PRESENT AND FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 507 



into civil life, and their final liberation could bring about no economic 

 disorder. As for the troops under arms, it would be possible to 

 maintain them in active service by transforming their mission of 

 defense into one of police. Part of the troops of each of the states 

 would form the nucleus of an international police, charged with 

 assuring the carrying out of the decisions of the international court. 

 Already at the time of the troubles in Crete, an international naval 

 force was organized for the purpose of assuring in this conflict 

 respect for the unanimous will of Europe. 



This was only, of course, an ephemeral and passing event, and the 

 gathering in one spot of armed soldiers of various nations, between 

 which no unfortunate animosity exists at present, might not be 

 free from a certain danger. But the example given recently by 

 France and Great Britain shows that the most inveterate animosities 

 may be effaced with a little good will. International interpar- 

 liamentary visits, such as those of London and Paris, may be made 

 more frequent and the friends of peace will spare no effort to 

 bring them about. It is possible to create a peaceful opinion as 

 an aggressive public opinion was created systematically in former 

 days. 



We firmly believe that it is in the interest of all, of governments 

 and of nations, to guide definitely the course of world-politics in 

 that direction, and it is not in vain, as we hope, that for the carrying 

 out of these resolutions the last Interparliamentary Conference 

 has appealed to the energetic and firm intervention of the head of 

 the American Republic. 



We have now come to the end of this swift enumeration, in the 

 course of which we have striven to show what international law, 

 private and public, now is and towards what goal it is proceeding. 

 It is certain that its essential mission is to pacify the world. As the 

 duel has degenerated from its primitive function of settling private 

 conflicts until it has become an offense and a crime, war to day, 

 though still the object of legal rules which ratify its legality, will be 

 transmuted into a crime committed by the many, and will be brought 

 to the level of individual assaults vi et armis and become the object 

 of provisions in an international penal code. 



Only when really pacified will humanity formulate definite inter- 

 national law. It is for this reason that we have been brought to 

 examine, in the course of this study, many questions of rather polit- 

 ical than juridical character. But law is essentially an epiphenome- 

 non. It is only the formula which is placed upon the fact. The 

 jurist, being intimately convinced of this truth, is compelled to inter- 

 est himself in events, to follow them and to influence them as far 

 as possible, that he may assure by their realization the triumph of 

 law in the world. 



