THE SUBMARINE WAR VESSELS.
FOR a number of years past naval experts have been experimenting with submarine boats. In this country perhaps the Holland is one of the best known of this class. In a recent night test in New York harbor two of the ordinary torpedo-boats and the Holland were sent outside the breakwater, soon to be followed by the Leyden. The last-named ship took up a position at the entrance of the harbor. As the torpedo-boats were to make the attack, it was the duty of the Leyden to detect them with her search-light, and that of course being done it would have been very easy for her to have destroyed them. She had no difficulty in detecting the two torpedo-boats that float on top of the water the same as an ordinary vessel, but the Holland made her dive and approached so close to the Leyden that she would have had no difficulty in successfully destroying her with a torpedo; then she went over to where the big cruiser New York was lying and demonstrated that she could have easily destroyed her with a torpedo, and went onto her dock. The Holland was not seen at all by either the Leyden or New York, altho a sharp outlook was kept for her. She did not dive on this trial any deeper than to bring her deck down to the top of the water. The government has made an appropriation to build several of these submarine torpedo-boats, and in the great time of war that is just before us what terrible work these things will do! How ingenious are men in their work of destruction! And do not these things demonstrate that the power of demons, instead of the will of the Prince of Peace, is filling the minds of men to-day? Christ said, "Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword;" but Satan has ever been seeking to destroy every individual he could, seeking to fill men with a craving for the destruction9of human life. Of course if he can make them believe that it is the right and proper thing for them to do his work, he is all the more successful. These things should cause serious reflection. The times in which we are living are freighted with omens of evil, even if we look at them from the standpoint of the world, but this is not the standpoint from which they should be viewed. They should be looked at through the light of God's prophetic Word, and that Word clearly shows us that while the world is rapidly filling with evil, yet that evil will not be suffered to continue forever. The Lord Jesus Christ is soon coming in person. He will come with all of the glory of heaven, to put an end to this reign of terror and to establish His eternal dominion as Prince of Peace.