Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-05-17
70 CELEBRATE PEACE
RATHER THAN WARS.
state superintendent Baxter Pre-
pares For C0nlmem0ration of
Hague Conference.
SCHOOLS 10 PARTICIPATE.


Professor Charles J. Baxter, state super
intendent Of public instruction, has pre-
pared and is sending to the public schools
Of the state circular in reference to cele-
brating May 16 the formal opening Of The
Hague peace conference. Accompanying
the circular is the following letter.
II beg your cooperation in securing in
the New Jersey public schools a general
observance of the seventh anniversary of
the formal opening of The Hague confer
ence As this great tribunal is destined to
play most important part in the worlds
future history. it seems Important that our
youth know more about it, and be more In
sympathy with its purposes. To further
this object | haye prepared letter to be
read to the school children OF the state,
Friday May Is, and am forwarding you
liberal supply Of copies by express. As
the time is short, kindly distribute them
among the teachers under your supervision
as promptly as possible"
The circular is addressed to the pupils
through the teachers, a summary OF which
follows:
1.-THE peace conference was called by the
present emperor of Russia, August "a,
1898, to met at The Hague under the
auspices OF the Netherlands government.
Twenty-six nations, including all OF the
leading powers, sent representatives, and
this grand conference, numbering in all 100
delegates was formally opened May IL,
1899, the anniversary Of the emperor's
birthday What an imposing gathering it
must have been. Prominent representa-
tive men of every nationality, dressed in
their distintiye garbs met for the purpose
of establishing a worlds court to which
disputes between nations might be referred
and means thus provided for avoiding
the horrors Of war.
much to the delight Of all peaceloving
people, and to the surprise Of many, all
essential measures were agreed upon and
signed, and April 1, 1901, the agreement
entered into had been ratified by she gov
ernments Of sufficient number Of natiors
TO make high court of humanity for the
settlement of international disputes, a
happy, abiding reality. The United States
senate honored both itself and our nation
| by ratifying the great compact without a
dissenting vote. Now, when difficulties
between nations arise the cry should not
be ITO arms, to armsE' but ITO The
Hague, to The Hague!"
This great court is at present housed in
spacious mansion on one Of the Hague
canals, but will in due time move into
quarters more in keeping with it's impor-
tance. Andrew J Carnegie has given ST.,
500, 900 to build a permanent home for this
great tribunal and TO establish in connec-
tion Herewith complete library of the
international laws.
isn't it strange that we have so long
had various kinds of courts for the settle
ment of disputes between individuals, and
have not, until SO recently, established a
world IS court that is empowered to Judge be-
tween nations? This court has already
proved its usefulness, and number Of dis
putes have been settled by it, The first
was difference between the United States
and Mexico. Another was the unfortunate
incident of the striking of British fishing
boats by shots from Russian warships.
Under one of the provisions of The Hague
conference, President Roosevelt was en-
abled to address Russia and Japan, isug
costing conference looking to peace, and
offering his services TO bring it about As
you all well know his efforts were success
full, and thus through the agency of The
Hague tribunal was ended one of the blood
lest aud most needless wars in the history
of the world. 1t has also been instrumental
in settling several other disputes with which
you are perhaps less familiar, and Of which
the limits Of this circular do not permit me
to write.
''By directing our best thought and eff
fort to winning the nobler victories OF
peace, we would become an inspiring exam
Pile TO the nations, and would become SO
great that there would be none to modest US
Or even suggest the necessity Of defense. /"
Accompanying the circular is a compila-
tion made by Professor Baxter Of quotations
of the best writers on Peace These he
suggests should be memorized by the
pupils.
Professor Baxter said yesterday that the
public schools are giving too much attention
to war and the military spirit. In many
instances, he declared, patriotism was being
looked upon merely as the elevation Of one
nation at the expense Of another School
histories, many of them, he insisted, de-
voted entirely too much space to the study
Of war.
Professor Baxter emphasized the fact that
the time had come to teach the significance
of the victories Of peace.
Enoohnudouc, Dpadseanonf