Essays and addresses in war time

Bryce James Bryce Viscount 1838-1922

Sujets

• World War

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 18
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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littp://www.arcliive.org/details/essaysaddressesOObrycESSAYS AND ADDRESSES
IN WAR TIMETHE MACMILLAN COMPANY
• •YORK • BOSTON CHICAGO DALLASmW
•ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO
LimitedMACMILLAN & CO.,
• BOMBAY • CALCUTTALONDON
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, iTO.
TORONTOADDRESSESESSAYS AND
TIMEIN WAR
BY
VISCOUNT BRYCETHE RIGHT HON.
O. M.
I15eto gork
MACMILLAN COMPANYTHE
1918
rights reservedAUCOPYEIGHJ, 1918
THE.MAGM/LLAN. CQUV "^YBy
ekctrctypeJ. Publish^cl, December, 1818Set up and359:y
PREFACE
This contains three essays, written inbook the first two
years the war to explain to neutral nationsof the aims,
and action, of Greatjustify the Britain. They are
followed three Addresses ofby a non-political charac-
ter, treating of war in general, its causes and some of
its phenomena, social effects,its its relation to human
progress. The last two essays now appear in print for
the first time. They have been written very recently,
with a view to that close of the war which seems to be
rapidly approaching. One of them examines the his-
tory and the meaning of what is called the principle of
Nationality, and sets forth briefly the questions requir-
ing the application of that principle which will arise
when a treaty of peace has to be made, theand de-
mands of peoples, or parts of peoples, dissatisfied with
their present rulers, have met.to be The eighth and
last chapter deals with the idea or plan of a League of
—Nations to enforce peace a on whichsubject the au-
thor has thehad advantage since the first months of
the war of a constant correspondence with American
friends. It is intended not so much to advocate the
formation —of such a League for that seems now to
be —finding general acceptance as to set out briefiy
what the functions of such a League might be, what
organs it would need for the discharge of those func-
tions, what objections have been taken to it, what are
the answers to such objections, and what are the condi-
tions of our time which may encourage hopes for its
success.
There is, in the first three essays, some amount of
'CfCi,398'oAND ADDRESSESvi ESSAYS
repetition, which may, it is hoped, be to some extent
excused on the ground that as these essays present what
practically the same subject from different points ofis
it was sometimes necessary to state the same factsview,
different relations. The facts themselves are soin
strange and yet in the swift passage of events so apt
to imperfectly remembered, that they deservebe to be
re-stated.
The whole volume was in print before the startling
events of October had brought the close of the war so
much nearer. The earlier essays are left unchanged,
because they were written to convey to foreign readers
a concise and so far as possible unbiassed account of the
motives and temper, the views and moral judgments
with which Britain was prosecuting the war at a time
when its issue, though certain to ourselves, appeared
doubtful to many foreign observers. It seems better
to leave them to speak from the days when Englishmen
were bewildered by the doctrines as well as the conduct
of their enemies, and were seeking explanations of what
was so new to their experience. The clouds are now
beginning lift,to already we understand some things
better than we did three or four years ago, and we
hope to learn much more. Happily that which we
most desired has come to pass. This is a war of priar
ciples, and the course of events has vindicated the prin-
ciples of morality and humanity that were at stake.
October 12, 1918.