and the dear ladies of the London Morning Post who think war so good for the manners of the working classes, are rare, discordant voices in the general chorus against war.  If a mere unsupported and uncoordinated will for peace could realise itself, there would be peace, and an enduring peace, to-morrow.  But, as a matter of fact, there is no peace coming to-morrow, and no clear prospect yet of an enduring universal peace at the end of this war.

Now what are the obstructions, and what are the antagonisms to the exploitation of this world-wide disgust with war and the world-wide desire for peace, so as to establish a world peace?

Let us take them in order, and it will speedily become apparent that we are dealing here with a subtle quantitative problem in psychology, a constant weighing of whether this force or that force is the stronger.  We are dealing with influences so subtle that the accidents of some striking dramatic occurrence, for example, may turn them this way or that.  We are dealing with the human will—­and thereby comes a snare for the feet of the would-be impartial prophet.  To foretell the future is to modify the future.  It is hard for any prophet not to break into exhortation after the fashion of the prophets of Israel.

The first difficulty in the way of establishing a world peace is that it is nobody’s business in particular.  Nearly all of us want a world peace—­in an amateurish sort of way.  But there is no specific person or persons to whom one can look for the initiatives.  The world is a supersaturated solution of the will-for-peace, and there is nothing for it to crystallise upon.  There is no one in all the world who is responsible for the understanding and overcoming of the difficulties involved.  There are many more people, and there is much more intelligence concentrated upon the manufacture of cigarettes or hairpins than upon the establishment of a permanent world peace.  There are a few special secretaries employed by philanthropic Americans, and that is about all.  There has been no provision made even for the emoluments of these gentlemen when universal peace is attained; presumably they would lose their jobs.

Nearly everybody wants peace; nearly everybody would be glad to wave a white flag with a dove on it now—­provided no unfair use was made of such a demonstration by the enemy—­but there is practically nobody thinking out the arrangements needed, and nobody making nearly as much propaganda for the instruction of the world in the things needful as is made in selling any popular make of automobile.  We have all our particular businesses to attend to.  And things are not got by just wanting them; things are got by getting them, and rejecting whatever precludes our getting them.

That is the first great difficulty:  the formal Peace Movement is quite amateurish.

It is so amateurish that the bulk of people do not even realise the very first implication of the peace of the world.  It has not succeeded in bringing this home to them.