What, then, does neutrality mean? That the Government of a non-belligerent State must do nothing to assist either belligerent, by providing him with arms, or ships, or men, or money. It is not difficult to understand why neutrality is not applicable to the individuals of the non-belligerent States. Nations subsist by international commerce, and there is no reason why, because two of them go to war, all their trade with the others should be declared illegal.[15] Therefore we get at once to this axiom, that war does not affect neutral trade with either belligerent, but the merchants in neutral countries are entitled to carry on business with them. And so the neutral merchant makes his first appearance on the scene. _Contraband of War_ But to adopt the language of the day, _Krieg ist Krieg_; and if the neutral merchant has rights so also have the belligerents, and the doctrine of contraband of war gives expression to them, though few doctrines have been so loosely put into words. I think I am fairly stating the prevalent and mistaken opinion when I put it thus: that it is a breach of neutrality to trade in contraband, and that it is the duty of a neutral State to prevent its subjects from so trading. The Germans, in insisting on this popular idea, are juggling with the word ‘neutrality,’ and they do so in a way which is almost pathetic; yet their version of what they are pleased to call ‘true neutrality’ is so near to plausibleness that I must be at pains to elaborate the real principle. A belligerent has a perfect right to apply the maxim ‘Who helps my enemy becomes my enemy’ to the neutral merchant. But seeing that he is an unarmed civilian he cannot be made to fight. The remedy against him is therefore confiscation of his goods. The special way in which the merchant can help the enemy is by supplying him with munitions of war and other means of carrying on the fight. In order that there may be no mistake a more particular list of things which help the enemy is made out, called ‘Contraband of War.’ Now the belligerent has no right, much less any power, to prevent the merchant from selling these things to his enemy; but he gives him fair warning that if he sends them by sea cruisers will be on the look-out for his vessels, and they will be detained and searched and the contraband cargo seized. If the merchant turns to his Government and invokes its protection, talking about the ‘freedom of the sea’ and the ‘common highway of the nations,’ he will get for only answer, ‘The threat is justified and I cannot help you. You are assisting the enemy and must take your chance. I cannot prevent you taking that chance, nor can I order you to forbear, for then I should be interfering in favour of the other belligerent, and that would be a breach of neutrality on my part. All I can do for you is to see that you get fair play if you are caught, and proper damages if you are innocent.’ So now we get