The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-01-06
THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE
The Valuable Course of Instruction
Just Finished at Newport.

The Newport correspondent of the
New York Times says: The course Of
lectures at the Naval War College, con.
shutting the scholastic term, came to 8
close last Thursday, aid was the most
successful and extensive, both theo-
retically and practically, that has thus
far been delivered before the members
forming the class in attendance at that
institution. Many new subjects were
introduced which excited great general
interest, all bearing more or less
directly upon the duties a naval officer
is called upon to perform, as his profess
sion takes him from one country to an
other, and especially as they enlarged
upoi. the practical question ofhow naval
war sh ould be most adVantageously
carried on. The art of naval war Is
dlscoursed upon at the war college in
way that obtains in no other service
in the world, aud the systematic treat
uent here received is the theory, the
practical application of which should
result in successful carrying on by.
naval officers o any maritime war in
which they may become engaged.
Among IN lectures OF general inter-
est, outside the strictly professional
topics, were those on the subject OF the
isthmian canals, now SO prominently
before the pubic, which were clearly
trea ed, showing how the great trade
routes wouid have TO be modiiIed and
altered by the canal, without regard TO
the exact part of the continent pierced
and IL was empharically asserted that
now is tie time when it behooyes the
United States TO look well to its in
terests IN the waters OF the Caribbean
Sea and in the Pacific. The course of
lectures on international law was par
iicularly valuable, and constitutes IN
Itself work of reference unequaied by
any other of the kind yet published.
TAat trio ever prominent in matters
naval. the ram, the gun, and the tor
pedo, was treated by three different
officers each taking one of the weapons
and heins its champion when 1t vas
introduced as an antagonist against the
TWO others. This method of treating
the subject kept up the interest
throughout, and resulted in a general
discussian, in which much of value was
elected. Among the subjects OF greatest
interest and of considerable novelty in
naval circles, should be mentioned the
naval War game, or naval duels," as
they are termed, which was presented
very happily, tue method meeting with
hearty approval.
Ths lectures were supplemented by
valuable practical exercises, carried on
by the crews OF he vessels forming
the Nortn Atlantic squadron, which
illustrat' and rendered more forcible
the subject matter treated upon in the
lecture-room and resulted 10 the mu /
tual benefit of the officers, both those
ahoatj ana the students at the college.
A large number of the points of great
est Importance in the profession of a
naval officer have been touched upon
during the course. Not by any means,
however, has the whole range of sub
jects, which is very wide one, been
gone over; but the course, IS drawn
up by the president of the War Col
~ Captain Alfred z. Mahan, includes
immense amount of what is of In
estimable value to those in actice prac-
tit4 of the naval profession, and much
that cannot tie Obtained from any other
source, +a