love Thee no less; were there no hell, I would fear Thee no more."

"Le meilleur moyen," said Madame de Staal, “de calmer les troubles de l'esprit, n'est pas de combattre l'objet qui les cause; mais de lui en présenter d'autres qui le détournent et l'éloignent insensiblement de celuilà.”

Oh Lord, how happy should we be

If we could cast our care on Thee,
If we from self could rest;
And feel at heart that One above
In perfect wisdom, perfect love,
Is working for the best.**

Think of the promises made. afraid for the terror by night.

"Thou shalt not be

nor for the pestilence

that walketh in darkness."*** "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."†

"Come unto Me," said Jesus-"come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But, on the other hand, "There is no peace,

*Mém. de Madame de Staal.

*** Psalm XCI.

** Hymn No. 276. † Corr. II. 9.

saith my God, to the wicked." This is the punishment -the inevitable consequence of sin.

What rest is to the body, peace is to the mind. Peace internal, peace external, peace eternal, peace with men, peace with God, peace with oneself. "Seek God," says Fénelon,* "within yourself, and you will assuredly find Him, and with Him peace and joy. One word from Christ calmed the troubled sea. One glance from Him to us can do the same within us now." If we are a prey to anxiety, it is because we have not taken the way of peace. "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!” But while in our prayers we say, "Thy will be done," too often we really mean our own.

St. Paul bids us

The Lord is at

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.**

*Letter to Madame de Maintenon.

** Philippians.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE PEACE OF NATIONS.

Non exercitus, neque thesauri, praesidia regni sunt, verum amici.-SALLUST.*

THE present state of Europe is a danger and even a disgrace to us all. There may be some excuse for barbarous tribes who settle their disputes by force of arms, but that civilised nations should do so is not only repugnant to our moral, but also to our common, sense. At present even the peace establishments of Europe comprise 4,000,000 men; the war establishments are over 10,000,000, and when the proposed arrangements are completed will exceed 20,000,000. The nominal cost is over £250,000,000 annually, but as the Continental armies are to a great extent under conscription,

* "The safety of a country does not consist in arms or in wealth, but in friends."

On Peace and Happiness.

19

the actual cost is far larger. Moreover, if these 4,000,000 men were usefully employed, and taking the value of their labour only at £50 a year, we must add another £200,000,000, bringing up the total expenditure of Europe on military and naval matters to over £450,000,000 a year!

It is no doubt difficult, not to say impossible, to compare exactly the forces or expenditure of different countries. The different conditions of military service, the divisions into regular army, militia, volunteers, reserves, Landwehr, on the one hand, and the different modes of keeping the accounts on the other, interpose insuperable difficulties, and the comparison can only be approximate. This is, however, the less material as the problem is no question of detail.

The following table shows the military and naval forces of the United States and the so-called "peace" establishment of the principal States of Europe:—

Even this gigantic waste of human labour and human life does not satisfy the cravings of ambition, and we are incessantly called on for more ships and bigger armies. Of course there are deeper and graver considerations than questions of money, but yet money represents human labour and human life. It is impossible for anyone to contemplate the present naval and military arrangements without the gravest forebodings. Even if they do not lead to war, they will eventually