at electrocution, though unknown to the
Fathers and undeniably "unusual," was not unconstitutional. Dumdum
bullets are rightfully ruled out because they inflict frightful and
often incurable wounds, and the aim of humane warfare is to disable the
enemy, not permanently to injure him.

[Illustration: From "America's Munitions" THE CHLORPICRIN PLANT AT THE
EDGEWOOD ARSENAL

From these stills, filled with a mixture of bleaching powder, lime, and
picric acid, the poisonous gas, chlorpicrin, distills off. This plant
produced 31 tons in one day]

[Illustration: Courtesy of the Metal and Thermit Corporation, N.Y.

REPAIRING THE BROKEN STERN POST OF THE U.S.S. NORTHERN PACIFIC, THE
BIGGEST MARINE WELD IN THE WORLD

On the right the fractured stern post is shown. On the left it is being
mended by means of thermit. Two crucibles each containing 700 pounds of
the thermit mixture are seen on the sides of the vessel. From the bottom
of these the melted steel flowed down to fill the fracture]

In spite of the opposition of the American and British delegates the
First Hague Conference adopted the clause, "The contracting powers agree
to abstain from the use of projectiles the [sole] object of which is the
diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases." The word "sole"
(_unique_) which appears in the original French text of The Hague
convention is left out of the official English translation. This is a
strange omission considering that the French and British defended their
use of explosives which diffuse asphyxiating and deleterious gases on
the ground that this was not the "sole" purpose of the bombs but merely
an accidental effect of the nitric powder used.

The Hague Congress of 1907 placed in its rules for war: "It is expressly
forbidden to employ poisons or poisonous weapons." But such attempts to
rule out new and more effective means of warfare are likely to prove
futile in any serious conflict and the restriction gives the advantage
to the most unscrupulous side. We Americans, if ever we give our assent
to such an agreement, would of course keep it, but our enemy--whoever he
may be in the future--will be, as he always has been, utterly without
principle and will not hesitate to employ any weapon against us.
Besides, as the Germans held, chemical warfare favors the army that is
most intelligent, resourceful and disciplined and the nation that stands
highest in science and industry. This advantage, let us hope, will be on