He  was  very  proud  to  think  that  he  had  conceived  the  original  
idea  of  a  League  of  Nations  ; but  as  a  matter  of  fact  this  reality  
which  he  had  produced  was  , in  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Wells  , something  
much  more  practical  and  far  reaching .sx   It  was  not  organised  talk  but  
assembled  knowledge .sx   The  International  Institute  of  Agriculture  , 
sustained  by  subsidies  from  fifty-two  governments  and  administered  by  a  
permanent  committee  representing  these  governments  , existed  to  compile  
records  , based  on  telegraphic  reports  from  the  Boards  of  Agriculture  
of  different  countries  , of  the  agricultural  prospects  throughout  the  
world .sx   The  intention  was  to  provide  such  information  about  production  
that  the  distribution  could  be  adjusted  to  the  probable  demand .sx   

In  addition  , the  Institute  had  developed  departments  dealing  with  
meteorology  and  with  the  prevention  of  diseases  in  plants .sx   David  
Lubin  was  quite  clear  that  as  his  " fabric  of  economic  intelligence  " 
was  built  up  , it  would  become  evident  that  there  must  be  a  revision  of  
the  conditions  of  international  transport .sx   The  transport  of  the  whole  
terrestrial  globe  , he  reckoned  , could  , if  there  was  a  centralised  
control  , be  as  well  regulated  as  his  mail  order  department .sx   

This  conception  , in  spite  of  its  failure  , aroused  the  curiosity  
of  Mr.  Wells  and  appealed  strongly  to  his  imagination .sx   The  ultimate  
intention  was  to  obtain  control  of  the  food  supply  of  the  world  and  of  
its  distribution .sx   Eventually  in  the  interests  of  civilisation  , the  
activities  of  this  Institute  might  have  been  extended  to  the  control  
of  other  things  beside  food  stuffs .sx   Just  as  the  Hague  Tribunal  may  be  
thought  of  as  the  first  faint  sketch  of  an  International  Court  of  
Justice  , so  this  International  Institute  of  Agriculture  might  turn  out  
to  have  been  a  foreshadowing  of  the  germ  from  which  might  spring  not  
only  universal  economic  peace  but  an  economic  World  State .sx   
The  Great  War  submerged  this  internationalism .sx   In  August  1914  , 
there  was  " a  dismally  sentimental  little  dinner  , " when  the  French  , 
German  , Austrian  and  Belgian  members  of  the  Committee  drank  together  
to  the  Peace  of  the  Future .sx   Then  , talking  of  their  immediate  duty  , 
they  dispersed  " in  a  state  of  solemn  perplexity  " to  serve  each  his  
own  belligerent  country .sx   What  was  left  of  the  Institute  , staffed  by  
women  and  by  the  mutilated  and  unfit  , devoted  itself  to  the  problems  
of  the  allied  food  supply .sx   President  Wilson  ignored  the  Institute .sx   
During  the  influenza  epidemic  of  1918  its  founder  died .sx   In  January  
1919  , the  funeral  of  David  Lubin  passed  disregarded  through  the  
streets  of  Rome  hung  with  bunting  to  welcome  President  Wilson .sx   
David  Lubin's  International  Institute  was  established  at  Rome  , as  
we  have  said .sx   Very  naturally  , the  reader  may  wonder  why  this  city  was  
selected .sx   The  fact  is  that  the  King  of  Italy  met  Mr.  Lubin  more  
than  half-way .sx   " That  is  why  , " said  Mr.  Wells  , " in  a  not  very  
widely-known  book  of  mine  which  represented  a  World  State  emerging  out  
of  Armageddon  , I  made  the  first  World  Conference  meet  at  Brissago  in  
Italian  Switzerland  under  the  presidency  of  the  King  of  Italy .sx   " 
Thus  Mr.  Wells  was  able  to  utilise  one  of  his  earlier  
Anticipations  , of  " an  intelligent  monarch  who  might  waive  all  the  
ill-bred  pretensions  that  sit  so  heavily  on  a  gentlemanly  king  " and  
come  into  the  movement .sx   On  a  similar  occasion  , Mr.  Wells  hinted  at  
an  English  monarch  , a  most  admirable  gentleman  , who  submitted  to  the  
traditional  trappings  of  royalty  but  who  preferred  to  be  incognito  so  
that  he  might  pass  as  " plain  Mr.  Jones .sx   " 
In  spite  of  Mr.  Wells's  antipathy  to  monarchs  , royalty  does  not  
fare  so  badly  in  The  World  Set  Free .sx   Not  only  is  the  King  of  
Italy  made  to  preside  over  the  World  State  but  another  ruler  is  
favourably  depicted .sx   We  mean  , of  course  , the  democratic  Egbert  , 
sovereign  of  the  most  venerable  kingdom  in  Europe .sx   " He  was  a  rebel  
and  had  always  been  a  rebel  against  the  magnificence  of  his  position .sx   
