The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-08
PEACE MOVEMENT IS NEARING CENTENARY
 OF ITS INCEPTION

r :
 While the Quakers and other re1fg ious sects and individuals have been preaching peace for many centuries, the organized peace movement is now nearing the centenary of it's inception. This month will witness the rounding ogat Of a hundred years of peace be- tween En glish- speaking peoples, and next year will mark the centennial of the end of the NaHo1epnic svars. The peace movement was the direct re- suit, in England and America. of rI1e bloody conflicts of the early part Of the last century Wearied Of war,
 Eng1ishmen and Americans alike began to think seriously Of plans and projects for insurin perpetual peace. While the times do not seem i,ropit-s fols for the celebration of peace cen tenaries, the friends of universal dis armament and arbitration are by no means in despairing mood. They realize that success soften the child Of failure. Out of carnage and con- hicf they hope may come the realiza l ton of that dream which has been en-. 1 tertained by humanity ever since Ves- pasian dedicated a. temple to peace at the beginning of the Christian era. or the many pioneer workers in the cause of peace, one of the most inf1u- ential was EIihu Burritt, the etLeaTn- I ed Blacksmith. : who was born in
 New Britain. Conn, just 103 years ago to-day, Dec. 8, 18I1. Tn his
 youth Burritt was apprenticed to a. blacksmith, but he spent the evenings l that he not only attained a good1y acquaintance with English Hteratures
 but. also mastered French, Spanish,
 Latin, Greek and Hebrew. After edit ling a paper in worcester, Mass, he l went to England in 18464 and there Brotherhood. From, that time on he, was Recognized leader in the world peace movement, and attended most
 of the great European peace con ;gresses His league, V hich had for it's l object to ssemploy all 1egi itimAte means for the abolition of war throughout
 the world, was long a powerful or I ganization.
 Before Burritt's time many Ameri-
 cans had preached the blessings of renee of war. The Qua kers of Penn
 sylvania were among the pioneers in tthis crusade. Thomas Paine. the
 stormy petreI of the American and
 French revolutions, used his pen with good effect in this propaganda. x Il N The present American Peace Socie- I ty, although not organized until Il 82S, really dates from 1915, when the New i York peace society was launched. I Many other State and local societies I were formed soon afterward, and were I combined in a national organization I The organized peace movement in I Great, Britain will reach it's centenary i in 1916. as the, British Peace Society
 was formed in 1916. It had for it's Eobject the promotion of permanent { land universal peace, and it has work
 ed uneeasingly. if so far vainly, to
 accomplish that end. Bright and ICobden were among the first men of distinguished position to become
 members of the society, but it has Il since claimed the allegiance of many I of the British leaders of thought and Eaction.s
 Fifteen years ago. when the repre-
 sentatives of all the powers met at
 The Hague for a peace conference called by the Czar of Russia, the friends of peace hoped that their work I was about to meet fruition Their dream was rude1y Shattered, for the
 German delegates declared at the out
 set that his country would consider no project for the limitation of arrna-
 nent, such as had been suggested by
 Emperor Nicholas. That ended the < scheme, and, although a permanent
 court of international arbitration was :. esta blished at The Hague, it was ap- .j pealed to only for the settlement o1
 minor disputes between countries
 which were, in any event, determined fo remain friendly.