The Winslow mail., 1914-10-10


ers, adventures and political despera.
does were everywhere in possession of
the simple apparatus for the disengage.
ment of atomic energy and the initia.
ton of new centerS of destruction. The
stuff exercised an irresistible fascina.
ton upon certain type of mind. Why
should any one give in while be can
still destroy his enemies? Surrender?
While there is still a chance of blowing
them to dust? The power of destruc-
ton which had once been the ultimate
privilege of government was now the
only power left in the world-and ii
was everywhere There were few
thoughtful men during that phase of
blazing waste who did not pass
through such moods Of despair as Bar
net describes and declare with him:
This is the end
And all the while Leblanc was going
to and fro with glittering glasses and
an ineXhaustible persuasiveness, urg-
ing the manifest reasonableness of his
view upon ears that ceased presently
to be inattentive. Never at any time
did he betray a doubt that all this cha.
otic conflict would end. No nurse dur
ing nursery uproar was ever so Ger.
tain of the inevitable ultimate peace
From being treated as an amiable
dreamer he came by insensible de-
grees to be regarded as an extrava-
CANT possibility. Then be began to
seem even practicable. The people
who listened to him in 1858 with
smiling impatience were eager before
1859 was four months old to know
just exactly what he thought might
be done. He answered with the pa
tience Of a philosopher and the lncidi-
ty of a Frenchman. He began to re-
ceive responses Of a more and more
hopeful type. He went across the At
lantic to Italy, and there he gathered
in the promises for this congress. He
chose those high meadows above Bris.
Sago for the reasons we have stated
I'VE must get away" he said. "from
old associations" He set to work
requisitioning material for his confer
ence with an assurance that was JUS
tilted by the replies. With a slight In.
credulity the conference which was to
begin a new order in the world gath
cred itself together. Leblanc summon
ed it without arrogance. He control
led it by virtue Of an infinite humility
Men appeared upon those upland
slopes with the apparatus for wireless
telegraphy; others followed with tents
and provisions; a little cable was flung
down to convenient point upon the
Locarno road below. Leblanc arrived
sedulously directing every detail that
would affect the tone Of the assembly
He might have been a courier in ad
vance rather than the originator of
the gathering. And then there arriv
ed, some by cable car. most by aero
plane. few in other fashions, the
men who had been called together to
confer upon the state Of the world. 1t
was to be a conference without
name. Nine monarchs, the presidents
of four republics. a number of minis
ters and ambassadors. powerful jour
nalistS and such like prominent and
influential men took part in 1t. There
we're even scientific men. and that
world famous old man Holsten came
with the others to contribute his anna
teur statecraft to the desperate prob
lem of the age. Only Leblanc would
have dared so to summon fgureheads
and powers and intelligences or have
had the courage to hope for their
agreement.
And one at least of those who were
called to this conference OF govern
ments came to it on foot. This was
King Egbert. young king of the most
venerable kingdom in Europe. He was
a rebel and had always been of delib,
crate. choice-a rebel against the mag
niticence of his position. He affected
long pedestrian tours and disposition
to sleep in the open air. He came now
over the pass of Ste. Maria Maggiore
and by boat up the lake to BrissagO
Thence he walked up the mountain, a
pleasant path set with oaks and sweet
chestnut For provision on the walk.
for he did not want to hurry, he carried
with him a pocketful of bread and
cheese. A certain small retinue that
was necessary for his comfort and dig
nifty upon occasions Of state he sent on
by the cable car. and with him walked
his private secretary, Firmin. a man
who had thrown up the professorship
Of world politics in the London School
of Sociology. Economics and Political
Science to take up these duties Fir
min was a man of strong rather than
rapid thought He had anticipated
great influence in this new position.
and after some years he was still only
beginning to apprehend how largely his
function was to listen. Originally be
had been something Of a thinker upon
international politics. an authority
upon tariffs and strategy and valued
contributor to various of the higher or
gans of public opinion. but the atomic
bombs had taken him by surprise, and
ne had still to recover completely from
his preatomic opinions and the silenc-