Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-28
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
orr NArY.
"A pescsee OF the melancholy menusrs-
Bells and what They wean.

". 81 - AtAAs WIN ' Nts'ff
Juno "a, 1885.
10 tie Editor Of The Dispatch:
u Is strange, indeed, that there are so
many people Of intelligence IN our coun-
try who delight in attempts TO lower
our navy in the estimation OF the world:
No one will contend that the United
States navy Is at all formidable; stall
we officers are not responsible for that,
and we do not like the frequent attempts
on the part Of our writers to make US
feel small. When you laugh at either
branch Of the military service you laugh
at your own stupidity, because you send
men to Congress whose chief object
seems TO be TO secure reelection.
Even Mr.. J. Esten Cooke. OF Vlr-
GINA, has allowed himself to follow the
drift Of the class above referred TO. In
writing up his recent trip down the
James he found il necessary TO indulge
in sew remarks which, upon exampns-
ton, will be found TO contain nothing
Substantial or comical. Hear what he
has to say beyond is City Point, a
name familiar during the war. Some
melancholy monitors may be seen there,
as though stranded, with their white
awnings shading the decks, and guns
and officers afflicted, it is said, with
enrui, so that tolling their bells by
way of salute as the steamer Ariel
masses is relief to the dull hours Of
the summer day."
Would it be remiss in me to inform
the gifted writer that these "melan-
choly monitors are not quite so Sc
yereiy afflicted with the disease he i'm
putes 10 them as to need being placed
in an asylum 2 The report of board
Of intelligent naval officers Of any ma
ton As TO their condition would doubt
less be, aft for active service" In
case Of sudden foreign complications
our coast cities would look to these
same melancholy monitors " for all
the protection they could receive from
our present naval force.
{" AS though stranded" is very
good expression from lsnd-man' Tor
the six monitors at City Point are as
securely and nicely anchored as the
most fastidious could desire. The rea-
sons for keeping them here are always
explained to such people, foreign or ma
tive, who take sufficient interest In our
navy to visit them.
We toll our bells shy way OF sa-
lutte as the steamer Ariel passes"
do we? A strange and unheard OF sa-
lutte +. am glad, for the sake OF the
distinguished writer, that this state
ment is made upon the authority OF
smother. Had his informant a few
bells attached to him and two or three
dynamite cartridges inside OF his cor
nus, he would possess more of the ele-
ments Of a man-of-war than the mcnl-
tors do were they to indulge in the
juvenile amusement of tolliDg their
bells TO salute the Ariel or any other
passing steamer. We like the
Ariel and her polite command
err. but were she to pass
with the President of the United States
or her Britannia Majesty on board, no
salute of tolling bells would be given.
| venture to say that the individual
whose brilliancy Of intellect conceived
the idea Of the monitors thus salutlng
the Ariel would become enlightened as
to the use of bells on board ship were
he to 90 to sea for even one month
Naval officers 60 to sea on three
year cruises and learn when tC
ring bells, but here comes
man who conceiyes a new idea, anc
possibly a great many cultivated people
who read sea novels will forget in the
case of United States men-of-war thai
we denote the hour by striking thu
bell" This is what you heard, my
friend, and we do not fear that the Off
GERS Of any foreign navy who read Mr.
Cookies article will attribute to us tn
folly of which we are therein accused
The monitor officers are not so badl.
afflicted with eapui as the Ariel'S pas
sengers seem to imagine. City Poin
(Which Mr.. Cooke neg ected to state) i
the most important place on the Jane
between Richmond and Norfolk. |
numbers among its inhabitants som
of the incest people on the river, an
in their congenal and pleasant socfet
we pass many delightful hours.
What little more | have to say
not personally for Mr.. Cooke or his IL
formant, but to all subjects Of tn
United States Government. We NAYS
officers, in accepting our commissions
become servants of the people, an
tpv TO prepare ourselves TOR all duties
Fortunately some Of those duties PEI
tain to shore-lite. Were it otherwiS,
no human being Of thought or ieeln
would bind himself by oath to perfor
the duties of naval officer. We hay
10 leave our homes and families ian
have we not as tender lee
ings as other peopleN TO roal
we know not where. Wherey
YOUR interest demands our pr
sence there We have go. 1t has off
occurred 10 me that, could we ha'
some Of our admiring ~ countrym'
90 with us or some OF our cruises
the coast OF Mexico, Central or Sou
America. where they have brothers
friends to be protected, they would Sii
different song. One or two cases
yellow-feyer on board ship, with no pc
sibili,y ofescape therefrom Except
jumping OyerbOard) would, imagir
cause them to cry out, "Oh, wish
was a baby. | wish l was
baby" as did the dude soldier OF o
late war.
Why do they seem to envy US I,
months of pleasant life on shore' II
isa question that no naval officer b
ever vet been able TO solve.
MELANCHOLY MONITORS.