IV. FESTIVITIES AND CEREMONIES

a. THE CONFERENCE OF 1899

The importance of hospitality in private and public life is a matter of common observation and of historic record. It played its part, too, in the conferences at The Hague. One of the delegates to the first conference remarked:

"Do you want to know a secret by means of which we triumphed over many difficulties during this conference? In our delegation, when we foresaw some cloud on the horizon, we invited to dinner those whom we thought most likely to be opposed to what we considered the best solution of the problem, and, in friendly talks around the table, difficulties were smoothed away which would have been insurmountable if their disposition had been left to a committee or a commission."

This secret was shared by most of the delegations, and dinners and lunches were given and received, not only for the purpose of smoothing away the difficulties of the conference itself, but to create or to strengthen the diplomatic ties of international alliances.

The official society of The Hague vied with the visiting strangers' hospitality in giving receptions, balls, and banquets. The city of The Hague gave a concert; Haarlem, a great floral and equestrian fête; Scheveningen, a concert and ball; the government of the Netherlands, besides serving a daily luncheon to the delegates at the House in the Woods, gave in their honor a musical and artistic festival,

the climax of which was a series of national dances illustrating the costumes of the various provinces; the Queen and Queen Mother gave a soirée at the Palace in The Hague and a state dinner at the Palace in Amsterdam.

The most interesting, historically, of the unofficial ceremonies of the conference was the celebration of the Fourth of July by the American delegates, who invited the members of the conference to be their guests on that occasion at Delft. Here, in the Great Church, Ambassador White, in the name of the United States, placed a silver wreath upon the tomb of Hugo Grotius, the founder of International Law, and made a noteworthy address. Other short but impressive addresses were made by Seth Low, of New York, and by eminent jurists of the Netherlands; and the ceremonies in the church were followed by a luncheon given by the American delegates to their three hundred and thirty guests in the Town Hall.

b. THE CONFERENCE OF 1907

The second conference attached quite as much importance as the first to social amenities. The South American delegations, in particular, vied with each other, and with certain delegations of the Old World, in proffering hospitality. One of the most magnificent and largest of all the receptions was given by the American minister and delegate, Dr. David J. Hill, in the Hotel des Indes, on the Fourth of July. The Netherlands government, although it did not attempt to invite the many delegates to a daily luncheon as in 1899, did all that it could to promote the comfort and pleasure of its guests during their prolonged stay throughout an exceptionally cool summer.

The Queen received all the delegates at the Palace in The Hague, and gave a state dinner to the delegates in chief at the Palace in Amsterdam. The city of The Hague gave a musical and artistic festival, whose chief feature was the national dances in provincial costumes. The Netherlands government gave an excursion on the New Waterway, the new and superb entrance from the North Sea to Rotterdam; in the course of this excursion the small towns along the way were decorated with the flags of all nations and received the guests with speeches from their burgomasters, the music of orchestras, and the singing of national songs by hundreds of school children; an international yacht race was held on the Maas River as the excursion boats steamed along; all the many large ship canals of Rotterdam were traversed; and a garden party was given at the end of the trip in the park in Rotterdam.

The most imposing and important public ceremony of the second conference was the laying of the "first stone" of the Palace of Peace. This occurred on the afternoon of July 30, in the presence of all the delegates and many other invited guests. Andrew Carnegie, a distinguished citizen of the United States, had presented to the Netherlands government the sum of one million and a quarter of dollars for the erection of a building suitable for the sessions and for the library of the International Court of Arbitration created by the first conference; and to this building popular fancy and the logic of events have already affixed the name of the Palace of Peace. The Netherlands government provided a fine site for the building at the point where The Hague is entered by the great tree-lined avenue known as the Old Scheveningen Way; and the eminent Netherlands statesman, Jonkheer van Karnebeek, chairman of the building

18

THE TWO HAGUE CONFERENCES

the climax of which was a series of national dan trating the costumes of the various provinces; th and Queen Mother gave a soirée at the Palace in Th and a state dinner at the Palace in Amsterdam.

The most interesting, historically, of the unoffic monies of the conference was the celebration of the of July by the American delegates, who invited the of the conference to be their guests on that occ Delft. Here, in the Great Church, Ambassador the name of the United States, placed a silver wrea the tomb of Hugo Grotius, the founder of Inter Law, and made a noteworthy address. Other s impressive addresses were made by Seth Low, York, and by eminent jurists of the Netherlands; ceremonies in the church were followed by a given by the American delegates to their three hun thirty guests in the Town Hall.

b. THE CONFERENCE OF 1907

The second conference attached quite as muc tance as the first to social amenities. The South A delegations, in particular, vied with each other, and tain delegations of the Old World, in proffering ho One of the most magnificent and largest of all t tions was given by the American minister and Dr. David J. Hill, in the Hotel des Indes, on the July. The Netherlands government, although i attempt to invite the many delegates to a daily as in 1899, did all that it could to promote the co pleasure of its guests during their prolonged stay out an exceptionally cool summer.

The Queen received all the delegates at the Palace in The Hague, and gave a state dinner to the delegates in chief at the Palace in Amsterdam. The city of The Hague gave a musical and artistic festival, whose chief feature was the national dances in provincial costumes. The Netherlands government gave an excursion on the New Waterway, the new and superb entrance from the North Sea to Rotterdam; in the course of this excursion the small towns along the way were decorated with the flags of all nations and received the guests with speeches from their burgomasters, the music of orchestras, and the singing of national songs by hundreds of school children; an international yacht race was held on the Maas River as the excursion boats steamed along; all the many large ship canals of Rotterdam were traversed; and a garden party was given at the end of the trip in the park in Rotterdam.

The most imposing and important public ceremony of the second conference was the laying of the "first stone" of the Palace of Peace. This occurred on the afternoon of July 30, in the presence of all the delegates and many other invited guests. Andrew Carnegie, a distinguished citizen of the United States, had presented to the Netherlands government the sum of one million and a quarter of dollars for the erection of a building suitable for the sessions and for the library of the International Court of Arbitration created by the first conference; and to this building popular fancy and the logic of events have already affixed the name of the Palace of Peace. The Netherlands government provided fine site for the building at the point where The Hague 5 entered by the great tree-lined avenue known as the Old cheveningen Way; and the eminent Netherlands statesnan, Jonkheer van Karnebeek, chairman of the building