INTERNATIONAL PEACE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 4

INTERNATIONAL PEACE.

In no fewer than three different articles in yesterday's Dominion the question, of peace or war between the three greatest nations of the world—Britain, the United States, and Germany—was raised. At first sight there seems to be a glaring inconsistency between the words of peace and goodwill spoken at the Bible Tercentenary gathering in London by Mr. Asquith and others, and Loud Roberts's strong appeal for the establishment of a scheme of national military service on the Continental model. Then on another page we have the impressive speech of Professor Harnack, who is perhaps the most famous of living theologians, pleading persuasively for more friendly relations between the British and German peoples; and at the same meeting the Archdishop of Canterbury, who had a few days before given his blessing at the launching of the Thunderer, expressed his desire for a solid core of men and women in Britain and Germany "who will make war, or the spirit which gives rise to war, difficult, unlikely, and ultimately impossible." Must wc regard all this as a mass of irreconcilable contradictions, or may one sincerely desire that his country should be at peace with its neighbours, and at the same time insist that it should be ready for war ? There can be no doubt but that in a world constituted as our world is the latter standpoint is the right and reasonable one. The Thunderer has a mission of peace as well as of war. She has not been built, launched, and equipped for purposes of unprovoked aggression; but rather to prevent the unprovoked aggression of envious and unscrupulous foes. For a nation which believes' it has a mission of peace in the world to stand helpless and unprotected in the face of foes armed to the teeth is simply to betray that mission, for it could not long even maintain its own national existence, and with it 3 disappearance the purpose for which it was raised up must also fail of fulfilment. As a matter of plain fact, at the present moment it is only the strong nations which can make their voices heard in the interests of peace, and the future of the world depends mainly upon the action of Britain, Germany, and the United States— the three most powerfully-armed nations in the civilised world. AVithoufc her warships, what influence would Britain have in maintaining

pence 1 "The State," writes Professor Mackintosh in a recent book on ethics, "is the realm of organised force working for social and—up to a certain point—for moral ends. Criminal law and administrative acts form outworks of morality— imperfect, yet valuable." Professor Mackintosh goes on to say:

- War naturally arises out of (lie ConsliI ulion o! the Slate as resting upon force, sn lons :il least as there is no tribunal lo arbitrate between independent nations, lntarnnl government is ruled, almost perfectly, by the forces of law ami order; riots, though discreditable, occuny little rpneo in history i civil war, the 'worst war of nil, i» happily riuo. But external relations have, no ordered force

to control them—only the dreadful arbitrament of IkUIIp. This is the point to which Christian civilisation has advanced; and herc'il pan.-es. The nation-Slate (mainly a modern creation) makes for good order and general happiness; but between nations there occur ivl infrequently outbursts of anarchy, hardly lempored by the customs of war.

It is properly urged that _ it is the duty of • every civilised nation to refrain from wars of aggression, unci llitil to wantonly provoke strife is to commit a crime against humanity. Treaties of peace with Germany, the United Stales, or any other Power should have tho sympathy and support of everyone; hut it would he a strange delusion In imagine that, the existence of such .treaties w.oukl enable us to disband our Army and throw our warships on the scrap-heap. It is doubtful whether any high-spirited nation could ever consent to allow the final decision on questions involving national honour or national existence to rest in

the hands of foreign Powers, and, in any ease, disputes arc bound to arise from time to time relating to the interpretation of treaties or on matters which are not provided for in such agreements. So in the last resort the appeal to force must still remain. Moreover, an unarmed Europe would become the helpless prey to Asiatic dominance, or civilisation would go down before the forces of triumphant barbarism. Still, without shutting our eyes _to these stem facts, we can heartily sympathise with and reciprocate Dit. Harnack's glowing message from Germany to England.

"None in Europe," ho says, "stands nearer to us than the English people. We. are bound to tho English by blond relationship, by a national culture essentially the same amidst all differences, and for centuries past by a vast interchange of thoughts and resources. All tli.it separates us is changing and perishable; but the elements that bind us together are pure and eternal; we are linked by brotherhood, by tho possession of a common ancestry and common heroes and leaders. Wo are linked by a common joy. in the good, the true, and the beautiful in its Teutonic form. AVe havo n positive work to do—jo prnr.iole a continuously more active interchange of our mental treasures, so that, as the years pass, we may know one another better, the brotherly sentiment between us may become

ivarmor, and (ho capital of our common ioy may for ever increase."

We cannot—wo dare not—shut our oars to the appeals of men like Lord Boderts, who speak with the best knowledge and the fullest sense of responsibility, and call upon us to maintain our Army and Navy in the highest state of efficiency. To refund to listen would be to acquiesce in the possibility of national extinction; still wo should all be glad to see something done to put a check' on the ceaseless multiplication of armies and the desperate race for Dreadnoughts. We may, and ought to, set our faces against acts of provocation, Jingoistic challenges, and insulting words about our neighbours, and to determine as far as we honourably can to live on terms of peace and friendship with other peoples, frankly recognising that each nation has its allotted part to play in shaping the destiny of the human race.