Submarine Torpedo-Boat Maneuvers
The Success of the Submarine Torpedo-Boat.—In the naval maneuvers this summer, the submarine torpedo-boat has received considerable attention. The feats accomplished by these little vessels make their promoters very jubilant. In the United States navy, five submarines made a sham attack on the cruiser “Yankee.” They steamed away from the “Yankee” in broad daylight, closely observed through glasses by the officers on board the cruiser until they were out of sight. Returning to the attack, at twenty miles distant they were submerged and proceeded under water, making observations at intervals by means of the periscope until they came within striking distance, when each boat discharged a blank torpedo which found its mark in every case. Altho the “Yankee” kept up a close watch for surface indications of their approach, and altho she knew they were coming, yet no signs of them were seen till the torpedoes struck. Italy in her maneuvers sent a flotilla of submarines from Venice to Spezia, a distance of 1,300 miles, under their own power and without any assistance from auxiliary vessels. And England sent four submarines for 300 miles under war conditions, and during that journey they stayed forty consecutive hours under water. The ambition among naval men now is to make the submarine much larger so as to have it as an adjunct of the navy on the high seas instead of being confined as at present to the vicinity of harbors. Last year it was reported that a peak called Mt. McCulloch had been pushed up from the bottom of the sea at Bogaslov, one of the Aleutian Islands. Measurements were taken at that time by Capt. Geo. M. Daniels of the revenue cutter “McCulloch.” Captain Daniels arrived in his vessel from the north November 5. He has another chart of the island, but now where the volcano stood there is nothing but water, a bay in fact. There is this difference, however, that before the mountain was pushed up this part of the island consisted of flat, wave-swept reefs. Now there is a beautiful bay surrounded by a rim of high land. It is stated that when the mountain first came up, geologists told us that the peak was of the solidest rock, and born to live many a year; but the poor, little geological infant died when less than twelve months old. According to “The Independent” of October 22, the meeting of the American Board, the oldest of our missionary organizations, and the largest, with the exception of the Presbyterian, declares that their missions in the East have grown so fast that the proper support can not be obtained. Hence louder appeals than usual for money, but “an even more serious matter than this is the failure of candidates for the mission field, whether ordained men, physicians, or unmarried women as teachers; yet religious liberty in Turkey opens a new opportunity,” with less opposition than has ever been met before. Why is it that the missionary spirit is falling off? We wish to raise the question; we will let our readers answer it. May we not find one of the causes of this, the turning from simple evangelical methods, and the seeking of the support of the State in the home land? If the true Gospel spirit were prevalent at home, would that not arouse many to extend it abroad? If, for instance, the federation of the churches were a true Gospel movement, would it not stir men and women to give their lives to Christ and the work of missions? The Rev. W. C. Martin, in an article in The Homiletic Review of November, justly observes that the “attempt to reform and elevate by satire and pasquinade and witty flings and hits at common vices, may make men angry or amuse them, but to elevate practical life, they are a failure. Men who make this their forte miss the only thing which can give success. To reform the practical life of men, you must give them an ideal. ‘Be ye perfect, as God is perfect.’” “Life and Health” for November treats two themes in a pleasing, instructive manner. These are health and joy and peace for the adult and proper play for the child. In addition to these leading themes are pointed, practical articles dealing with the questions of food, exercise, and temperance, timely things tersely told. Price ten cents. Address “Life and Health,” Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. The Western Normal Institute, at Lodi, Cal., is primarily a training-school for teachers. Full courses of instruction are given in both theory and practise. A training-school, a normal academy, and a training college are combined, with industrial, commercial, and normal departments. Prof. C. D. Sharpe, the president of the institution, invites correspondence.