The Next Great Word in the Evolution of Peace. 257 



Italy might be pushed over to join the rival combination. 

 Italy is thus playing in perfect surety (sur le velours) a 

 game which, on the other hand, is a very risky one. . . 

 " .... It was this thought (of maintaining the 

 balance of power) which took M. \\'addington to the 

 Berlin Congress, whence he brought Tunis back for us : 

 it was this thought which took M. Jules Ferry to the 

 Coloni; 1 Conference at Berlin also, to obtain the 

 recognition of our dominion in Central Africa with our 

 rights on the Belgian Congo ; it was this thought 

 which, inspiring our conduct in 1898. allowed us to 

 acquire without striking a blow and without granting 

 ' compensation ' to anyone, the liberation of Tunis, 

 the extension of Indo-China as far as Mekong, the 

 seizure of Madagascar, the large extension of our 

 establishments on the West Coast and on the coast of 

 Guinea, and. finally, the joining of all our .\frican 

 Colonies over the vast territories forming the three 

 basins of the Niger, the Congo and the Nile. France, 

 reiving on the Franco- Russian .-Mliance. holds an 

 ; d nirable position for defence ; she provokes no one, 

 and can l)ide her time." 



THE CONTRAST BETWEE.N PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ETHICS. 



" Without Striking a blow," " France provokes no 

 one" ; there is a delightful candour in these statements. 

 The wars in Indo-China and the butcheries in Mada- 

 gascar, without further enumeration, being against 

 weaker, and, in the case of Madagascar, practically 

 helpless nations, are neither " blows " nor "' pro\o- 

 cations." 



Comment is superfluous. It is certain that the 

 illustrious writer just quoted must be a model citizen 

 in everv way ; that he abhors treachery and chicane ; 

 that he never would resort to violence, nor acquire land 

 or chattels except for value received to the satisfaction 

 of the owner. Furthermore, he is not one of the 

 amorphous multitude who take ideas as they receive 

 them, labelled, like pills from the chemist. He is one 

 of the elite— jl thinker, an investigator, one should 

 presume a seer. 



Bearing in mind that quantity does not alter the 

 essence of things, that an atom of o.xygcn, for instance, 

 has the identical properties of the whirlwind from the 

 blast of a steel fiirnac e, and that the rule holds for the 

 moral conception no less firmly than for tangible 

 jT.atler — for as JoulTroy said : " One point of space 

 contains the eternity of time and one instant of time 

 contains the infinity of space" — bearing this in mind, 

 it would be interesting, and even profitable, to know 

 by what psychological process an analyst of such 

 magnificent power can arrive at his attitude of con- 

 science and remain honest to his reasoning faculty. 



" WHERE DOES INIQUITY BECO.ME RK;ilTEOfSNESS ? " 



If quantity alters the essence of things, where does 

 the change begin ? Where does • iniquity become 

 righteousness ? 



The tradition of evil-doing from time immemorial 

 ronstitutes no justification. Inveterate infamy may, 

 ind does, supply an acceptable reason to the dishonest 



politician, the blind reactionary, or the oppressor, 

 individually or collectively ; the exceptionally gifted, 

 however, ha\e higher duties towards their fellow-men. 

 The practice of depredation, called, be it remembered, 

 expansion, and the neccs.sarily constant decrease of 

 territory available for the purpose — that is to say, 

 territory held in weak hands — have intensified the 

 activity of expansionists as well as their spirit of 

 enterprise ; schemes are planned and carried out 

 to-day which a few years ago would ha\e been con- 

 sidered foolhardy and impossible. 



THE OBJECT LE.SSON OF THE WAR IN TRIPOI I. 



The latest events on the northern coast of Africa, 

 too recent and notorious to require recapitulation, 

 have sickened the conscience of humanity, callous 

 though it may have become of late years. One is 

 prepared for anything from Russia : the action of the 

 Italian Government, however, is an unexpected 

 shock. Never in the history of that glorious land 

 whose people ruled humanity for centuries upon 

 centuries, leaving the winged seed of liberty in the 

 human conscience to expand and fructify ; never in the 

 long ages of incessant strife, of conquest and dominion, 

 was there such ruthless iniquity, in conception and in 

 performance, as in the Tripoli expedition. It marks 

 present possibilities, and should indicate the trend and 

 intensity of future developments. 



THE IMPOTENCE OF LIBERAL GOVERNMENT, 



The two powerful groups into which Europe is 

 divided are both formed by a combination of rca<-- 

 tionary and enlightened nations. F.xperience has 

 demonstrated that no hope should be placed in the 

 liberal Powers to guide or even to attenuate the 

 policy of their allies. The bond of alliance throttles 

 all attempts in favour of justice and of righteousnes.--. 

 It becomes a bond of complicity. As in the case ol 

 a given currency, according to the law of Gresham. 

 when there are in circulation two classes of coins, one 

 true, the other of base alloy, the latter drives the 

 former out of the market, even so in these alliances 

 the policv of barbarism and reaction triumphs and 

 prevails ; the glorious traditions of the past and the 

 sclf-impo.sed and nobly-done duty in defence of liberty 

 and humanity count for nothing. 



HOW ARMAMENTS BREED REVOLUTION. 



The complex causes that have brought about this 

 recrudescence of the predatory instincts, arming them 

 with all the incalculable elements created by modern 

 science, bid fair to increase rather than to diminish. 

 Ours is an age of transition ; the doomed systems and 

 institutions will die hard and exhaust every means of 

 self-defence. Unlimited armaments have become a 

 necessitv, and also a cancer in the organism. Their 

 appalling cost, whii h is constantly on the increase, 

 drives the Governments to periodic and frantic efforts 

 in .search of a means (or their limitation, since sup- 

 pression is inconceivable. Their efforts have thus far 

 proved fruitless, and success is only possible through 



