Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-06-23
NORWAY.

part:
THE right to wage war at sea must
be regulated anew. However uncer-
tain the obligations were in the past.
! there were certain limitations which
could not be overstepped. But it
seems that at present there is no limi-
tation to the claim Of every state to
do as it pleases. The trade and the
shipping Of neutral countries have
been placed under a control which has
become humiliating The sinking Of
enemy merchant ships, which formerly
was allowed only when unavoidable,
mas now become a regular practice.
This condition of things is due to the
working of two factors. Sea warfare
has become much more intensive
way than heretofore anyone could have
believed. battle of financial weapons.
a bitter fight for the means of exist
ence. The modern means of war, in
particular the submarines and mines,
has developed kind of war which is
without precedent in former history
and which falls by necessity outside
the range of international law, which
was adapted to conditions very differ
ent from the present All this must
be put right at the next Hague confer
ence. No one can say what regulations
will be drawn up for contrabsnd, block
AIDES and other matters OF this kind,
or what code of conduct can be drawn
up for combatants in this sphere of
warfare. or what can be conceded to
neutrals. These regulations must be
drawn up in the light of experience
and according to the power and in
fiuence which different states or
groups of states can exercise. Any
thing, however, will be better than
the present loose arrangement"
Ibsen maintains that international
rights have been ignored by the French
and English in their treatment of enc
my subjects and enemy property in
their countries.
AS to humanizing warfare, Ibsen has
little hope of international law being
able to accomplish much. Warfare,
instead of being humanized," he re-
marks, must necessarily become
more and more frightful, in accord
ance with the ceaseless development
of technical skill in the provision of
new ana more perfect weapons. 1t is
an illusion to believe that war can be
waged in gentler fashion. There is
only one proposition worth consider
ing, and that is to see that no occasion
arises for war. This, however, is not
the work of international lawyers, but
OF politicians and diplomats"
The discussion of the communion
cup from sanitary point of view has
caused an upheaval among the church
people of Norway which is assuming
serious proportions. 1t has been DEM
onstrated that the common cup may
carry contagious diseases from one
communicate to another. The actual
cases may be rare. But the fact once
established, the people will not leave
the matter alone until it is settled in
manner which will satisfy the great
mass of the people. The church de-
partment has authorized no less than
three patterns of individual commu-
MON cups and a ladle for filling them.
The cups are made of solid silver. but
plated ware may, of course, be used.
An ordinance provides that two boards
or shelves shall be put up by the side
of the altar for holding the individual
cups. But in a number of churches
there is no place for such shelves, and
the reform as a whole is received with
no such thing as enthusiasm by those
who actually take part in the commu-
MON service. Some of the opponents
of these Innovations predict with indig-
nation that such fandangoes will tend
to destroy the sacrament of the altar
altogether.
A Viking ship, manned by so Morse
men clad in replicas of ancient suits
of armor, sailed in San Francisco har-
Dor the other day. her quaint sails aid
ed by carsmen, figuratively invading
America for the celebration of Norway
day 81 the Panama-Pacific exposition.
An impersonator of Left Erikson,
staiding at the high prov, sang Grieg's
extending" and wa answered by
cho.us of thousands of Norwegians
on shore.
Maj James Rolf, Jr., Norwegian
commissioner, exposition officials and
emissaries OF King Haakon VII of Nor
way, greeted the Vikings.
Several thousand members of Nor
wegian societies from all portions OF
the United States were here to partici-
pate in the ceremonies. At the Nor
way pavilion, F. Herman Gade, COM
missioner general for his country at
the exposition, planted Norwegian
spruce brought from Christiania for
the purpose Officials of the Norwe-
gian Evangelical Lutheran synod in
America, in convention in San Fran
cisco, participated in the ceremonies.
The Norwegian steamship Cubano
was torpedoed and sunk off the Flan-
nan islands. The crew was landed in
the Hebrides, a group of islands on
the west coast of Scotland.