special purposes, it is not at all fanciful to think that at some future 

 time they may meet periodically to make laws concerning all affairs of 

 international polity. 



There are also some practical reasons why the movement can and 

 ought to succeed. The first is economic. The establishment of a 

 world state will tend to secure peaceful intercourse between nations; 

 there will be less and less occasion for war; international relations will 



