In the course of 1919, and after the signature of the Treaty of
Versailles on June 28 of that year, Professor Oppenheim contributed to
the _Revue generale de droit international public_ an article in French
on _The Essential Character of the League of Nations_. And what may be
considered as his final views on the subject are contained in the third
edition of his _Treatise on International Law_ (vol. i, pp. 264-310),
the first volume of which appeared in 1920. Professor Oppenheim accepted
the League of Nations, but his eyes were open to its defects as well as
to its merits.

The partisans of the present League of Nations will prefer Professor
Oppenheim's later views, as expressed in his lectures and in the
_Treatise on International Law_. The opponents of the present League of
Nations will prefer his earlier views, contained in the present
publication. The future will decide which are the more acceptable.

At the Oxford session of the Institute of International Law, held a year
to the month before the outbreak of the World War, it was the custom of
its members to pass the evenings together in informal discussion of
their chosen subject. On one occasion the discussion assumed the form of
a dialogue between Professor Oppenheim on the one hand and Mr. Elihu
Root on the other. At an unusually late hour the company broke up, and
Mr. Root, putting out his hand to Professor Oppenheim, said, 'Bon soir,
cher Maitre'.

James Brown Scott,
_Director of the Division of International Law_.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
_February 28, 1921._

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PAGE
1. International law in the past 1
2. No international law in antiquity 1
3. How the conception of a family of nations arose 2
4. The law of nature as the basis of the law of nations 2
5. Positive international law 4
6. International legislation initiated by the Congress of
Vienna 4
7. International Administrative Union 5
8. Legislation of the Peace Conferences and of the Naval
Conference of London 5
9. The Permanent Court of Arbitration and other in