Evening star., 1909-05-05


reward the ancient ideals and estimates
of men must be changed; they must not
be martial: they must arise out OF the
victories of peace.
Now and then there breaks forth a
great cOnflagration which the agencies Of
men seem powerless to arrest, and which
only dies out after consuming everything
combustible IN its pathway; SO 1t seems
to have been with the passions of men,
that they at times become so infiamed
that they are quenched only by exhaus-
ton through war.
Factors for Peace.
1.-THE peace of the world would seem to
be dependent O upon the citizenship of
the nations being of that character which
would insure the creation of just laws
and their enforcement, and co upon a
type of international citizenship which
would insure the creation of just inter-
national laws and a substantial tribunal
for their enforcement.
1T seems to me that any formula
which neglects these elements must 1ail
short of preventing the evils aimed at.
tion in theory. but its practical operation
requires the patient endurance Of ages or
training and civic discipline.
What measure of progress have we
made in the last century? Very great.
Wars even have been in a sense civilized.
Many are the restraints and bulwarks
against armed conflict which the civilized
powers have erected. A strong factor for
peace is The Hague court, where the dis
putes Of honest difference will inevitably
go when diplomacy fails. But the most
potent agency of modern times Is the in
creased sense Of national justice, In which
ouI country has been a marked example.
Education lies at the root of the prog
ress of healthful sentiment for peace.
Honesty in trade and commerce is the
next element. and prosperity at home is
not only source of domestic tranquil
lity, but breeds the spirit of benevolence
toward our neighbors abroad.
1T IS source of mutual congratula-
tions that so many citizens of the enlight-
ened nations of the world are laboring to-
gether for universal peace. Why, let me
ask, can they not take on a still higher
type of citizenship? While my liege lord
Of the state of Washington. l know of
no reason why could not take out natu-
ralization papers in the peace league OF
nations. provided such an entity were Gre
ated. There could be citizenship in no
higher kingdom, except that above.
IF we are to make progress intellectu-
ally and morally in the advancement OF
peace we should cultivate in song, story,
thought and action the ways Of peace"
China Is Peace-Loving.
Dr. WI expressed himself as especially
proud to address the congress, because
the nation he represented is famed for
its love of beace.
1T is not, however, that the Chinese
are afraid to fight" said he. When
compelled by necessity they made a good
record for themselves. It is their dis
position. their education. which has made
them peace-loving people"
DIR. WI continued:
when II is remembered that China has
a population of four hundred millions.
you will agree with me that its attitude
on the subject of war and peace is of
some Importance to the world at large.
1 can assure you that whatever other
changes. political. educational, and social.
may take place in my country. her tradi-
tional policy of settling disputes by dis
cussion and amicable means will not be
departed from.
.'China has no schemes of self-aggrand-
izement at the expense of others-so
often the cause and pretext of bellicose
action. Even in her days of past con-
servatism and seclusion from the nations
Of the west, her only desire was to be
left alone and be permitted to enjoy peace.
Her motto has been and is Live and Let
Live
'In recent years the reorganization Of
the army occupies a prominent place on
our program Of reform. The reorganiZa-
tion of our army need not, however,
create the least alarm. nor is it in con-
fict with the objects of this society.
'The Chinese government has been ac-
tuated by one aim. and that is to place
the troops in q state of efficiency for
police and defensive purposes only. This
is in accordance with the principle laid
down by many eminent statesmen that in
order to maintain and preserve peace it
Is necessary to be prepared for war.
"China never has been and never will
be aggressive in a military way. She is
too fond of peace and realizes too fully
the horrors of war.
China Ready to Disarm.
If general disarmament should be pro-
posed you will not find China indisposed
to accept 1t. / am aware that upon this
subject there is difference of views. We
all have yet to learn and to educate pub
lie opinion for the cause of peace.
MANY inventions and discoveries have
been made In the last several centuries
which have contributed to the welfare of
mankind. But what greater good work
can there be, / venture to ask. than that
of interesting people in the cause OF uni
folly and brutality of slaughtering one
another by fearful machines, which Is the
object Of this peace society?
1T must be remembered that in no
period of human history has commerce
reached such gigantic proportions as at
present. The marked advance in trans
portation facilities by the inventions of
the last century has caused international
trade to become a feature of current his
tory. The application of steam and cleo
tricity, both on land and on the sea. have
revolutionized methods of trade and
travel.
Not long ago 1,oOO tons of pig iron
from the Haiyang steel and iron works.
in the central part of China. travelled 900
miles down the Yangtse river and $4,000
miles by sea and were laid down in
Brooklyn. N. Y, at $3.50 per ton. The
terminus of the longest railway in the
world is Peking. and it is possible to
travel today on an unbroken road from
the interior of my country to Paris,
France.
International Friendship Imperative.
These facts alone are enough to show
that nations are interdependent and
should have friendly relations with each
other. No nation nowadays should wan
tonly declare war. because the commercial
interests of the worlds nations are too