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173T THE ATHENAEUM power and opportunity permit. The recent war bears me out in this point, for everywhere, we see unmistakable evi dences of jealousy, rivalry and hatred. There is still every possibility of another great war in the near future, unless the nations are willing to submit all their international diffi culties to a world legislature. But the nations will never be willing to do this as long as the people who compose the nations are full of the war spirit. Mr. Huges said: “There is no path to peace except as the will of the people may open it. . . . The way to peace is through agreement, not through force. As long as the peo ple hold that might makes right, treaties will be mere scraps of paper. So the big task is to diminish the disposition among the people to resort to force.” But the only way to diminish this disposition is to crowd it out with a more powerful and a more irresistable disposition for peace and love as set forth in the teachings of Christ. Now is the time for the church to assert itself. For if Christianity means anything, it means a spirit of broadminded co-operation for peace on earth. We must not hold back any longer on the assumption that Christianity wil not solve international problems, for it has never had a fair trial. The Chistian church comes in direct contact with more people than any other organization in this country, and has untold in fluences in all other Christian nations. So we, as Christians can blaze the trail to peace, if we go about it in the right way. We must first be broadminded enough to see that war is not only un-Christian, but is opposed to the best interest of a peaceful world. Then we must have the backbone to stand by our convictions and refuse to compromise with all means and weapons that are unjust and inhuman. When all Christians make this decision, and set themselves resolutely to finding means of applying Christian principles to industrial, national and international life, we may hope to see the abolition of war and the dawning of a new day of peace and good will among men. THE PASSING OF WAR By John W. Lawlah, ’26 For centuries previous to 1918, war was looked upon as be ing an important factor in the life of a nation. The rival diplo matic schemers were forever wanting something that belonged to somebody else. As a result of this desire for gain, we find that European history is replete with incidents of horrible wars as a means of gratifying these desires. That nation has sur vived best wheich was best fitted with natural commodities and implements of war. The fall of a capital which carries down with it an empire is a world event. The fall of Rome shattered the world for a thousand years, and the fall of Constantinople in the fifteenth century again shook Europe and entered into its events for more than a millenium. Just in 1917 proud