adds : “It might be made a safe deposit where every military article may be kept in good rapair, and an academy might be here instituted for in struction in all the branches of the military art.” Colonel Pickering wrote : “If anything like a military academy in America be practica ble at this time, it must be grounded on the per manent military establishment for our frontier posts and arsenals, and the wants of the States separately, of officers to command the defenses on their sea coasts. On this principle it might be ex pedient to establish a military school or academy at West Point. And that a competent number of young gentlemen might become induced to be : come students, it might be made a rule that va cancies in the standing regiment should be sup plied from them, those few instances excepted, where it would be just to promote a very merito rious sergeant.” In May, 1792, a law to provide for a more uniform militia was passed. With the first at tempts to put this law .into operation, a realiza tion of the difficulty of giving it practical application began to appear. Washington discovered at a glance that some other ex pedient must be resorted to, to accomplish the desired end In his message to Con gress in December. 1793, he recommended tne establishing of a military school, which might “afford an opportunity for the study of those branches of the art which can scarcely ever be attained by practice alone." Pending' the discussion which followed the evident failure of the militia law, a bill was in troduced and became a law in May, 1794, for “raising and organizing a corps of artillerists and engineers.” This bill provided for a new rank —that of Cadet. The President’ was authorized to require the services of this corps at such places as was deemed consistent with the public service. In 1802, the engineers were made a separate corps. The corps was organized and stationed at West Point, in the State of New York, and cor.- itituted the military academy, THE FREE LANCE. There occurred at our national capital a few days ago a happy event. It was the reception by President Cleveland of the “Peace Commission” from England. This delegation of distinguished English statesmen presented a memorial to the President for Congress. In it they propose the establish ment of a permanent tribunal to which all ques tions of national dispute between the two coun tries shall go for final solution To designate this merely as a “happy event” is perhaps not sufficiently expressive. Here we have the two greatest nations of the earth in conference ; about to determine that war shall not again be resorted to as a means of vindicating national honor or obtaining satisfaction for offended dignity, bat that instead, all difficulties, however great and perplexing, shall be decided by arbitration. The importance of this step can scarcely be estimated. Outside of the real benefit to the countries con cerned their example may, and no doubt has al ready influenced other nations. For instance, a recent cablegram from Vienna discloses a triple alliance just consummated by which Germany, Austria and Italy pledge themselves to maintain the peace of Europe on the basis of existing treaties. It is not yet clear how permanent this may become, since it may be, at present, but a scheme of Bismarck to avert war until he can better equip his forces with modern weapons. But however this may be, it is fast coming to be understood that the first and most important con dition for the growth of any nation in peace—per manent peace-—at home and abroad; We hear .a great deal said about civilization and the blessings it brings to mankind Now whatever else may be included in the idea represented by the term civilizing or civilization, it means first of all a ' state of peace. This change of a state of peace for that of warfare must precede all' other im provements, and is called a civilizing process. THE PEACE COMMISSION.. BY PROF. JOHN W. HESTON, M. A
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