The record-union., 1899-06-14
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS.
BY G. Grosvenor Dswe.

BY G. Grosvenor Dswe. IS; IS
BY the time this article is read the
wonderfully picturesque gathering in
Holland, OF delegates from all civilized
nations for the purpose of discussing
various phases Of peace will have scat
tered Whatever may be the outcome
of this gathering. the building in which
the delegates met must forever be re-
garded as sanctified by one Of the most
remarkable international movements
that has ever taken definite shape
amid the restless and antagonistic ma
tions Of the world. It is a proclamation
that all nations are gradually coming
to a sense Of the unity of man-and Of
the rights Of the obscure man-who, by
the way, has always borne the most
arduous brunt and burden of the bat
ties OF men. To the young Gear Of
Russia, son Of a. father who was him.
self a power for peace in Europe, all
honor is due for not being content
merely with his own inner leanings
towards peaceful development. but for
being willing to run the risk of misun
Outstanding and of suspicion in trying
to convert others to his own way of
thinking.
Pausing for a moment to consider
the nation of which the Car is the
head it is strange, but nevertheless
very fitting, that the proposal for dis
armament and arbitration should come
from nation whose very vastness is,
enough to permit it to overwhelm all
other nations that would meet it on
land. Judged by ordinary standards, no
nation could have less to fear from the
continued armament of Europe, and
therefore no nation had less need to
suggest disarmament. speak, Of
course, from the point of view Of it's
compact and continuous territory, it's
vast reserve supply of men, and it's CHI
matte conditions. but, of course, not
from the viewpoint of it's bonded in
debtedness, which is very great indeed,
and actually exceeds that Of France.
~
Reviewing now some of the work Of
the Peace Conference it is very note
worthy that the United States, fresh
from successful warfare and flushed
with conquest. should have been able
to bring before the conference a plan
for arbitration that secured more ap-
prevail than the plans submitted by
others. This is not peculiar, for our
nation has not yet run Short and new
er will. of far seeing men whose Wis
ion extends beyond conquest to uplift,
and beyond immediate gain to future
glory. Though all that we have done
during the past year has, SO far as the
national heart is concerned, been done
we'll, and been done for the best, ma
tional vision is not at all blinded to
the fact that there will be greater
glory to us if the history Of the next
hundred years should show our nation
greater in some particulars than Rus
sia-to have believed more in prevent
ing conflict than in precipitating it.
+
The results of the conference will not
be Immediately visible to the great
hurrying world, because, from the
pressure Of daily life and events the
mass of US lose sight of movement
as soon as our textbooks, the newspa
pers, If there should arise a lull of in
terest, but this will be apparent rather
than real; for each set of delegates will
return with report to it's home Gov
eminent, and out Of these reports will
develop correspondence back and forth
in relation to the future offensive and
defensive plans Of each Government.
The result will be increasing interna-
tional understanding and the gradual
evolution of ideas, by which in future
disputing nations will find it more than
ever difficult to go to the extreme of
actual battle. Five years or ten even
will not be. too many before We can
hope for the creat alton and the mainten-
ance of a good working plan among the
great nations Of the earth, which great
nations for all practical purposes are
simply Russia, Germany, England and
the United States
The discussions of the conference rel
alive to humane methods Of warfare
such as the disuse of flattened bullets,
Of balloon explosive, and of certain
contents of shells, are mere dust in the
balances of the wider question of the
economic advantage of avoidable war
fare. These minor subjects, because
somewhat picturesque in their details
have aroused among many people the
greatest interest; but their right posi-
tfon will be understood when it is stat
ed that the cessation Of warfare is
much more important than any method
of wagdng it. yrs3
All lovers of the common man must
welcome any forward step in the di-
rection of this conference; for the huge
standing armies of Europe are a terri
BILE burden on the young manhood Of
that continent and also upon the aged
of that continent because Of the gov
ernmental demand upon the young and
strong for several years Of unproduc-
tive effort. These conditions are fairly
well understood by us in America, not
because we have a vast standing army,
but because large proportion of our
European immigrants have come here
to avoid enforced-and therefore hated
military service. The American
heart is also we'll prepared for making
the dream of the Car an actual work.
ing power; since its own record in the
past century has been more notable
than that of any other nation, both in
the number of it's own disputes that
have been settled by arbitration and
also through tits having been the arbi-
traitor in the disputes of other nations.
1t yet hopes to see the nations of the,
Old World become in relation to peace,
the United States Of Europe.
Irvington, N. Y.
New Style Of Swindle.