One definite and in some sense new departure in the results of the
shared enthusiasms of nations has been the industrial legislation of
recent years. That has been already dealt with. But, although in an
economic age such as ours industrial reform may seem the most striking,
it is not the only effect of our shared enthusiasm and later ages may
not think it the most important. There has been reform of social evils
owing to the interchange between nations of ideas on education,
religious toleration, medicine, and sanitation, the treatment of
criminals, the suppression of slavery and many other subjects. All these
and many more reforms are, as it were, registered in institutional
(legal or administrative) change.
Perhaps it is better to begin with a definite instance of the working of
an ideal, lest it may seem that we are speaking only of an empty
aspiration. We may take as an example the reforms connected with
medicine and sanitation, and those only in so far as they have been
officially established by the joint action of states. This is a very
restricted embodiment of a social ideal, since of course we may find
the same use of common labour between men of different races in the
private contest with disease or in the municipal preventive medicine
which in every great city owes much to investigators and practitioners
of other nations. But it is better to take the most tangible effect in
purely governmental action.
The French Government proposed an international conference, which met in
1851, to deal with infectious disease; and a second conference met in
1856. In 1865 the outburst of cholera in the East led to a third
congress at Constantinople. Great Britain opposed treaties for
regulating quarantine, &c., because of the delay which might be caused
to the pursuit of shipping interests. But at last a treaty was made in
1892 at Venice for protection against cholera. Further and more
effective treaties were agreed to by civilized states in 1897 and 1903.
A bureau of information concerning infectious disease was established at
Paris, and commissions to supervise were established in Turkey and
Egypt. With regard to sleeping sickness Great Britain took the
initiative; and a conference met in 1907, in London, at which six
countries were represented. So much with respect to disease; we may now
turn to examples of the joint action of states as regards crime.
The African slave traffic has been dealt with since 1885 (Berlin
Conference) by the European States acting together on certain general
principles. And what is known as the White Slave traffic was the subject
of arrangement between fifteen states in the conference at Paris in
1902.
Again, the reform of prisons and penitentiaries has been much assisted
by international congresses since 1846. The last was held in 1910 in
America, at which twenty-eight states were represented. A secretariat
has been established at Berne for the exchange of expert opinion and for
making suggestions to governments.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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