The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-10-18
1HE STUDY OF spEcIALrI s.

= r.aIe y. 'ne NeM slHem u .he NAVAL Academy
s'. we n.o, " .me .,.up he'"tu'
-. ~ ns ".' i"'e iop"'' vi ."" oodru vi
s'o,o W .ne ,a,ai aoa"ehy' receh'iy puoiisheu,
III 'ue va! anu oue mho mas ooserveu
..e 'pe.a'ns vi .n. A0aucl.y ior .ue past quarter
u oenuy Eau ou' ve ,oIe.oiy 'lpresseu WIN the
. .eooi,'ieia'.oh 'he'e,n ior ,he es'aoshmeht OF
pos' etauua'e course ior 'hose caaetSwho are TO
". ass'Eueu W '"e rusheer SolPs.
,".' na' oo 'o"',.e.e" as IL. '"c sa"e iihe vi
pvlloy as 'ua. u, .ae ros. arauua'e war ooliege,
aieaoy es'aoisheu III Ne"pot' ior line ohicers, ana
s 'he haurai result Oh lhe ihkerihg AT he Academy
'a' iaS "eel Ill Ny 'ue iahuehces III cohtroi
ever sice 'he law authorizing tne educat'oh OF engi'
heers tnete was ehac'en. IL Is tne same that mas
necessa.eo .he various courses OF speci'i instruc
"on-a,i lol ine ohicers 'hus 'ar ana IS frank
a'n.ssoh 'ha' ''e p'eseh. system is iaiiure aha
prouuces hiuch less satisfactory results than that
WHICH ioimery oDtaineu.
i"e P'cY vi the Navy, u"'er ihe u'rectng IN
nuence Vi .ne 'ne, lof ni'een OF twenty years mas
WIN constantly increasing iolce oeeh advancing on
ne pau vi uaAe eapel's III ai the various special
.ies essentlai Ior tue building up and management
U, a"uccessiui hiouerh Navy from tue same mate
iia' a' he e"he 'iiie anu ny eAacuy the same pro-
oes', poiio! iohs SINCE oiscaruea as unsuccessful
anu iuhous ny every pr'a'e enterprise on 'he lace
Vi 'nc ear'n' ou' wnlch seems recenuy 10 nave dc
vc'opeu powerful auVocate III the Department,
''--~
'e,eu u. the hcaaehy
oelleVea 'nat the ,nteligence OF these gentle
iien onice's c'uiu oe rus'e' 10 reject as absurd
'ne o'"ihi vi niei "ho shouiu propose 10 them 10
oo'a,h rom MS hew.iangie9 mil wheat hour, corn-
u,ea', anu grouhu gnger Dy SIMPLY sup
py'us "a's W '"e hoPper' yet IL Nis i'l wnit more
aosuiu 'hau .ne system 'ney nave aaVoc ied anu Sc
eu,eu @ 'ol ','e Nu'ai aoaue,hy vi making soaiefs.
sahoIs, anu h"a at 'htects' Ill 'he shoft
space Vi iour years, IRON o'ys haV'ng the most
iuaiineh'aiy grouhu'hs' oareiy covering tue three
n.s, Ny g"'ug 'he'h eHac'iy the same course oi
hs.Iuc,ion. ~, ,
ihe naval Academy was Established during the
era Vi sa'is anu inc cauets were theh tfa'heu ana
euucaaeu III sea'h'nsh'p, hiViga''oh, anu guhnery'
ououes appropriate 10 INC profession they were TO
Piaouoc' anu lnc fesuts Werc most SATISFACTORY. Al
u iater petiou steam was Introduced INTO our war
snPs' anu WIN IL the achnowiedRed necessity OF a
ne" eiass vi o'hceis vi niRh oruer vi Intelligence
anu aohity 10 manage IL. At hrst II was only
auxnialy, rapidly developed until
unay IL WAS tec'sn1eu as Tue Vitai part Oh angnthg
smp ahu our steain navy was III advance OF all the
"ofu' ou iasi cru'sers put ABOUT tue Close OF the
mar uaYins never yet peeh equaleu I'D speed ana
economy. Tue omcers OF THIS new class mad been
ooiigeu 70 euuca'e themselves under no Small DIM
cuilies, there having bcen no institutions In the
aogether auapted 10 their necessities, and
they ieit themselves at disadvantage beside their
Drolhef ocers OF the line, until 1868, when some OF
tnem pettioned Congress, requesting the passage OF
Ia" pio'n''nk ior ,ne euuca'iou oi young gen'ie'
eh iol Ill their corps Ill speciai Classes
~ tne academy. strenuous opposition was OH cred
70 ths acton Dy large majority OF the line, and, al
'housh Tue law was aue III JuIy, leoi, no CLASS was
organized until OCTOBER 1866, more than TWO years
iater. Ater the appointment OF this class the op-
posioh deVeioped 100 strongly aud only three more
appointments were made for several years, but II
'nat OIL the midshipmen should be gwen partial
course ihengineerlng. Ihs system was adopted and
cou.hueu uuti 9i'wheu,py tue assstaice OF some
VI 'hc oeoer usposeu inc oHcera, the hrst regular
class oi cadeI engineers was established, more than
seven years ai'er inc law authorizing IL had been
PaSSeu. ny icasoh vi 'he metuou auopteu Ior the
OF cadetS 10 ths class-that OF selection
a''ei coinpetl''e examination young gentlemen of
very h'Rn oruer o' intei'igeace were Obtained,
anu u. grauua.ion comparison OF a'tainments
ne,meen 'heua anu .uc nush'pneh was not pariicu'
| ia,y ,avolAoie 70 'he ia''er' comparisons may he
odious, out Tue excellence OF tue engineer classes
oecaihe more ana more harked anu II Was decided
W give .ne niiushiplhen more OF inc engineering
ooa.se, wn'ch uiu ho however, make any diherence
,na, ~. ~, nna. "nu "a' uiiacy uc'ciiheu
a' o e"s'uee' oiass' WIN i's speciai COURSE Oh III
s'rnc.loh mus. ne anoiisheu. 10 accomplish this
s !, soe'nns Hay 'ha' hho"h III pohucs as
o aoi' me."ou was a"op'eu ihe right
hien icing III o'her posi'iohs' tue Acaucmc board
"aa W uc Secuicu ny having Iihe ohcers ofdercd as
leaus Vi o'le VI 'nc departments previously pre-
n'uou o'e. ny PfolessoISo VI ioh8 btahdihR ana I'M
ques''ohcu capacny oi 'he "ciVil aulunct class,
"no' " n,aAo '"o Ioon', were reiegateu 70 lhe
oackgrouhu az assistants or ordered to other
uu'y. ini' "e'ns aocohphSheu, u was easy 10
ee'' 49,, ."e 'es'n'u'a'ioh VI .nc poaru oi Vs.
noIs on 'ae representation OF lhe Academic
az" y, auu was 'uucea 70 pass 'he