The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-16
A World OF Peace and Goodwill.

WOrl0 OF Peace and GOODWILL
The heading of this article indicates the
humane but remote design with which num-
Der of learned legal and philanthropic gentle
men met last evening in this city. There
are and have been many kindly souled
beings in the world whose dream Of a broad,
passionless yet beautiful humanity has led
them on to an expansion of the visionary idea
into schemes of government for the world of
that miraculously harmonious future. It has
never been, and we sincerely hope never will
be- the habit Of cultivated minds to deal harsh
ly with these benevolent persons. When ma
tons in good or evil cause have risen to buckle
on their armor the dreamers after universal
peace have been gently pushed aside, and
with all its horrors war enacted as if they
never had existed When the days of peace
return they are heard from once more, and
while all the world sorrowfully admits the
main truth of their argument each nation
makes reservation in its own favor The
difficulty which the Rev. Mr. Miles, of Boston,
experienced among the government officials
of Europe, the relation Of which was the chief
feature Of his address before the meeting to
which we have already alluded, was gingerly
shyness Of touching the subject of uni
versal peace at ALL Mr.. Gladstone, for in
stance, is reported to have given the reverend
gentleman assurance of his belief that the OBJ
ject was good and commendable. 1t would,
however, work harm to the object the reverend
gentleman and his learned and benevolent
friends had in view if he (Gladstone) was
known to be an active worker in the cause
It must come from the outside of all govern
ments, and this would hasten its favor with
all the Powers. We may go little further than
the English Premier went, and say that no
government is likely to touch such scheme,
whether in the crude state or crystallized into
clear words, if it consists of pledge Of the
nations not to engage in war. While Mr..
Gladstone was making known the very pro-
found fact that his Ministry would do every
thing possible to avoid war Earl Granville
was perhaps debating his sharp and meaning
note to Russia on the Khiun question. The
subject of that note is so curious common
tary on the stumbling block to dreamers Of
universal peace that its mention cannot be
fairly complained Of
The Geneva arbitration, with whatever sue
cess it can claim in promoting the amity Of
nations, has stimulated the friends Of peace
fitness to great exertions, and, so far as we
can Judge from the tenor of the addresses
made and sympathizing letters read, the i'm
mediate object Of the learned and benevolent
gentlemen is to promote meeting of distin-
guished international lawyers in the Fall
to formulate series of rules, to be sub
mitted TO the various governments after
wards, for the settlement Of all future
international disputes by arbitration instead
of war; We are glad that the gentlemen have
come down somewhat from the airy level of
the confirmed dreamers, and admit that for
the present, at least, nations are not unlikely
to have disputes. The rules which they may
shape must have one value-namely, to indi-
cate to nations more or less definitely the
rational means by which war in certain cases
can be avoided. II Is, in this sense, q worthy
movement and we. hope that Wisdom herself
may preside at their deliberations
But the proposition that war, under oil cir