The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-06-22
TEL MA. Y a. 2 a GEANT
LESSONS DRAWN FROM THE INTER
NATIONAL DISPLAY.


NATIONAL DISPLAY.
Secretary Herbert of the Navy Quotes. I'm
Time Of Peace Prepare For War Be
Ing Able to Fight Is Often . Protection.
Mr.. Hcrbert's Part.
The pages which Secretary Herbert de-
votes in the North American Review to
q comment on the great show of ships at
Norfolk and New Y ork deal with it first
as an illustration Of the friendly feeling
that now prevails between the United
States and other nations.
He recalls that this peaceful rendez-
vous took place in the very roadstead
where the Monitor and Merrimac fought 1
and near where the Leopard attacked
the Chesapeake, while close by at Nor
folk lay the old Constellation, successor
to Truxton's frigate that oyercame the
Insurgente in 1799 I OF the nine nations
whose 30 warships were there gathered
three were republics, but all the vessels
put on the colors Of Italy in honor Of the
twenty ffth anniversary Of King Hum
bert's marriage, just as the British
Blake afterward at New York. where
once the prison ships Of the Revolution
lay, flashed out the image Of Washing
ton in her fireworks display, and just as
other foreign ships took part in our
Decoration day ceremonies
Secretary Herbert well says that the
voyage from Hampton Roads, when the
| vessels Of nine nations, in two parallel
columns, steamed at prescribed rate,
all under the command, by courtesy, Of
an American officer, formed "a scene
that has no parallel in history" Yet
even this scene was surpassed in suggest
iveness by the land parade in New
4 York, which, while it was the most
significant act Of good will to the Amer
lean people and American institutions,
was also the GROWING lesson Of the re-
4 view" .s,:
And what was that all important les
son? The secretary thus expresses it:
Every thoughtful observer was inn
]. pressed with the idea that if our men
should ever come to blows with their
friends who were behind them in line
they could never hope to win except with
fair supply of ships and guns. The
stalwart Russians, with their sturdy
tramp; the business looking Britons,
keeping step to God Save the Queen
the quick stepping Frenchmen; the Ger
4 mans, with their natty uniforms; the
Italians, and indeed all the detachments,
were drilled and disciplined into fight
ing machines. Never was such sight
. witnessed before as the sailors of nine
different nations marching together, and
never was anything better calculated to
i impress upon those who saw them the
4 lesson that the American sailor can keep
his place upon the seas only when his
government is behind him" IL.
4 This, after all, should be an abiding
moral of the pageant for our country
men. It taught not only the beauty of
peace, but the duty in peace to prepare
4 for war. It was suggestive, no doubt,
that while 20 years before Russia, Prus-
: sia and Austria had entered into a futile
Il combination to reduce the Spanish
American colonies because they had set
themselves up as independent republics,
h here were Russia and Germany joining
their ships with those Of republican
1 e
lies.
It was still more suggestive to find the
: armed forces of Russia and England
!. marching one after another in the same
streets and in the same column and the
armed forces of France and Germany il
like comradeship; while as to the inter
| mingled forces of England and America
the sight of them prompted Secretary
Herbert to say that Great Britain neve!
! formally renowned the right of search
t on account Of which the war Of 1912 wa
0 fought, until 1858, but the two countrie
6 have made peace at last, mutual goot
will and respect have been testified il
many ways and never more significant
e ly than at this naval review"
: Yet it is not the peace note with which
o the secretary closes. He insists, as hi
conclusion, that in spite of Geneva arbi
. trations and Paris arbitrations, we hav
e not yet found a safeguard against war
# ssThe Geneva arbitration was achieves
only after the terrific battles Of our civi
war had demonstrated to the world tn
II fighting capacity of our citizen soldiery
y IF America would keep her own peac
Vt with all the nations of the earth an
. maintain her place in the vanguard Q
civilization, she must be at all times pre-
pared for war. This is the lesson 9
i history emphasized by the rendezyou
5. and the review" We may add that sue
II lessons were wholly additional to th
ID original purpose Of the ceremony, whic
N was to furnish some distinctly navs
J. pageant as the fttest possible form {
= public festival in honor of the creates
= of voyages. 4.
Indeed it may fairly be said that th
full benefits Of this memorable pagea1
were not universally recognized when
;, was planned. Even Mr.. Herbert hin
:" self, although a member Of the hous
:. naval committee, voted against the joi1
, resolution Of congress which directed
: to be held, but as its possibilities grad1
:. :, ally became apparent he headed the SUI
=, cessful effort att subsequent session
}, increase the appropriation for it to tt