“A criminal code was enacted, by which all crimes between subjects of different nations were to be tried, and an international court was established, composed of Judges from every nation. When a suit is brought before this court, those judges appointed by the nations parties to the suit, are excused from serving, and the case is tried by the others. Questions of damages by one nation and its decrees when finally reached are acquiesced in without hesitation, because it is keenly recognized that any settlement even when not entirely satisfactory, is preferable to war. In fact war is not recognized as a practical method of settling anything.”
“If war is at an end, what have the European Nations done with their great armies,” I inquired. “In my day most of the surplus wealth of those nations went to support their vast armies, and the masses of the industrial classes were kept in poverty, because their earnings were so largely diverted to that purpose. And yet there appeared to be too many workers, for their wages were very low. If the soldiers were set to work at peaceful occupations and married and raised families, the population must have increased and the wages gone still lower. How was that?”
“Well, not quite like that,” he replied. “The more workers the more wealth, provided they have plenty of raw material to work on. The abolition of war gave a great impetus to the production of wealth in Europe. A great demand was created for raw materials, such as wool, cotton, timber, iron and other metals and for food stuffs. A large part of these supplies had to be furnished from other countries. The United States furnished vast quantities. This increased commerce, and as the population increased, emigration was stimulated. As the United States filled up, the emigration was diverted from this country to South America and to Africa. The products and exports of these countries correspondingly increased. The equatorial regions are most prolific in all the products of the soil. The temperate zones furnish the most vigorous people for consuming these and turning them into wealth. The relations between these two regions are reciprocal and complemental rather than competitive. Free trade was first established in those directions and it soon forced itself in others, until it became the rule the world over. The history of western Europe during the twentieth century, is bound up with the development and settlement of South America and Africa, especially the latter. Modern Africa is as much a child of Europe as America is, and the native races and tongues are being rapidly displaced by the European. Population in Europe naturally increases in a more rapid ratio than ever before, due to the suppression of the ravages and waste of war, the more scientific treatment of disease, and control of epidemics, the greater comfort and prosperity of the people. But with their increased possibilities for comfort have come, an increased standard and expectation of life, so that it cannot be said that the people are any better satisfied with life than they were before. The struggles are as intense and the disappointments as stinging as ever. The incentives to emigration have not diminished while facilities inducements and flattering prospects to the immigrant are vastly greater than ever.