AGAINST WAR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1138, 27 May 1911, Page 6

AGAINST WAR.

LECTUKB BY REV. J. T. NOTT The Rev. J. T. Xott lectured on "The World's Peace," at the Theosophie.il Society's Rooms, last night, under Hie auspices of the Peace League, which is an offshoot of (ho local Theosopbieal Lodge. The lecturer quoted articles from recent loading periodicals, such as the. "World's Work, the. "Cosmopolitan," and "Jl'Clure's," dealing with the thought of tho world on the question of arbitration as a substitute for war. An outline of the work of the Peace Societies was presented, leading up to the calling of the first Hague Conference, which established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and affirmed the principle of voluntary arbitration. The second Hague Confercnco went a step further, and affirmed tho principle of compulsory arbitration, and us an addition to (he Pe.rmanont; Court, which aimed at compromise, it ect up the Court of Arbitral Justice, whoso function was to pronounce as to the. flctual merits of any dispute before it. Tho Permanent Court had been instrumental in effecting settlement in eighty coses, and the Court of Inquiry established' by' the fij'st Conference had been useful in connection with the Dosgor Bank incident. The financial aspects of war wero also dealt with by Mr. Kott, who founded this part; of his argument largely upon Norman Angcll's book "The Great Illusion," showing that international relationships aro now so close, owing to facilities of travel, trade, and intercommunication, that the old conditions of warfare had ceased to be, and the commercial senso of Iho world lo« day rendered war an anachronism, and, on tho whole, an unprofitable way of settling international disputes. Mr. Kott received a hear,ty vote 01 thanks. Mr. J. Griffiths presided.