The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-16

national ACCOMPLISHMENTS and religious
bigotry, Grotius sought to discover the
fundamental principles upon which inter
national relations might rest secure. In
doing 20 he appealed to q source OF authority
more ancient and moro universal than any
dynastic right or any form Of religious
doctrine. Behind the political concep-
tions Of his time he discerned the presence
Of mans rational intelligence, in whose
norms Of conduct he read the outlines OF a
law OF nations. As reason Is common TO
all men and all men are kindred, not only
the foundations OF the State but those OF
an organized society OF States are to ne
found in the constitution Of mankind.
DR.. Hill recognizes it to have been the
distinction OF Grotius that he worked out
In detail the application OF the principle
Of equity to an association OF sovereign
States. To regard his system as a body
of international law In any proper sense
of the term would be an oxaGgeration,
for notwithstanding his learned and In
genious endeavors to give his doctrines
the support Of q general agreement OF com
petent opinion by the citation OF passages
from the whole range OF literature, sacred
and profane. and to found them as far as
possible upon ancient custom and the
precepts Of the Roman law. his treatise as
a whole should be described asa vast mosaic
Of IDEAS built around the central thought
that there 10 q natural equity in the rela-
tons OF independents States rather than as
a digest of actually accepted principles.
But though decades and even centuries
were to pass before his ideas were to be
adopted-even yet they do but present
q counsel OF perfection-they created a
new era in the history Of Europe. Before
the close of the seventeenth century the
Latin original was translated into Swedish.
Dutch, English, French and German. The
author was invited to enter he public
service of Poland, Denmark, Spain. Eng
land and Sweden, and eventually became
the Ambassador of Sweden to France.
Gustavus Adolphus is said to have carried
q copy Of DE Jure Belli az Pacis." which
he bad caused to be translated into Swedish,
through all his campaigns during the last
six years Of his life and to have slept with
It under his pillow. Before the authors
death his york had become a classic which
university professorships were presently
established to expound.
That Grotius had in his mind a forecast
Of che Hague Tribunal, as that institution
may ultimately be developed, IL evident
from the fact that he dwelt upon the utility,
M even the necessity, Of the Christian
Powers forming some kind Of body In
whose assembly the quarrels of each one
might be terminated by the judgment Of
others not interested. In that demand,
and in the further assertion that means
must be sought TO oonstrain the parties
to a controversy to agree to reasonable
conditions, he was advancing ideas which
Town to our own time have been regarded
as Utopian. Still. although we have not
reaped even yet the fill harvest Of the SEED
sowed by Grotius, there has never ceased
to exist since the publication of his great
work a recognized science Of International
Jurisprudence of which he is the accredited
founder, a science which has gone on de-
veloping itself in harmony with other
branches of thought and knowledge and
which has slowly but impressively modi-
fed the relations OF independent States.
NJ. w. III.