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greatest American statesmen, was killed in a duel about a hundred years ago. This disgraceful event caused dueling to be given up in America. Hamilton did not want to engage in this uncivilized way of settling a dispute, but public opinion would have disgraced him if he had not shown that he was "brave." Before our civilization became as advanced as it is now, nearly all men carried revolvers and they thought it cowardly to require a man with whom they did not agree to come into court and settle a difference by law. They did not understand that to kill a man does not decide who is right and who is wrong. They thought that might makes right. Now the weakest man and the poorest shot can make the strongest desperado come into court and have a quarrel settled justly. But a weak country cannot bring its opponent into court. A weak country must generally yield to a strong one or die as men used to do in the duel.

408. Some Examples of Bullying. The following examples merely suggest what may happen when there is no government over the states of the world. When differences occur there is usually some right and some wrong on each side, but there is generally more wrong on the side of the strong and more right on the side of the weak. America went to war with Mexico and seized a large amount of valuable territory. Italy treated Turkey the same way only a few years ago. In 1871 Germany defeated France and took from her millions of money as well as Alsace and Lorraine. England went to war with the Transvaal Republic in Africa and took away its independence. When The World War started Germany said to Belgium, "Lie still while I run over you and destroy your friends." Belgium was a pigmy by the side of Germany, but she

fought as best she could and was nearly destroyed. As civilization becomes more perfect war either becomes worse or must be given up. The World War was the worst in history and will leave behind it terrible debts and hatreds. Is it not our duty to try to have government rather than anarchy?

409. International Law. For many centuries the people of the world have tried to substitute civilized methods for war, but the savage in us is hard to conquer. We are all more or less selfish and unreasonable. The growth of civilization is the slow result of centuries of education and selfsacrifice. Many a congress has been held by people from different nations to agree about the use of some river, or to fix some boundary. Countries have agreed not to use certain kinds of weapons in war; and all have agreed to treat ambassadors kindly even in war time. All agree that the white flag and the Red Cross must not be fired on. Gradually treaties have come to be more and more respected just as contracts between men have come to be more and more fully kept. People generally become more honest and keep their word better as time goes on. In recent years there have been meetings at The Hague, the capital of Holland, which were very much like world legislatures. Representatives went from many civilized countries and agreed on rules. But the trouble has been that we had no government to enforce these rules; and rules are of but little use without officers who will compel all to obey them.

410. Taming the Bully. Just as public opinion against dueling grew slowly, so the law among countries has been growing. The better class of men were about ready to give up dueling when Burr killed Hamilton. So we had about hoped that great wars were ended until this recent one

came on us. England, France, and Germany had a solemn treaty that the territory of Belgium should not be invaded. Each feared the other, and it seemed a good thing for all to keep this little state between them. When it suited the convenience of Germany to invade the territory of Belgium, she violated her treaty and ruined Belgium. There may have been two sides to the argument up to this point in the quarrel, but all the world rose against this wrong just as all decent people rose against Burr's murder of Hamilton. Burr's life was completely ruined, and dueling among decent people was ended in our eastern States. Germany's standing in the world was ruined because of this other insult to growing law; and wars may be ended by the need of preventing this kind of thing from happening again.

411. America and the War. When America entered The World War it was the first time in history when a great country went to war purely to see right done and to make international law secure. We had no selfish quarrel with the German Government; we did not hate the German people; we had nothing whatever to win from them. We could have become very rich by staying out of the struggle. But civilization had reached the point when all people demanded that wars must stop and it was clear that their end could never come unless international law could be relied on. We had no treaty with Germany about Belgium; therefore we did not go into the war at once, as England did, on account of her treaty. We wished to have a clear case of a war for law so that a lesson could be taught to all the world that legal rights among nations are important. We were angry with the German Government about Belgium just as honest people are always angry with wrongdoers, but it was not our quarrel at that time, or so it

seemed to our government. We waited until the German Government had ordered its officers to sink our ships contrary to international rules or law. We corresponded with her rulers until our case was perfectly clear and legal. We then went into the war with all our might to destroy war forever. We hoped to punish that government so completely that no one would ever think again that war is profitable.

412. A Government and Law. As this book is being written the statesmen of the world are meeting to try to form a government for the whole world which will enforce the law of the world against all who violate it. It will be extremely difficult to write this constitution because the countries are so different, and because there are so many selfish interests in all of them, including our own. If all people were perfect we might need neither government nor law; but we need both and both must be strong if right is to be protected. One way to make a beginning is to give the new government power only over those things which may cause great friction. All other matters may be left to home rule within the nations. We have seen that it is important for cities within States to have home rule in the working out of their own difficulties. So it is with nations. Each may be left to solve its own problems so long as it does not injure its neighbors or disturb the peace or health of the world.

413. Hope. We must not be disappointed if a government of the world is not yet created. Our civilization has been growing a long time and we still have much to do. It may take another hundred years or more for the people of the world to see that peace and law are better than war and anarchy. We may have to suffer much more, for we often

have to learn through suffering when we will not be reasonable. Young people must be hopeful and must devote their lives to making the world for the next generation better than it has been for ours.

SUGGESTIONS AND QUESTIONS

1. Why did our thirteen original States unite and form a federal government in 1787? What difficulties did they try in this way to avoid?

now.

2. Make a list of the principal civilized countries in the world What kind of problems are likely to cause friction between them? How can their differences be adjusted without war? 3. See if you can find in your own mind any arguments against forming a federation of the nations of the world except selfishness. Are we not disposed to say, "If we submit ourselves to a law of the world things will not go as we want them to; and we are strong enough to have our own way"?

4. Unless we do join a league of nations, we cannot be safe without great fleets and armies. Which is wiser: to remain selfishly separate and devote our energies to armament or to join in a self-government of the civilized world and devote our energies to conservation, education, the fighting of disease, and the development of the natural resources of the world? If we selected the latter would we not have all we could do for many generations?

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