Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-07-01
0lje fa,,fastfr Jntelliqrnftr.
I LAMoAsrEH. JULY /. 1855.
Omcera and Niyes.

~ Secretary whitney mas revoked the order
~ his predecessor, issued two years ago,
fOfbidding naval officers on foreign stations
% remove their families into the vicinity of
thc cruising ground Of the squadron. The
reason Tor the order was that feet COM
manders, against whom it was especially
aimed, were tempted to keep their ships
lying 1t convenient and pleasant places
wlsore their families were located. There
u no doubt that this was an evil,
y the government does not pro-
vide its vessels and send them out
10 cruise conveniently for the naval
commanders family. But Secretary Chan
dler's remedy was not the proper one. The
government has no business to interdict
the movements Of an officers family; and
u can have no reasonable objection to
their locating themselves at the ports
which ths officers may visit in the course
Of the discharge OF their duty. 1t may
properly decline to permit the presence of
an officers family in port to
be q reason calling for the pres
ence there Of his ship. The secretary
Of the navy may properly require a COM
mander to sail his ship regardless of his
family. And II he keeps it in port for the
sake of his family's companiOnship, the
secretary can straighten the thing out by
recalling the commander and Putting him
on waiting orders at home, which will give
him ample opportunity to pursue his fam.
.unily Joys.
cretary Chandler was not a very fit
person to cb;cct to petticoat use Of nava
vessels, since his wife was very fond of the
deck, and one of the great trials Of thu
naval officers within her reach was thu
need Of dancing attendance upon her. Per
chance it was the secretary's lively sense O
the wife's control over husbands move
ments that led him to order the captains
\ wiyessO stay at home.
And there is no doubt that the wife is al
element to be calculated in weighing tn
probability Of an officers moving strictl
in accordance with the demands of tn
public service. Perhaps it would be wei
II the government could establish nava
military academy for the education of off
cara' wives. Certainly the service would b
benefifted II c,s.THcsould be taught to sub
ordinate at all periods her desires to tn
needs Of the service; it would max
the officers duty easier il the wife could b
reduced into state of steadily smilin
acquiescence that would ensure her th
benediction of her country and her Goo
and lead her straight to the gates of hes
ven. 1t is hardly to be supposed that an
course of education would lead to thi
charming result in all cases, but it migf
'9 have an ameliorating tendency upon til
present rebellious disposition of of
GERS wives, when their husbands al
ordered away to foreign shores and girl
for years, or out to the bowling wilder
ness.
II Secretary Chandler had stayed Ion
enough in Office he might have advance
to the formulation Of scheme Of this kin
TO keep his officers sailing over the sea.
In default Of such plan his only remed
!; for his commanders tendency to turn
IA the wives Of their b0soms would have been I
forbid them to have wives. Congress migf
consider the advisability of forbiddin
naval officers to marry. 1t perhaps woul
be good idea just now, when we hay
more officers than we know what to d
with. 1t would thin the list, save none
and give rapid promotion to the remnar
ofbachelors.