Another matter in which we may take a legitimate pride
is our insistence that the question of the South Slays was sure to become the greatest of world problems. We confess that the passage we quote below, written in November, 1908, does seem to show that we had a premonition in regard to the origin of the war which some people will call uncanny. Here is the passage in question :- " Our statesmen, and those of France, Russia, America, Italy, Spain, and Holland, and indeed of every country which desires peace, must therefore not assume that what has happened in Germany in the past two weeks [the internal crisis resulting from the publication of tho Kaiser's interview in the Daily Telegraph] makes for permanent peace. Rather they must assume that the danger, instead of being over, is bound to grow more acute in the immediate future, and that all their vigilance, patience, and good sense may be required in order to prevent any excuse being given to those who rule Geriktatiy to make foreign complications or foreign war a prop for their shaken fabric. We are not going to analyse the various ways in which the danger might arise ; but one may servo. for an example. Suppose, as wo fear is by no means impossible, that the question of the South Slays becomes suddenly acute. It may easily do so, either through internal troubles in Hungary, or through external trouble on the Bosnian and Herzegovinan borders. These difficulties might easily resolve themselves ultimately into a question of Slav versus Teuton. In that case, how great would be the temptation of a d'aeredited rfginie in Germany to place itself at the head of Teutonic feeling, and to pose as the militant champion of Pan-Germanism, no matter what the risk to the peace of the world.''--(Svert7inr. November 14th, 1903.)
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