by
an individual lawbreaker or by an excited mob, but eventually it
reasserts itself and slowly extends its scope and power. Without
international legislative organization, without a tribunal or a
military force to carry out its provisions, by sheer force of
international opinion and a growing regard for social justice it
demands attention from the proudest nations. Text-books have been
written and university chairs founded to present its claims,
international associations and conventions have met to define more
accurately its code, and tentative steps have been taken to strengthen
its position by two Hague Conferences that met in 1899 and 1907. Large
contributions of money have been made to stimulate the cause of peace,
and as many as two hundred and fifty peace societies have been
organized.

353. =Arbitration and an International Court.=--Experiments have been
tried at settling international disputes without resort to war. Great
Britain and the United States have led the way in showing to the world
during the last one hundred years that all kinds of vexatious
differences can be settled peacefully by submitting them to
arbitration. These successes have led the United States to propose
general treaties of arbitration to other nations, and advance has been
made in that direction. It was possible to establish at The Hague a
permanent court of arbitration, and to refer to it really important
cases. Such a calamity as the European war, of course, interrupts the
progress of all such peaceful methods, but makes all the plainer the
dire need of a better machinery for settling international
differences. There is reasonable expectation that before many years
there may be established a permanent international court of justice,
an international parliament, and a sufficient international police
force to restrain any one nation from breaking the peace. Only in this
way can the dread of war be allayed and disarmament be undertaken;
even then the success of such an experiment in government will depend
on an increase of international understanding, respect, and
consideration.

354. =Intercommunication and Its Rewards.=--The gain in social
solidarity that has been achieved already is due first of all to
improved communication between nations. In the days of slow sailing
vessels it took several weeks to cross the Atlantic, and there was no
quicker way to convey news. The news that peace had been arranged at
Ghent in 1814 between Gr