What a war ?--a duel between two individual people.

In what manner ought a society to act when two of its members fight ?--Interfere, and reconcile or repress them.

In the days of the Abbe de St.-Pierre, this was treated as a dream; but, happily for the human race, it begins to be realised." Alas for the prediction of Volney! The twenty-five years that followed the date at which this passage was written, were distinguished by more devastating and furious wars on the part of France than had ever been known in the world before.
The Abbe was not, however, a mere dreamer.

He was an active practical philanthropist and anticipated many social improvements which have since become generally adopted.

He was the original founder of industrial schools for poor children, where they not only received a good education, but learned some useful trade, by which they might earn an honest living when they grew up to manhood.