In the getting out of our large Missions Number, a portion of which has of course been under preparation for months, our regular issues have been somewhat demoralized. Beginning with Number 46 they will contain the regular departments as usual, and also note the passing events up to the latest hour of going to press. Do not forget to read the article from our own representative from the Peace Conference. Both our correspondents were on the ground, attended the meetings, interviewed the delegates. They know whereof they speak. The article this week concludes our reports from the conference. Thus far the actions are largely like nightmares where men look for beautiful dreams. The beautiful wish of the dream is outlined this week, with an article setting forth some of the predictions of God's word. In harmony with our promise, the last issue of the six months is a review of what we have passed over. Had we not promised it, we would not have given it, for other matter would have been of equal importance and of equal interest. And yet we plead with our readers to study the unusually long articles which this paper contains. They are well broken up into divisions, each of which is an article by itself. But little proof has been given in the restatement of the ground that we have covered, on account of space. The articles on the peace question are of peculiar importance and show how uncertain indeed is the dream of the earnest peace workers. An Orgy with the Dead.—It is a horrible story of the doings of drunken revelers which comes to us from fashionable, wealthy Menlo Park society. Sitting up with the dead body of a friend he is taken from the casket, propped up at a table, liquor is poured down his throat at each toast or round of drinks, and the poor body is at last pushed into the casket with bread and liquor and cigars, a carving knife and hatchet. From the description it is unjust to an Indian burial to liken it to that; it could only be compared to the worst of heathenish Irish wakes. And this is civilization of the nineteenth century! Thank God, it is not Christian. At the target practise at Cape Cod, the battleship Alabama scored eighty per cent of hits with her 13-inch guns at a distance of 6,000 yards. The Georgia made fifty per cent with her 12-inch guns at a similar distance. There is no peace apart from truth. Error is essentially at war with truth. More, it is inherently inconsistent, and the patched-up peace which may be effected thru its compromises sooner or later breaks down. Satan will bring temporary peace and joy to the soul which yields to him and rejects God's truth. Sometime that false peace will persist with the strength of insanity; but when the opening heavens shall reveal the glorious Christ, and God's righteous law shall be disclosed in all its glory, the peace of error will fade as a dream, but the peace with God—absolute surrender to Him—shall eternally abide. His Marksmanship Praised.
SERGEANT BERG, of the State of Washington, recently won the laurels for best marksmanship in the "President's match" at Camp Perry, Ohio. For his encouragement the President wrote him the following letter: "My dear Sergeant Berg: I congratulate you heartily upon winning the President's match. I feel that in this country, with our complex and rather overluxurious civilization, it is above all things important that there should be no falling off in the virile qualities which make of the average man a good soldier as well as a good citizen. It is absolutely essential that we should keep up a first-class fighting navy; but in the event of a land war we should have to rely chiefly upon our volunteer forces, and when war has come it is too late to teach a man how to become a really formidable shot, while good marksmanship is one of the three or four vitally important qualities in a really efficient soldier. As an old national guardsman myself, I feel an additional pride in your success.
"Thanking you and congratulating you heartily, I am,  Sincerely yours,
  , (Signed) "THEODORE ROOSEVELT." While the President has frequently expressed himself encouragingly to the peace congresses, yet the foregoing shows very clearly that he is not of the opinion that the time is come yet for the nation to be negligent in regard to its army and navy. His attitude is that of desiring peace, but he is not willing to allow the nation to become a prey to all the other powers of earth thru failure to keep up the fighting ability of the men. The figures show that over half a billion dollars are being expended this year on the armies and navies of seven of the leading nations over and above what was expended in 1897, only ten years previous to this. The Hague Peace Congress, so called, has done nothing so far except to discuss how far the nations may go in war. As suggested by our correspondent at The Hague, the congress has the appearance of a great school to teach the best arts of war, with leading teachers from all the nations, rather than a council of peace. The Lord's word points out that the last days will be a time of great war manifestations. And these manifestations will finally bring all the nations to the battle of the great day at Armageddon. And in the midst of all this war fever, the word shows that there will be great assemblages that are prophesying peace. The events of this time are exceedingly interesting, and should be studied closely.