arrangement
would make her powerful enough to dictate to the world.

The day when federation will be completed is still very far off,
however; the colonies themselves are not federated as yet, and it is
hard to suppose that they are ready to come together and be happy as one
country with England when they are still divided among themselves.
Newfoundland is outside the Canadian federation; Cape Colony, in South
Africa, is divided into several states; Australia has five separate
states, each with its own governor and legislature. These states should
first be joined together before they can safely venture to combine with
the mother country in an alliance which would be against the world.

Germany and Belgium are both incensed that England should seek to put an
end to the treaties. Some hot heads in Germany are urging their
Government to return blow for blow, and commence a tariff war with
England.

* * * * *

With wars and rumors of wars about us, the necessity of being prepared
for any emergency has presented itself very strongly to the Secretaries
of both the Army and the Navy.

While our standing army is small, our military arrangements are such
that we need have little anxiety on the score of the army. We have a
large State Militia always at the service of the country, and we have
the right to call on all able-bodied citizens between the ages of
eighteen and forty-five for military service in case of need. This
brings the number of men capable of bearing arms in our defense up to
the number of ten millions.

Our army, therefore, is on a satisfactory basis.

With our navy, things are different. It has come to be a recognized fact
among nations that countries who wish to be respected abroad must have a
sufficient naval force to compel that respect when necessary.

Our navy is not as large as the importance of our country demands, and
it is the intention of the Secretary of the Navy to ask Congress to
make appropriations to enable him to have several new ships built.

Meanwhile he is in a good deal of difficulty over the armor for the
ships that are being built.

Armor is a covering of thick steel plates with which all the modern
battleships are supplied. It is intended to protect their hulls from the
cannon-balls and projectiles that are now used in warfare.

There are three ships now building for the Government, the _Illinois_,
_Alabama_, and _Wisconsin_, and the cause of the