374 Justice and the Expansion of Life 



must follow. All that is needed is that the states- 

 men and the governing classes realize the necessity 

 of international justice, and mankind will be 

 organized. 



When will organization come? No one can tell. 

 But in our day he who cannot see that the union 

 of civilized peoples is the most urgent of all neces- 

 sities, is truly blind. 



Only through organization can the nations ob- 

 tain absolute security — only by the establishment 

 of world-justice. War is the greatest possible 

 violation of right. It begins with homicide (total 

 suppression of life), continues with a series of 

 spoliations (partial suppression of life), and ends 

 in despotism (diminution of the intensity of life). 

 Men have believed brute force the best means of 

 avoiding war, and they have piled armament on 

 armament. In 1868 France could mobilize three 

 hundred thousand men in three months; in 1914, 

 three million in fifteen days. Yet she was no 

 more secure. Germany too had increased her 

 armament. The risks of war were not decreased 

 by the increase in military defence. Absolute 

 security can be obtained only by being stronger 

 than all possible rivals, and the failure of Napo- 

 leon's attempt proved that to be an impossibility. 

 As long as there is no guarantee, such as a League 

 of Peace alone can give, that armaments created 

 ostensibly to establish security will not be used 

 for aggression, coalitions of nations will always 

 arise against any one nation or alliance, that 



