Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-05-26
YOUNG MEN NOT IN 1T.
Our Naval officers us Compared With Those
of Foreign Powers.
81
Especial Correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
ANNAPOLIS, April 25.-Perhaps the most
striking difference between the personnel
of the foreign naval officers and our own
as at present exempliied lies in the COM
parative youth of the men in responsible
command among the foreigners and the
large number of grizzled subordinates on
board the American men-of-war. A lieu
tenant in the United States service put it
pithily the other day when he said, at is
easily possible that my son might 90
through the naval academy and become
commissioned watch officer before | reach
the rank that would exempt me from watch
duty"
Any landsman who visits the wardroom
of a United States man-of-war and glances
at the double row of heads down the dinner
table will be surprised at the number of
grizzled men who are yet lieutenants, called
by no higher title than Mr." and still
years from responsible command. 1t is a
lucky American naval officer who COM
mands n ship at As and reaches his cap
tancy under So
AS matter of fact men become lieuten
ant commanders nowadays after at least 30
years in the service and few men are then
under 45 years of age while many are close
commanders on the active list can expect to
command ships. Meanwhile there are $50
full lieutenants and IS lieutenants of the
junior grade, many of whom will, in the
ordinary course of events, never attain com
mand. 1t requires from IS to 81 years serv-
ice for man to become full lieutenant, or
"bull' lieutenant, as the slang phrase of the
wardroom is and from 10 to Is years more
for him to become lieutenant commander.
Compulsory retirement at CO overtakes
some before they get beyond this grade and
many before they have held their commits.
sions as captains so long as three years.
The last man in the file of As captains has
been "a years in the service, and he attained
his captaincy only last year He had the
advantage, too, of rapid promotion from en-
sign to lieutenant commander during the
civil war, when officers were scarce. As to
the commodores and rear admirals, the
youngest of them has been in the service
since 1850. Some of them entered as poor
little midshipmtes in 1916.
In every important foreign navy men
come to command in the prime of life
Many a British officer attains the rank OF
commander at 80, and there are plenty OF
young men commanding the great battle
ships of France, Germany and Italy. This
say the American naval officers who vainly
await promotion, insures the commanders
the dash, energy and confidence of youth
The sight of young heads upon shoulders
bearing the insignia of high rank will make
American naval officers more than evei
anxious to obtain legislation that shall
hurry promotion by removing from the
path of energetic and ambitious men thos,
who are content to do their work just so a.
to escape court martial and pass the neces
sary examinations when by seniority the.
are entitled to higher rank. The Englisl
system involves retiring IL man after he ha
remained a certain number of years in
given grade, and something like this il
what the 325 waiting lieutenants and til,
others who find stagnation the curse of TIN
navy are advocating.
+. N XALLANDIGHAM