With wars and rumors of wars about us, the necessity of being prepared for any emergency has presented itself very strongly to the Secretaries of both the Army and the Navy. While our standing army is small, our military arrangements are such that we need have little anxiety on the score of the army. We have a large State Militia always at the service of the country, and we have the right to call on all able-bodied citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five for military service in case of need. This brings the number of men capable of bearing arms in our defense up to the number of ten millions. Our army, therefore, is on a satisfactory basis. With our navy, things are different. It has come to be a recognized fact among nations that countries who wish to be respected abroad must have a sufficient naval force to compel that respect when necessary. Our navy is not as large as the importance of our country demands, and it is the intention of the Secretary of the Navy to ask Congress to make appropriations to enable him to have several new ships built. Meanwhile he is in a good deal of difficulty over the armor for the ships that are being built. Armor is a covering of thick steel plates with which all the modern battleships are supplied. It is intended to protect their hulls from the cannon-balls and projectiles that are now used in warfare. There are three ships now building for the Government, the _Illinois_, _Alabama_, and _Wisconsin_, and the cause of the trouble is that no firm can be found willing to supply the armor-plate for the price fixed by Congress. This price is $300 per ton. Congress had a long discussion about the matter, and decided that this was a fair and proper price to pay, and instructed the Secretary of the Navy to buy it for this sum. The Secretary had his doubts about the possibility of doing as he was required, because he knew that the iron and steel manufacturers asked a much higher price. He, however, did as Congress desired, with the result that the Carnegie Company refused point-blank, saying they could not possibly manufacture it for that price. Several other firms also declined, and finally, giving up all hope of placing the contracts, the Secretary suggested that the Government should make its own armor-plate. Agreeably to this suggestion, a board has been formed to look into the matter, and see whether it is possible for the Government to enter into this business with profit to itself. While some people declare that it will cost the Government twice as much to manufacture the armor, others think that it can be made for considerably less than the companies ask. The history of this affair is very interesting. About 1885, Mr. Whitney, who was then Secretary of the Navy, induced a private company, the Bethlehem Iron Works, to build the first American armor plant, by making a number of contracts with them which would keep them busy furnishing armor for battleships for several years.