The Portland daily press., 1866-04-23
The Naval Academy, and Naval Apprentices.

ionS INV foiiouS questions WHICH lHtI-
mately connect themselves with the future
greatness and glory of the Republic, few are of
more Importance than that which relates 20
the kind of men who are to make up the great
body of o,r naval force. Up to the period of
the breaking out of the late war, the rank OF
the -of-wars-men were mainly recruited
from the very lowest strata of our population.
The sailors have been men full of daring, OF
endurance, of patience and skill, and ordinari-
amenible to discipline; but they have also
been to great extent ignorant, degraded, ut
telly improvident, and without the hope or
the ambition to rise above their inferior con-
dition. Indeed, few things were more nearly
impossible than for young man who had en-
tered the navy as a common sailor to rise to
any honorable position in the service. Two
barriers almost insurmountable were in his
way namely, the want of proper instruction,
and the aristocratic prejudice which existed in
the service against making officers ofsailors.-
The splendid achievements of many volunteer
officers during the late war, with the general
growth ola more enlightened intelligence, have
gone far to remove this latter obstacle in the
path Of the sailor. The former, the lack ofade-
quate instruction, it is proposed that the govern
ment shall remove. On the 9th of March,
Mr.. Grimes of Iowa, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Naval Affairs, introduced into the
Senate bill gin relation to the appointment
of enlisted persons in the Naval Academy"
the ,,,,.,,so ,e ,,,,;o,, - - oo, +, .,,,,o;,,t
''1o p'o =. -. - ~
ment every year OF certain number OF boys
who have served as naval apprentices The
adyantaoas of tho Man !. no we'll sat forth in a
"u'"n'"s'' " my p'A'n "'e W." s9s IVA. - :"
ietCer nonl lne secretary u tlie Navy W
tor Grimes, from which we extract the follow
inc. ~ ~" ~ '-5 -" Gnu, "a .'v''Vh
-. ~ -. ~! !. ilA ..u ,l1u X
Dy She PROVISIONS Vi Inis plii, e.Mni NC 10y ~
Selseu sena!ols anu leplesen'a as IN oon
o.s.o G4at ~ . .SuasS
peSsSH o'.:.es anu ulstcss WIZ, Possuss-
,ns ~ anu ap'stiue nor Sessarg me
oe aooosou ln .,': 1le nasai sSlslce' De
=, anu W
nTbSe uh'ii 'i,ey are CMenry-one years u ase
t . ,aus WIN oe sent W tne scnool-snips,
WHEY tney WIN NC taugn Tue iuuinientSo VI al
Enslsn educatlon ana the dulles OF a sallof.-
VI tnese, ABOUT sixty vino may DE most proil-
cient, ana OF Inc best aptltade Tor the naval
SGrNce, VIII eacA year De traASieTfco W INC
Naval Academy, where an opportunity will
be afforded them OF attaining the highest po-
sitions of the naval profession. Those who
are next in proficiency can become warrant
officers. and the third grade can be made pet
ty officers. The residue will comprise the
common sailors, the real man-of-wars-men OF
the service. ,Sf ~ ~
In this way the government will not only
secure superior class OF persons in this i'm
portant branch, and promote the best interests
OF the country, but it will open to enlisted per
sons OF every rank and position in the naval
service the way to honorable distinction
The boy who enlists as an apprentice will
have only himself to blame if he wastes his
opportunities, and remains sailor, instead of
becoming an admiral. In our country the
highest positions IN civil life are accessible to
ALL, and though lew Who commence the race
WIN the prize, YET IT is open to all The OBJ
bring about like results in the navy for it viii
invite better class of boys into the service
o9tns rom on tne country VIII enter tne navy
the recentacle If omtcasts Ir;va,, to coo NV
their parents because they are unmanageable
and and vicious at home. The unworthy preiu,
Naval AcaIemp has been 60 GREAT That time
and patience will be requisite to put such a
law into successful practical operation. I'm