It is not enough to say that we owe it to our children and to future generations to prevent war. We owe it to ourselves. Sentimentality, moral appeal, disarmament conferences, peace pacts, and exhibition of horrors of war have contributed little to the cause of peace. This book examines certain salutary economic tendencies in the consumer cooperative movement which are actually in operation in all countries and across international borders. In these are seen developing before our eyes the conditions essential to peace.
Peace is discovered actually in the making.
While this expansion of democracy in the economic field is slow, nevertheless that very slowness may make it substantial. Of all the ways that are looked to as leading toward peace, the slow way in the end may be the quick way. Expansion of the cooperative method makes for lessening the need for political government. Instead of solving problems by more political government, this book insists that less political government is not only to be desired but is possible. The time has come to plan for rehabilitation of the world, not by returning to political and economic methods that have gotten it into its troubles, but by using proved methods which make for peace.