45^ 



The Review of Reviews. 



no gendarme of the nations— although if the Hac;ue 

 Tribunal is supportej and developed, we shall some 

 day have an internaiional police. Bm for the moment 

 there is no international gendarme, and so the 

 criminal goes scot free — also for the moment. It is 

 a mistake, however, to assume that because there is 

 no gendarme nothing cin be done. On the contrary 

 a great deal can bi done, and very efteclively done, 

 if we all will but make up our minds to try and do it. 



" But who is to try, and who is to do it ? " 



You and I, just you and I. We are to try and we 

 are to do it. Wiiat is more, if we are but earnest 

 enough and numerous enough we can do it. Make 

 no mistake about that. You shrug your shoulders ? 

 That is natural. But wait and see if it is not true. 



Why did this war begin? Why are brave Arabs 

 and 'I'urks being blown to pieces by shells because 

 they defend their country ? Why this hideous blood- 

 shed, this cold-blooded murder of innocent men? 

 Everybody knows why. The Italian Government is 

 committing murder to gain a market. A few financial 

 speculators think that if Tripoli is stolen from Turkey 

 they can make a lot of money. So they are usmg 

 the. Italian navy and army as the monkey used tiie 

 cat, to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. The 

 (iovernment makes the war, the financial men of 

 business pocket the profits. Behind all disguises this 

 u^ly fact stands out clear and plain — war is being 

 made on Turkey in order to make more business for 

 Italian financiers. 



If the Italian Government is making the war to 

 make business, the way to stop the war is to stop 

 doing business with Italy and so make them see that 

 they are losing more business in Europe than they can 

 over gain in Tripoli. The criminal will case from 

 stealing when he finds that thieving does not pay. 



It is the duty of all honest citizens to do what they 

 '^an to teach the Italians that honesty is the best 

 policy. If the Italians persist in kilhng men and 

 women and children — for long range-shells make no 

 distuiciion of age or sex — in order to sell more goods 

 in the African market, then we must make it im- 

 jwssible for iheni to sell so many goods in the 

 markets of Europe, Asia, America and Australia. The 

 Italian Government having resorted to methotls of 

 barbarism to open up a market in Tripoli, let us 

 resort to the methods of civilisation in order to clcse 

 her markets in I'^lurope, in Asia, in America — every- 

 where outside Tripoli. 



When civilisation has made further progress all the 

 Governments of the world will punisli any State 

 which is guilty of a crime like this of the Italian 

 Government by forbidding all trade and all inter- 

 course with the criminal country. Imports and 

 exports would alike be ])rohibited, no ship bearing 

 the criminal's flag would be allowed to enter a foreign 

 port. The stock exchanges of the world would ije 

 closed against the offender. The country and its 



inhabitants would be placed under an interdict. The 

 strictest quarantine would be enforced, as in the case 

 of the ])lague, against all persons, letters, or news- 

 papers coming from the country that made war 

 without first exhausting all methods for settling the 

 dispute amicably. For that country is suffering the 

 worst of plagues — a rottenness of the soul. 



Civilisation has not yet advanced sufficiently for us 

 to hops that any Government v/ill declare a legis- 

 lative compulsory boycott and permanent quarantine 

 against Italy as long as this war lasts. But in every 

 land there are many sufficiently civilised persons to 

 impose a voluntary boycott upon all things Italian. 

 •In the old days in England, when reformers were 

 agitating for the abolition of the slave trade, it 

 was a principle of honour among all good aboli- 

 tionists never to buy or to use any slave-grown 

 sugar. " Tne blood of the slave," they said, " is on 

 every piece of slave-grown sugar. W'e cannot 

 sweeten our tea or our coffee with human blood." 

 There was the boycott in its purest form, the boy- 

 cott of self-sacrifice for the good of humanity. It 

 gives us an example and an inspiration. 



We say to all who care for the peace of the world, 

 or for the laws of nations, or for the rights of peoples, 

 let us enter into a solemn pact to abstain from buying 

 or using all things Italian until the Italian Govern- 

 ment repents and ceases from its Tripohtan briL;and- 

 age. Let us each for himself make a vow— not out 

 of hatred to the Italian people, but with a sincere 

 desire to deliver them as speedily as possible from 

 their present evil rulers — to do the following things :— 



(i) Not to purchase or to hold any Italian Govern 

 ment bonds. 



(2) Not to drink Italian wine, to eat Italian food, 

 to wear Italian silk or cloth, to use Italian manufac- 

 tures ; in short, to regard everything Italian, wl lie this 

 war lasts, as leprous or plague-smitten. 



(3) Not to visit Italy or take p3.ssage on or 

 despatch goods by any Italian ship. 



(4) Never to write or speak to any Italian without 

 expressing to him your conviction as to the wicked- 

 ness of this war. 



This self-sacrificing vow, if taken and kept by even 

 a small number of eirn2st resolute men and women 

 in every country in the world, will soon bring the 

 Italian Government to its senses. 



It is a duty which we owe to civilisation and inter- 

 national morality, to make the way of the transgressor 

 hard. To allow the attack on Tripoli to remain 

 unpunished is to put a premium upon brigandage, aud 

 to reward murder as if it were a virtue. 



W; cannot make our Government act, but no 

 Government can compel us to buy Italian goods 

 against our will. 



Therefore our advice is— 



If we want to stop the war let us boycott Italy ! 



