188 A Century of Science 



compel a disarmament, and in this way the swords 

 would get beaten into ploughshares. American 

 competition is less effective than it might be, owing 

 to our absurd tariffs and vicious currency, but its 

 tendency has undoubtedly been in the direction 

 indicated. I suspect, however, that the process 

 will be less simple. Within the last twenty years 

 the operations of production and distribution have 

 been assuming colossal proportions. Syndicates, 

 trusts, and other huge combinations of capital have 

 begun carrying on business upon a scale heretofore 

 unprecedented. Already we see symptoms that such 

 combinations are to include partners in various 

 parts of the earth. Business, in short, is becoming 

 more and more international ; and under such cir- 

 cumstances the era of general disarmament is likely 

 to be hastened. In the long run, peace has no 

 other friend so powerful as commerce. 



While every successful resort to arbitration is 

 to be welcomed as a step toward facilitating dis- 

 armament, it seems probable that institutions of 

 somewhat broader scope than courts of arbitration 

 will be required for the settlement of many com- 

 plex international questions. In the European 

 congresses which have assembled from time to 

 time to deal with peculiar exigencies, we have the 

 precedent for such more regular and permanent 



