t. To invent
yet more dreadful means of destruction--balloons with bombs filled with
suffocating gases, shells, which men will shower upon each other from
above? Whatever may be invented, all States will furnish themselves with
similar weapons of destruction. And cannon's flesh, as after cold weapons
it submitted to bullets, and meekly exposed itself to shells, bombs,
far-reaching guns, mitrailleuses, mines, so it will also submit to bombs
charged with suffocating gases scattered down upon it from balloons.

Nothing shows more evidently than the speeches of M. Muravieff and
Professor Martens about the Japanese war not contradicting The Hague
Peace Conference--nothing shows more obviously than these speeches to
what an extent, amongst the men of our time, the means for the
transmission of thought--speech--is distorted, and how the capacity for
clear, rational thinking is completely lost. Thought and speech are used
for the purpose, not of serving as a guide for human activity, but of
justifying any activity, however criminal it may be. The late Boer war
and the present Japanese war, which can at any moment pass into a
universal slaughter, have proved this beyond all doubt. All anti-military
discussions can as little contribute to the cessation of war as the most
eloquent and persuasive considerations addressed to fighting dogs as to
its being more advantageous to divide the piece of meat over which they
are struggling than to mutilate each other and lose the piece of meat,
which will be carried away by some passing dog not joining in the fight.
We are dashing on toward the precipice, cannot stop, and we are
approaching its edge.

For every rational man who reflects upon the position in which humanity
is now placed and upon that which it is inevitably approaching, it cannot
but be obvious that there is no practical issue out of this position,
that one cannot devise any combination or organization which would save
us from the destruction toward which we are inevitably rushing. Not to
mention the economical problems which become more and more complex, those
mutual relations between the States arming themselves against each other
and at any moment ready to break out into wars clearly point to the
certain destruction toward which all so-called civilized humanity is
being carried. Then what is to be done?

VI

Two thousand years ago John the Baptist and then Jesus said to men: The