Swedes and Chinamen, bestirred
themselves to send help to the wounded in 1871. It was not by order of
an international ministry that hospitals rose on the invaded territory
and that ambulances were carried on to the battlefield. It was by the
initiative of volunteers from each country. Once on the spot, they did
not get hold of one another by the hair as was foreseen by the
Jacobinists of all nations; they all set to work without distinction of
nationality.

We may regret that such great efforts should be put to the service of so
bad a cause, and we may ask ourselves like the poet's child: "Why
inflict wounds if you are to heal them afterwards?" In striving to
destroy the power of capitalist and middle-class authority, we work to
put an end to the massacres called wars, and we would far rather see the
Red Cross volunteers put forth their activity to bring about (with us)
the suppression of war; but we had to mention this immense organization
as another illustration of results produced by free agreement and free
aid.

If we wished to multiply examples taken from the art of exterminating
men we should never end. Suffice to quote the numerous societies to
which the German army owes its force, that does not only depend on
discipline, as is generally believed. I mean the societies whose aim is
to propagate military knowledge.

At one of the last congresses of the Military Alliance (Kriegerbund),
delegates from 2,452 federated societies, comprising 151,712 members,
were present. But there are besides very numerous Shooting, Military
Games, Strategical Games, Topographical Studies Societies--these are the
workshops in which the technical knowledge of the German army is
developed, not in regimental schools. It is a formidable network of all
kinds of societies, including military men and civilians, geographers
and gymnasts, sportsmen and technologists, which rise up spontaneously,
organize, federate, discuss, and explore the country. It is these
voluntary and free associations that go to make the real backbone of the
German army.

Their aim is execrable. It is the maintenance of the Empire. But what
concerns us, is to point out that, in spite of military organization
being the "Great Mission of the State," success in this branch is the
more certain the more it is left to the free agreement of groups and to
the free initiative of individuals.

Even in matters pertaining to war, free agreement is thus appealed to;
and to fu