THE HESPERIAN.
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cator of human nature. But don't you sec anything good
in the story?"
K. "No I don't. What is she trying to get at, or what
moral is she .trying to point out. Speaking of morals, it
strikes me they arc conspicuously ahsent from the hook."
O. "Now look here. I gave you credit for better sense
than that. You don't pretend to say you believe Miss Rives
Wrote that nlercly to court popularity by handling 'forbidden
fruit.' "
A. "And you don't pretend to say that a young widow,
who will allow herself caressed as promiscuously as Barbara
did, is quite up to the standard of a nineteenth century
maiden shy?"
O. "O, that was all right under the circumstances. Any
evil there maybe is entirely in your corrupted imagination."
A". "O, it was all right was it?"
O. "Yes, they were engaged. I'll admit that the story
is a daring piece of work, not because to a pure mind there
is anything wrong with Barbara's actions or with Miss Rives
in writing as she did; but because there are a great many
people of the whitened scpulcher' stripe, whose evil imag
inations force a wrong interpretation, who have no concep
tion of the innocence of a girl like Miss Rives. You will
loam someday, young man, if you have not already learned
it, that you will come a great deal nearer the truth by giving
a young girl ciedit for being innocent and pure minded than
by suspecting her mind and morals of being corrupted. The
Italian gentleman who wrote a hundred tales belongs to an
age far back oi ours and it would be well for the youths who
read him, not lor his place in literature, to rememember this.
A". "Jupiter! I had no idea ol calling down such a ser
mon on my head. But really I have gotten more pleasure
out of the various comments of iny friends and acquaintances
upon the book than out of the book itself."
O. "So have I. Everybody seems to have a different
idea of it."
A'. "Yes, and what amuses me most is to see somebody
warmly assert that it is perfectly true to life, and then try to
get out of the inference which follows naturally that they
know it is true from a similar experience of their own. I
will admit that the ride to the station and the bore who
winds up his torment by the remark Why didn't ye tip me
a wink, I'd have twigged,' is one of the best pieces of work I
have ever seen. But you haven't said what yon thought the
object of the story is."
0. "I really don't know. I suppose everybody admits
now that a large part of what is usually called Move' is noth
ing more nor less than animal passion, and that this ques
tion will be studied more in the near future. I suspect that
this story is a study of it."
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CURRENT COMMENT.
The question of govermental control of railroads has been
recently reviewd. Since a small, but growing party has made
this one of the leading planks in its platform, the minds of
men have been turned from other channels to the solution of
this problem, since the roads arc built by the people, there
can be no denial of the fact that ihey should be operated by
the people, thus allowing each man full hennefit of what
justly belongs to him. The present. management ot railroads
by which a few are made rice at the expense ol the many
who build and keep up the roadi will not be permitted much
longer. The rightful owners are just awaking from a long
sleep, to find that what is by right theirs has been appropri
ated by others for private use.
Probably no man is less frequently mentioned than Hugo
Grotius. He may be styled the founder of international law.
His reforms were of such a sweeping nature that few have
been able to offer suggestions, even in our own day. He
stands as yet almost alone unapproached and unapproachable.
He was reared in poverty, his parents being ignoble and
obscure, but having an abiding faith in Hugo they sent him
to a university. He studied law and became at once a leader
in diplomacy and an authority on international law.
His mission was to make each nation supreme in itself
and equal among others. Superiority among nations he
argued was opposed to all natural laws and not in keeping
with an advancing civilization. Natural reasons dictated
rules which should be followed
Before the time of Grotius the strong ruled and there was
a universal belief among all classes in a common superior.
Everybody looked to Rome as the centre around which all
things revolved. There was no distinction made between
municipal and international law. Both were believed to be
alike.
No one believed that any independent state had any
claim to superiority until the pope laid in his claim to act as
mediator and joined hands with the German Emperor.
Many little states yielded to the enthusiasm of reformers and
became zealous for independence. The result was numerous
petty wars with the emperor. The states would no longer
recognize him as head, and thus the idea of a superior faded
gradually away. A new principle on which to base the laws
of nations must now be made or inevitable strife continue.
The Machiavellian doctrine that justice and good faith
need not be kept by princes lcsultcd in the Thirty Year's
War which brought upon all Europe for a time desolation
and ruin. The arts and sciences and manufacturing skill
were neglected and forgotten. There was no national spirit
and hence unity was impossible. It is no wonder that such a
condition of affairs should turn the mind of a man like
Grotius into a better channel the channel of law and justice.
This circumstance together with a profound belief in the
law of nature a law which taught that all men aie equal
and therefore all nations should be led Grotius to write his
work which has since proved to be the mightiest' achievement
in international law.
The basis of his work was equality among nations. To
this one object he turned his whole attention and although
he made a double mistake in supposing that a law of nature
actually existed, and that the Roman municipal law was
regarded strong enough to settle national disputes, his foun
dation still endured. But his strung appeals to the spirit of
mercy for a principle he believed to be right was not un-
