The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-04

HE literature OF the great war mas
Z produced no more remarkable
publication than volume containing
three lectures on the proposed League of
Nations and its problems, from the pen of
a native of Germany, who ranks i'll Eng
land and America as one OF the highest
living authorities on the law of nations
namely, Lassa Francis Lawrence Open
helm, Whewcll professor of international
law in the University of Cambridge,
England. Prof. Oppenheim is a German
by birth, but an Englishman by adoption,
having become British citizen in 1900,
when he was IS wears old. He is the au-
thor of an elaborate treatise on interna-
tional law, which is not surpassed by any
modern work on the subject and which
is studied wherever international law is
taught Although his academic educa-
ton was derived from four great German
universities -G0ttingen, Heidelberg, Ber-
lin and Leipsic-his attitude toward the
war has been and is pro-Ally heart and
soul, as is evidenced by his declaration
in the preface TO the present volume,
where he SAYS it was essential that Ger
many should be utterly defeated and
should be compelled to atone and make
ample PREPARATION for the cruel wrongs
which cry to Heaven. Again he says:
"Unless Germany -be utterly defeated the
spirit of militalisIn which is not compati-
BILE with League of Nations, will re-
main a menace TO the world" So We have
here a work by the greatest living inter
national lawyer which Germany has pro
duced utterly condemning the course Of
the German Government in the greatest
war the world has ever seen. This ex-
plains its publication in London by an old
and celebrated English publishing house
These three lectures by Prof. Open
helm were delivered to his students at
Cambridge without any thought of pub
location. They are rather dogmatic in
form, as such lectures are apt to be, but
the authors propositions are based on
facts which can hardly be gainsaid, and
his arguments, although concise, are logi-
cal and convincing. All the discourses are
pervaded by the idea that any success
full League of Nations to be formed now
should necessarily be founded on what
has already been accomplished or at
tempted in the famous Hague confer
ences.
The purpose Of League of Nations,
acc 5rding to DR.. Oppenheim, should be
threefold: Q To prevent wars on ac-
count of disputes capable of settlement
by Judicial decision; ~ to prevent snd-
den outbreaks of war on account of politi-
cal disputes by requiring the prior sub
mission of such controversies to tribunal
of Cancellation, and ~ to enforce these
two aims by requiring the States which
belong to the league to unite their eco
nomic, military and naval forces against
any member resorting to arms in disre-
gard of the foregoing requirements.
Prof. Oppenheim does not believe at all
in the practicability of building up a
League of Nations based on the United
States of America as a model. "a Fed
eral State comprising all the single States
of the whole civilized world" he declares
to be a Utopia, "and an international
army and navy" be says, would be a
danger to the peace of the world" The
only scheme in which the author has any
confidence is the organization of a family
Of nations on extremely simple lines, $50