W HEN Augustus, in the year 29 B.C., closed the gates of the Temple of Janus, he signified the establishment of an organization for the maintenance of peace throughout practically the whole of the western civilized world. China was as if in another planet. In that world, international war ceased to recur, because independent nations had ceased to be; they were provinces of the one all-embracing state. The general peace thus celebrated by the great Roman Emperor was brought about through conquest. It rested upon the concentration of legislative and executive power in the hands of one man. This was the substance, the form being somewhat different. Violence, whether between individuals or masses, was restrained by a single central authority claiming legal monopoly of the exercise of force. If such an organization existed now, the disorders in Ireland, as well as the war being waged between Greeks and Turks, would be taken in hand by imperial action. One adversary or the other might be supported in Rome, being recognized as representing the Central Power, and receiving, if necessary, reinforcements from other parts of the Empire. Or, both might be considered as rebellious disturbers of the peace, to be suppressed by troops still loyal to the head of the organization. In either case, the issue between the contestants would be settled by the sole decree of the chief of state.