The Utopian may shrink from the contemplation of so painful a subject as War, the Moralist may raise his voice against the justice of it, but the practical philosopher can see very little chance of its cessation, and actuated with the very best intentions, will endeavour to render War as terrible as possible, well knowing, that as soon as certain death awaits two rival armies, princes must fight their own battles, or war must cease. ~First missile weapons, sticks and stones.~ ~Javelin.~ ~Sling.~ ~Bow.~ ~Arbalest.~ Man’s first rude attempts at missile weapons were doubtless limited to throwing sticks and stones by the mere aid of his hands; acts in which the monkey, the bear, and even the seal are very successful emulators. A desire of more successful aggression, together with increased facilities for the destruction of game and wild animals, doubtless soon suggested to man the use of projectiles more efficient than these. By a very slight change of form, the simple stick would become a javelin, capable of being hurled with great force and precision. An aid would suggest itself for casting a stone, by means of a fillet or band, subsequently called a sling, and next would be invented the bow, which, in process of time by subsequent additions would become the arbalest or cross-bow. ~Axes used as projectiles.~ It appears that axes have been used as _projectiles_: for Procopius, describing the expedition of the Franks into Italy, in the sixth century, tells us:--Among the hundred thousand men that King Theodobert I. led into Italy, there were but few horsemen. The cavalry carried spears. The infantry had neither bow nor spear, all their arms being a sword, an axe, and a shield. The blade of the axe was large, its handle of wood, and very short. They _hurl_ their axes against the shields of the enemy, which by this means are broken; and then, springing on the foe, they complete his destruction with the sword. ~Tomahawk used as a projectile.~ A hatchet or tomahawk is used as a projectile weapon by the North American Indians. The difficulty of throwing such a weapon with effect, would of course consist in causing the edge to strike the object aimed at. Now, such a hatchet as they usually make use of, if thrown by its handle, will revolve in a perpendicular plane about once in every three yards, irrespective of the force with which it moves. An Indian judges his enemy to be distant from him any multiple of 3 yards as 15, 18, 21, and strikes him full with the edge of his weapon accordingly. ~“Chuckur” or disk used as a projectile.~