The following table shows the naval strength of the leading nations of the world:
| POWERS | All war- vessels | Battle- ships | Personnel Officers and Men |
| Great Britain | 572 | 55 | 99,679 |
| United States | 199 | 25 | 47,750 |
| Germany | 228 | 24 | 33,500 |
| Japan | 224 | 14 | 36,480 |
| France | 537 | 25 | 25,500 |
| Italy | 198 | 9 | 27,789 |
| Russia | 212 | 11 | 60,000 |
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NAVIES OF THE WORLD
The naval strength of the principal countries of the world is shown in the chart and table here given. The total number of ships credited to Russia includes a disproportionate number of small and obsolete vessels. The chart gives a forecast of naval strength reckoned from the known naval progress of the powers. A comparison of the naval strength of the United States with Japan in this forecast shows how baseless are the notes of alarm of a “yellow peril.”
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Nearness and Distance—See [Retrospect].
NEARNESS DISTRACTING
A visitor to Amsterdam, wishing to hear the wonderful music of the chimes of St. Nicholas, went up into the tower of the church to hear it. There he found a man with wooden gloves on his hands, pounding on a keyboard. All he could hear was the clanging of the keys when struck by the wooden gloves, and the harsh, deafening noise of the bells close over his head. He wondered why the people talked of the marvelous chimes of St. Nicholas. To his ear there was no music in them, nothing but terrible clatter and clanging. Yet all the while there floated out over and beyond the city the most entrancing music. Men in the fields paused in their work to listen, and were made glad. People in their homes and travelers on the highways were thrilled by the marvelous bell tones which fell from the tower.