The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-12-15
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
Faultiness Of the Present System
Of Organization.
An OId-School Admiral Who Thinks That
Brawny Farmer Boys Would Make
the Best Material to Re-
cruit From.

There is an old English sea song
which says: "Our ships are British
oak, and hearts of oak our men," and
no matter what powerful cruisers a
country may build, the greatest de-
pendence has always been placed on
the men who form their crews, and
on their training and character.
The number of seamen allowed in
the United States by the law is seven
thousand two hundred and fifty, and
in addition there are fifteen hundred
apprentice boys.
When the apprentice system was es-
tablished in the early seventies, says
Golden Days, it was supposed it would
furnish sufficient number of trained
seamen for the navy, and make the en-
listment of all others unnecessary.
But the records show that not more
than four per cent. of the lads
that are graduated from the train
ing system continue in the serv-
ice, and further, that of the
seven thousand two hundred and
fifty seamen allowed by law in the
navy less than one-half of those who
enlist at the receiving ships are ma
tive-born Americans; all this, too, in
spite of the fact that our navy offers
inducements in the way of greater pay
and better rations than an given in
any other navy in the world.
Rear Admiral Erben, the present
commander in chief of United States
forces in European waters, is an officer
of the old school, and one who has seen
war service. He was recently asked
to give his opinion as to the cause OF
the present un-American condition in
the navy's organization, and, if posi-
BILE, to point out the remedy, and what
he said is valuable and suggestive.
While the admiral admitted the ex-
cellence of the training received by
boys under the apprentice system, he
pointed out that the number of appren-
tices remaining in the navy is each
year less as the system Of training
reaches higher standard of educa.
ton.
When the apprentice, who has been
taken in at the age of fourteen, grows
to be eighteen or nineteen, he fancies
himself man. He has obtained a
good, common school education on the
training-ship, and he is anxious to put
that training to application in civil
life.
When he reaches twenty-one years
of age-the very time at which he is
expected to reenlist-he usually takes
advantage of his discharge to leave
| the service.
Whether or not naval apprentices
succeed in civil life is another matter
What the navy needs is men who will
make the service their life calling.
Admiral Erben guaranteed that il
the secretary of the navy would give
him a vessel of the Essex or Enterprise
type, he would fill it up with three
hundred, brainy, brawny, muscular
farm lads, and with no more than forty
/ seamen he would be willing to take
| that unframed crew on long foreign
cruise. At the end of two years he
would defy the most rigid board of in
spection to find his crew inferior tc
that on any United States vessel.
There are to-day many American
youths, twenty-one years of age and Of
American parentage, who know what
it is to wrestle with life. For years
they have been knocking around from
one farm to another, uncertain of the
future, and toiling for a precarious
living; and the thought of twenty-five
dollars month pay, with food, and a
pension after certain length of serv'
ice, would be to them strong induce.
ment to enter the navy.
Their life on board ship, as the cd
miral says, would be a new one. They
would see many foreign ports, anc
when they went ashore in their natty
uniforms they would feel that they
were of some consequence.
1t is doubtful if, after having pulled
an oar in the admiral's barge or hav
ing been one of crack guns crew
the new man -of-war's man would fine
an attraction in carrying the milk pai
or getting up at four o'clock in the
morning to do chores.
On the other hand, it is very certain
that he would be regarded by his
former companions as superior fel
low, and that his experience would at
tract them to the navy. Who knows
but that there is some boy whistline
at the plow to-day who may yet be 6