humanity. "He maketh the wrath of man to praise Him."

But while we justly appraise these consequences of past conflicts, we also know well their cost, and we keenly appreciate the frightful evils and the enormous wastes which have been incident to the evolution of the race through strife. We rejoice that the currents of progress lead to peace and that the time is sure to come when war will be unthinkable.

We can no longer look to war for the development of either national or individual character. The heroics of war have been replaced by mathematical calculations. If it was ever anything else, it is now unmitigated horror exhibiting chiefly fiendish aspects of ingenuity and scientific skill in destruction. Under our modern conditions of civilization, the supposed beneficent results of war in the development of courage and stamina must in any conceivable event be shared by so few of our teeming populations that even the most sanguinary must realize that the time has gone by when by any stretch of imagination it can be regarded as a general disciplinary agent. And in the controversies of peace and in the bloodless struggles for the maintenance of truth and justice in our personal and civic

relations, must be found the arena of the future in which character may find severer tests than ever were afforded by historic battlefield.

We note with satisfaction the fact that war can now be waged only under onerous conditions, and the increasing pressure of economic considerations for the recognition of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. The growth of representative government with its restraints upon the ambitions of despotism in a just appreciation of the general welfare, our complex commercial relations ignoring national boundaries, and our growing intimacies tending to make the world one society instead of a series of hostile camps, are reducing the possible causes of armed conflict and powerfully promoting the peaceful settlement of controversies.

Much can undoubtedly be accomplished by the meeting of the representatives of the nations in the direction of perfecting international law and in providing suitable conventions for the regulation of war. No doubt much that is of value can be secured in the more adequate protection of commerce and of property in time of war.

But important as are these objects, the great

purpose to be achieved is the prevention of war, and not its regulation.

Among nations as among men, the requirements of the sentiment of honor are subject to revision as conscience becomes more enlightened and truer conceptions of personal dignity gain place. And it may be reasonably expected that public opinion, taken in connection with the serious economic aspects of war, will gradually reduce the possible area of strife over questions thought to involve the national honor. The controversies which are incident to international business and exchanges, and those which relate to alleged violations of international agreements, may be composed without resort to arms. And without minimizing the conditions which still exist, threatening the peace of the world, we have reason to congratulate ourselves that the reign of war is nearly over.

In working for the interests of peace, regard may well be had to the influences which have thus far proved so successful. The end is not to be sought through coercion, or by the vain attempt to compel peace by force, but by extending to the utmost provisions for deliberation and for conciliatory measures.

The security of peace lies in the desire of the

people for peace. Protection against war can best be found in the reiterated expression of that desire throughout the nations of the earth, and by convening their representatives in frequent assemblies. Provision for stated meetings of the Peace Conference, with their opportunities for interchanges of official opinion, the perfecting of plans for submission. to arbitration, and the improvement of the machinery of the International Court indicate the lines along which substantial progress may be made.

The people of the State of New York, cordial in their welcome to the delegates to this Congress, will watch its deliberations with sympathetic interest, earnestly desirous that through these meetings the united sentiment of the United States may find effective expression.

III.

Address at the Dedication of the Buildings of the New York State College of Agriculture, at Cornell University, April 27, 1907.

You have celebrated with fitting ceremony the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Ezra Cornell. Nothing could more suitably embody the spirit which animated him in the founding of Cornell University than this provision for instruction and experiment, for the spread of useful information, and for intelligent leadership in order to promote the agricultural interests of this State.

The progress of civilization is perhaps most strongly marked by the widening of the area of instruction and the diminution of failures due to untutored and unrelated effort, through the establishment of schools for proper training and for the communication under skilled direction of the lessons of experience. And the modern breadth of view with reference to scholastic purpose, and the rapid growth in