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 560 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

of governments, subservient to class interests and filled with territorial jealousies, to banish the specter of war. The people will then be in a fairer way to perceive that genuine disarmament and the downfall of militarism are logical and immediate con- sequences of a general triumph of socialist doctrines. The socialist, therefore, has only to wait and to be faithful to his principles. Meanwhile he can afford to justly applaud any real service rendered to the proletariat of two hemispheres — even though that service be rendered by the Czar of all the Russias. — Paul Louis, "D^s- armement," Revue soczaliste^ September, 1898.

Disarmament : A Study in International Law. — Law is the refuge of the weak ; it is remarkable to see the first military power of the globe cooperate to limit the rule of force. Before attempting this vast reform it would be necessary to obtain the assent of all the powers, including the United States. The first difficulty is that of the maintenance of existmg treaties without power to enforce them. Whatever respect we may have for treaties, the changes in the life of nations cause treaties to become obsolete, like private contracts.

The coming conference will have the difficult task of combining disarmament with a fundamental principle of international law, viz., the independence of nations. Inde- pendence implies the right of coercive action, i. e., war. No one can imagine that the vote of a congress will transform the world. Suppose that shortly after an agreement to disarm the conditions in one of the countiies should change; for example, that there should be a civil war or a rebellion in a colony. The nation must continue to exist, even if it has signed such a treaty; and to do so it must arm itself, and that, too, quickly. What would be done with such a nation ? It would be necessary to prevent its abruptly breaking its new legal bonds, and to do this a permanent commis- sion would be necessary. The powers of the commission would have to be very broad ; foi, suppose, by way of example, that an engineer or chemist should invent some new method of destruction capable of taking the place of large armies, would it not be necessarv to gain the permission of the commission before any power could use it? The larger the powers of the commission would have to be, the more difficult it would be to establish it. It would have to be invested with the gravest political questions, and at times would have in its hands the fate of empires. Would rulers and parlia- ments give up to a commission of diplomats the greater part of their power? Impos- sible. The decisions of the commission would have to have more than a moral force; an international army would be necessary. It would have to be larger than that of any particular country, for it could not be mobilized rapidly and would be composed of heterogeneous elements. The obstacles to disarmament seem insurmountable, but genius overcomes obstacles seemingly insurmountable. The congress ought to assem- ble. The surest way to reduce a fortress is to take the advance works, which in this case is to codify international law and render certain principles more definite and gen- eral. — M. Arthur Desjardins, Revue des Deux Mondes, October, 1898.

Psychology and Art. — Art offers to psychology two groups of problems : First, by what psychical process does the mind create art ? Second, by what psychical process does the mind enjoy art ? In trying to answer the first, the sociological, biological, and historical methods of psychology are used ; the second favors the experimental methods.

The first begins with a biological study of the play of animals and proceeds to a study of primitive art. We learn how climate, political conditions, etc., influence art production.

The second includes a study of phenomena such as tones and beats, harmony, rhythm and its relation to the time sense, rhythm in verse, agreeable and disagreeable combinations of forms and colors.

How far can such studies become productive or suggestive in the teaching of drawing ?

A study of the causes that produce art will aid us to understand how to train the aesthetic activities of the pupil. A study of the effects of art suggests the rules and facts that are to be taught. The healthy atmosphere for the taste of a child is harmonious classical beauty ; and it is an educational mistake to allow " primitivistic art " in the school.