Monod, director of public charities and many others. At the side of this society, others have sprung up, such as the Familistcre of Guise, of Abbeville and of Ponthieu; of Clermont-Ferrand, and of Creuse, under the direction of the abbe Pichot; and different women's societies, either exclusively French, or united with similar societies, in England, Switzerland or Germany.
Italy, oppressed as it is by its military system, is a perfect hotbed for anti-military societies. They exist in Sicily, Naples, Rome, Genoa, Parma, Venice, Turin, Sienna, Perugia, and even in the smaller towns. The most important and influential society, however, is the Lombard Union for the Promotion of Peace which is directed with extraordinary talent and devotion by the able and fearless Theodore Moneta, editor-in-chief of that great popular newspaper, II Secolo.
Belgium and Holland have their own societies which are daily increasing in numbers and influence.
The Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, have been, so to speak, entirely won over to the cause of peace and arbitration. In the latter country alone, a petition, started by M. Frederick Bajer, received within a few weeks more than two hundred thousand signatures.
It would be possible to extend this list indefinitely, if I were to pass in review all the countries of Europe from Portugal to Greece, not omitting Roumania and the neighboring countries. But especial mention must be made of the work which has been lately accomplished in all of central Europe, in Prussia, Austria and Hungary. Not more than two or three years ago there was only one peace society in Germany, namely, that of Frankfort, which in its isolation led a feeble and precarious existence. Today there are at least thirty, the most important being that of Berlin, all of which keep up constant communication with each other for their mutual encouragement. It is at Berlin that the most important of the peace organs, "Die Waffen Nieder" is published under the direction of the Baroness Suttner, who has gained a world-wide reputation through the novel bearing that title, and who is sustained by the cooperation of some of the