In  theory  his  manners  were  purely  democratic .sx   It  was  from  sheer  
habit  and  inadvertently  that  he  was  permitting  his  companion  to  carry  
both  bottles  of  beer .sx   " As  a  matter  of  fact  , the  king  had  never  
carried  anything  in  his  life  ; and  he  had  never  noticed  it .sx   
CHAPTER  EIGHT   .sx   
THE  WAR   .sx   
H.  G.  WELLS  was  no  Jingo .sx   On  the  contrary  , he  considered  
himself  " an  extreme  Pacifist .sx   " In  his  opinion  , " of  all  monstrous  , 
irrational  activities  , war  is  the  most  obviously  insane .sx   " On  no  
conceivable  ground  is  there  any  sense  in  modern  war .sx   It  effects  
nothing  except  the  waste  of  much  energy  , the  destruction  of  huge  
quantities  of  material  , the  slaughter  and  mangling  of  many  men .sx   
Modern  warfare  changes  nothing  but  the  colour  of  maps  , the  design  of  
postage  stamps  , and  the  relationships  of  a  few  accidentally  
conspicuous  individuals .sx   
There  was  not  a  man  alive  who  could  have  told  you  of  any  real  , 
permanent  benefit  that  would  be  obtained  from  war  between  England  and  
Germany .sx   There  was  certainly  nothing  which  counter-balanced  the  
obvious  waste  that  must  result  , whether  England  shattered  Germany  or  
whether  she  was  overwhelmed .sx   
On  the  other  hand  , Mr.  Wells  had  no  reason  to  be  surprised  when  
war  broke  out  in  1914  ; for  , as  far  back  as  1901  , he  had  
" anticipated  " that  before  Germany  could  " unify  to  the  East  " she  
must  fight  the  Russians  , while  " to  unify  towards  the  West  " she  must  
fight  the  French  and  perhaps  the  English  , for  France  was  not  likely  to  
have  to  fight  alone  ; very  probably  she  would  have  the  support  of  the  
British  Empire .sx   
" Writing  in  the  midst  of  the  turmoil  of  war  , " Mr.  J.  D.  
Beresford  was  vividly  aware  that  his  mind  had  been  prepared  for  what  
had  come  by  the  romances  of  H.  G.  Wells .sx   In  The  War  in  the  
Air  , particularly  , " with  just  such  exaggerations  as  are  necessary  
in  fiction  , " which  described  what  had  now  happened .sx   No  doubt  we  
would  learn  our  lesson  from  experience  but  it  might  have  been  learned  
from  the  fiction  of  H.  G.  Wells  without  paying  such  a  fearful  
price .sx   
Mr.  Wells  considered  himself  to  be  very  nearly  an  average  man .sx   
If  he  was  at  all  abnormal  , he  supposed  that  it  was  " only  by  reason  
of  a  certain  mental  rapidity .sx   " Be  this  as  it  may  , the  outbreak  of  
hostilities  evoked  much  the  same  response  in  Mr.  Wells  as  in  many  
other  Englishmen .sx   He  was  against  the  man  who  first  took  up  arms .sx   He  
carried  his  pacifism  beyond  that  ambiguous  little  group  of  British  and  
foreign  sentimentalists  in  the  Labour  Leader  who  pretended  " so  
amusingly  " to  be  Socialists  and  who  later  in  1916  would  have  made  
peace  with  Germany  at  once  , thus  giving  her  a  breathing  space  in  which  
to  recover  sufficiently  to  commit  a  fresh  outrage .sx   Mr.  Wells  did  
not  understand  these  people :sx   he  did  not  want  to  stop  merely  this  war :sx   
he  wanted  " to  nail  down  war  in  its  coffin .sx   " 
As  early  as  August  7th  we  find  him  writing  about  The  War  that  
will  End  War .sx   To  him  it  was  a  war  of  Ideas .sx   ( He  called  chapter  
eleven  'The  War  of  the  Mind .sx '  ) All  the  realities  of  this  war  were  , 
in  his  opinion  , things  of  the  mind .sx   The  real  task  was  to  get  better  
sense  into  the  heads  of  those  Germans-  and  of  people  generally .sx   We  
must  end  the  idea  of  war .sx   Our  business  was  to  kill  ideas :sx   the  
really  important  thing  was  propaganda .sx   
Every  sword  that  was  drawn  against  Germany  , was  in  his  opinion  , 
" a  sword  drawn  for  Peace .sx   " Consequently  Mr.  Wells  was  heart  and  
soul  behind  the  Allies .sx   With  his  one  lung  and  damaged  kidney  he  was  
not  likely  to  go  on  active  service .sx   Even  with  the  advent  of  
conscription  , there  was  no  chance  for  him .sx   It  is  worth  noting  , by  the  
way  , that  Mr.  Wells  had  always  maintained  that  compulsory  military  
service  followed  almost  as  a  corollary  from  the  principles  of  
Socialism .sx   He  had  always  commended  the  advice  of  his  friend  , William  
James  , who  used  to  urge  that  the  youth  of  a  nation  might  well  be  saved  
from  effeminacy  by  compulsory  national  service  in  places  like  mines  
