New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-17


remains little to be said upon them. In examln N
inc nroooeols To abate war the lecturer dWens
most bopefulIy upon the suggestion OF permanent
International Court of Arbitration, but at lne
same time he carefully points out all the ueiecus
OF and drawbacks to such scheme Inc IrsV
and crayest is of course that which coniroh'S
all international arbitration, namely, the aOsen0o
from any such plan of that background Oh iof0e
which gives vitality, stability and eihciehcs "
law and government. Internatonal arpi.i""o"
depends solely upon moral influences Inc ro"etS
concerned cannot be constrained by sucn u coul"
Sir Henry Maine indeed hints at the possibility
of an alliance of great Powers to keep the peS'oe
nv threatening the first Power to quarrei win
war by all the allies; but he IS carelul 10 PoinC
out that such an arrangement wouiu oonse az
the allied Powers TO maintain great arInanen's-
and that therefore other dangers would arlse
and disabilities perhaps in the long run not less
soy;ous than the evils sought to be remedled
In the words of Sir Henry, though the FISK
of war might be lessened, the burden of war
would at best remain the same; there would De
the same vast unproductive expenditure, the same
ruinous displacement of industry One result
of the scheme might in fact defeat another
Nevertheless, he is Of opinion that the PROPOSE
ton for League Of Neutrals is founded on a
correct principle, that If war is ever to be ar
rested, it will be arrested by sacrifices on the
part of those States which are neither at war
nor desire to go to war" He cites the so-calIed
alliance of the three Emperors in proof Oh the
possibility of preventing war by agreements
among several powerful States; but II is evident
that the objections which lie against Nj. dc Moll-
nari's League Of Neutrals apply here with equal
force Sir Henry Is not an optimist. He sees
Ia .1o ,1,v o,.1 fpli IL
and enumeratcs them so carefully, that the reader
is apt to doubt whether, but for the express in
junction of the founder of the Professorship. the
lecturer would have thought it worth while
to discuss this question at ALL "War," he OBJ
serves in closing his last lecture, " Is too huge
and too ancient an evil for there TO be much
probability that it Will submit to any one or
any isolated panacea. would even say that
there is strong presumption against any system
of treatment which promises TO put prompt
and com plete end to it, But, like those terrific
confagrations to which it has been compared,
it may perhaps be extinguished by local ISOLATION
This is cold comfort, at the best and yet it
demands something approaching enthusiasm to
engender even so feeble hope
Thus far none of the influences called civ1hz-
ing have tended to abate war, while many OF
them have operated to aggravate its evils. Chris
tianity has failed TO overcome the feroclous
instincts which find qualification in wholesale
slaughter and pllage. The spread Of education
has hitherto had little effect in opening the eyes
Of the masses to the mischief Of militarism
The most advanced nations are still those who
expend the most mental and physical energy In
the improvement of deadly weapons and in the
furtherance of all the sciences which facilitate
the destruction Of life and property During the
FrancoPrussian war, both sides on several oc-
casons proclaimed refusal Of quarter, nor were
the horrors of the sack wholly RETAINED from.
That anything less potent than spiritual change
of great and almost unrealizable extent and char
acter will remove mankind from the control OF
the many influences which have hitherto impelled
the race to war seems Incredible; and since tn"
prevailing tendencies beyond question material
istic, the advent Of such change may well
appear hopeless at present Nevertheless. the
lucid and weighty consideration Of these ques-
tons by so great thinker and scholar as Sir
Henry Sumner Maine is full Of interest which
is not lessened by the remembrance that we have
in this volume the last work done by him.