THE SECOND HAGUE CONFERENCE.—­The conference of 1899 had proved an absolute failure so far as disarmament and compulsory arbitration were concerned.  In fact the years immediately following were marked by two destructive wars:  that between Great Britain and the Boers of South Africa, and the war between Russia and Japan.  These wars made it clear that with the applications of modern science warfare had become so terrible that, if the nations could not arrange by agreement for its abolition, they should at least take steps to lessen its horrors.  This was the chief reason back of the invitation for a second Hague Conference, which was issued by the Czar at the suggestion of President Roosevelt.  Forty-seven nations—­nearly all the nations of the world—–­ were represented when the conference assembled on June 15, 1907.

Attempts were made to reopen the questions of disarmament and compulsory arbitration, but without success.  Germany again stood firmly against both suggestions.  The conference consequently confined its efforts almost entirely to drawing up a code of international laws—­especially those regulating the actual conduct of war—­known as “the Hague Conventions.”  They contain rules about the laying of submarine mines, the treatment of prisoners, the bombardment of towns, and the rights of neutrals in time of war; they forbid, for example, the use of poison or of weapons causing unnecessary suffering.  Even on these questions Germany stood out against certain changes which would have made war still more humane.  But her delegates took part in framing the Hague Conventions; and Germany, like all the other powers later engaged in the Great War, accepted those conventions by formal treaty, thus binding herself to observe them.

RESULTS OF THE HAGUE CONFERENCES.—­Leaders of the movement for universal peace felt that in spite of the small success of the Hague Conferences a definite beginning had been made.  Many of them were very hopeful that later conferences would lead to larger results and that even Germany would swing into line.  There were plans to hold a third conference in 1914 or 1915.  As we look back upon the years between 1907 and 1914, it seems hard to understand the general blindness of the world to the certainty of the coming struggle.  Armaments were piled up at a faster rate than ever.  Naval armaments also entered into the race.  From the point of view of bringing about permanent peace in the world we must view the conferences at The Hague as having hopelessly failed.

They did accomplish something, however.  Arbitration was accepted by the nations of the world, in principle at least.  Moreover, the conferences helped the cause of international law by showing how easily international agreements could be reached if all the nations were honestly in favor of peaceful decisions.  Some day when the present war has taught the world the much needed lessons that the recognition of international law is necessary to civilization, and that the nations must join together in its enforcement, the work begun at The Hague in 1899 and 1907 will be taken up once more with larger hope of success.