The latest movement, on the part of Switzerland, in the inauguration of international legislation, relates to “international law” and the “interest of the working-classes.” The former was organized, in 1888, at Lausanne, the seat of the Swiss Federal Tribunal, and formed the “Institute of International Law;” the subjects discussed comprised the common features of the conflict of civil laws; the conflict of the laws relative to marriage and divorce; joint stock companies; encounters at sea; extradition; occupation of unclaimed territory, according to provisions of the Treaty of Berlin; international regulation of railways, telegraphs, and telephones in time of war; and the manner and limit of expulsion of strangers from the territory by governments. The second, relating to the “interest of the working-classes,” was foreshadowed by an article from the pen of M. Numa Droz, the chief of the Foreign Department in the Swiss Cabinet, and published in the _Revue Suisse_ of February, 1889. In this article M. Droz announced that Switzerland was about to invite the other nations of Europe to a congress, in which projects for improving the condition of the laboring classes of Europe would be discussed. He expressed his confidence that only good could come from such an official gathering, and stated that Switzerland would consider it “as a great source of pleasure to offer cordial hospitality to the first European conference in the interest of labor legislation.” The distinguished and official authorship of this article caused it to attract much attention, and it received very favorable comment from the continental press. As indicated by M. Droz, within a short time after the appearance of his article, the Swiss Federal Council issued an invitation to the European manufacturing states to send representatives to a conference in September, 1889, at Bern, to consider the “well-being of the working-classes,” and the organization of an “International Labor Congress.” At the same time it suggested the following questions for consideration: Prohibition of Sunday work; fixing of a minimum age for the employment of children in factories, and a limitation of working-hours for young people; prohibition of the employment of minors and women in peculiarly unhealthy or dangerous industries; limitation of night-work; the adoption of a settled plan for the attainment of these objects. The second annual session of this conference was recently held at Berlin, by the invitation of the Emperor, who recognized that he could no longer depend on the army to repress industrial discontent. Should these conferences succeed in ameliorating the condition of the laboring classes throughout Europe, and thus lift from those countries the darkest and most angry cloud that now hangs over them, it will be the brightest jewel in the crown of Switzerland’s hegemony in the great work of international unions.