ld be short. Thanks to railways, the period of preparatory operations
would be considerably shortened; but in marches, manoeuvres, and
battles railways can be employed only in very rare cases, and as lines
of operation they cannot serve.

The question naturally arises: Will it be possible to raise for war
purposes revenues vastly exceeding the normal revenues of European
states? And what results must we expect from such extraordinary tension?
A careful and thorough inquiry shows that no great power is economically
capable of bearing the strain of a great war. Russia has in this
respect an important advantage in that her workers, who are her
fighters, are mostly agricultural; the members of their families can
continue their labours when the summons to war is issued. But, on the
other hand, the Russian rural population is extremely poor, and her
resources would quickly be exhausted.

As for England, the interruption of maritime communications would affect
disastrously, if not fatally, the industries of the country and the
feeding of her population. England depends to so great an extent upon
imported wheat that a war would threaten the whole population with
famine.

The very large industrial portion of the German community would be hit
most severely. The stoppage of work and the rise in prices would cause
intense suffering and violent discontent.

Although France survived the economic strain of the war of 1870, it does
not follow that she could endure the far greater strain of a campaign
under the new conditions. Her industrial population, like that of
Germany, would be ruined, and the resulting misery might well lead to
revolution.

A great European war, then, would bring about the economic prostration
of every nation engaged in it, and would be a cause of violent danger to
the fabric of society.

Another problem of modern war remains to be considered--the condition
and care of the wounded. Modern weapons of precision can not only kill
or wound more accurately and at greater distances than the older
weapons, but have more penetrative power. A rifle bullet of to-day will
pass through three or four bodies, shattering and splintering any bones
it may encounter in its course. Hence wounds will be more numerous than
they have ever been; and, owing to the unwieldly size of armies and the
poor physical condition of many of the men, sickness will be more common
as well.

Nevertheless, the assistance of the wounded and si