and  sewers  and  the  deep  sea  fisheries .sx   If  one  ought  to  have  
conscription  for  labour  in  Peace  , why  not  conscription  for  war ?sx   
H.  G.  Wells  , ahead  as  usual  , was  busy  in  July  1916  with  the  
problem  of  Reconstruction .sx   His  Elements  of  Reconstruction  , with  
an  introduction  by  Viscount  Milner  , appeared  in  The  Times  during  
July  and  August .sx   The  first  chapter  stated  that  the  book  was  the  work  
of  " two  friends  " and  in  the  introduction  Lord  Milner  referred  to  
the  " authors  " but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  whole  series  was  written  
by  H.  G.  Wells .sx   
In  August  , 1916  , Wells  was  persuaded  to  make  a  tour  of  the  
Western  Fronts .sx   One  of  the  peculiarities  of  this  " queer  " war  was  
this  " tour .sx   " After  suppressing  information  for  some  months  , during  
which  even  the  war  correspondent  was  almost  eliminated  , both  sides  
discovered  that  opinion  was  playing  a  larger  part  than  had  been  
expected .sx   As  a  result  , Wells  one  day  found  Mr  Habokoff  the  editor  
of  The  Retch  , and  Count  Alexy  Tolstoy  , that  writer  of  delicate  
short  stories  , and  Mr.  Chukovsky  the  subtle  critic  , calling  upon  him  
after  braving  the  wintry  seas  to  visit  the  British  Fleet .sx   M.  Joseph  
Reinach  soon  followed  , upon  the  same  errand .sx   
Then  our  turn  came  ; and  Mr.  Arnold  Bennett  was  soon  wading  in  
the  trenches  of  Flanders  while  Mr.  Noyes  became  " discreetly  
indiscreet  " about  what  he  had  seen  among  the  submarines  and  Mr.  
Hugh  Walpole  was  with  Mr.  Stephen  Graham  " in  the  dark  forest  of  
Russia .sx   " When  H.  G.  Wells  , in  August  1916  , arrived  in  Italy  , 
he  found  it  " warm  and  gay  " with  memories  of  Hilaire  Belloc  , Lord  
Northcliffe  , Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  , and  Colonel  Repington .sx   
Some  writers  , Mr.  Wells  assured  us  , made  their  tour  with  very  
great  diffidence .sx   He  himself  did  not  want  to  go  at  all .sx   In  fact  , as  
early  as  1915  it  had  been  suggested  that  he  should  go  but  he  " evaded  
the  suggestion .sx   " " I  travel  badly  , " he  tells  us  , " and  I  speak  
French  and  Italian  atrociously .sx   I  am  an  extreme  pacifist  and  I  hate  
soldiering .sx   " 
His  reluctance  to  be  a  spectator  at  the  Front  was  largely  due  to  
a  " fear  of  being  swamped  by  the  spectacular  side .sx   " He  knew  that  
the  chances  of  being  hit  by  a  projectile  were  infinitesimal  but  he  was  
afraid  of  being  hit  by  some  vivid  impression :sx   he  feared  that  he  might  
see  some  horribly  wounded  man  or  some  decaying  corpse  that  would  so  
scar  his  memory  that  he  would  be  reduced  to  " a  mere  useless  gibbering  
stop-the-war-at-any-price  pacifist .sx   " It  appears  that  many  years  
before  he  had  unexpectedly  , one  tranquil  evening  , come  upon  a  drowned  
body  which  so  disturbed  his  mind  that  it  was  " darkened  for  some  weeks  
by  a  fear  and  distrust  of  life .sx   " 
On  the  other  hand  , it  seemed  as  if  no  man  could  claim  to  have  
done  his  duty  as  a  rational  creature  unless  he  had  formed  some  idea  of  
what  was  going  on  " out  there .sx   " It  seemed  necessary  moreover  to  
obtain  some  conception  of  what  this  upheaval  was  going  to  produce .sx   In  
addition  , it  seemed  as  if  one  ought  to  have  not  only  an  idea  of  what  
was  going  on  but  also  some  notion  of  how  one  wanted  it  to  go .sx   
To  make  a  long  story  short  , Mr.  Wells  went .sx   One  of  the  first  
things  he  did  in  Italy  was  to  meet  the  King-  the  first  sovereign  he  
had  ever  met .sx   He  found  the  King  of  Italy  in  a  drawing  room  very  much  
like  that  in  which  he  had  met  General  Joffre  a  few  days  before .sx   As  he  
was  handing  his  hat  to  the  second  of  two  servants  standing  by  , a  
" pleasantly  smiling  man  , " appearing  at  the  study  door  , began  to  
talk  in  excellent  English  about  Mr.  Wells's  journey .sx   As  they  went  
into  the  study  it  gradually  became  evident  that  this  was  the  monarch  
himself .sx   
" Addicted  as  I  am  , " said  Mr.  Wells  , " to  the  particularly  
sumptuous  study  furniture  of  the  cinema  , I  found  the  appearance  of  
this  royal  study  very  simple  and  refreshing .sx   " The  modern  ruler  
shows  a  disposition  to  intimate  at  the  outset  that  he  cannot  help  it .sx