Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-10-24
THE NAVAL PAGEANT
LESSONS DRAWN FROM THE INTER-
NATIONAL DISPLAY.

NATIONAL DISPLAY.
Secretary Herbert of tho Navy Quotes, I'm
Time of Peace Prepare For war'-Be-
Ing Able to Fight Is Often n Protection.
Mr.. Herbcrt's Part.
The pages which Secretary Herbert de-
votes in the North American Review to
n comment on the great show of ships at
Norfolk and New York 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
and neGr where the Leopard attacked
the Chesapeake, while close by at Nor
folk lay the old Constellation, successor
to Truxton's frigate that overcame the
Insurgente in 1899. OF the nine nations
whose 30 warships were there gathered
three We're republics. but all the vessels
put ON the colors of Italy in honor of the
twenty-fifth anniversary of King Hum
berts 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 we'll says that the
voyage from Hampton Roads, when the
vessels of nine nations, in two parallel
columns, steamed at II 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
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-
view"
And what was that all important les
son? The secretary thus expresses it:
Every thoughtful observer was i'm
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
a 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
mans, with their natty uniforms; the
Italians, and indeed all the detachments,
We're drilled and disciplined into fight
ing machines. Never was such a sight
witnessed before as the sailors of nine
different nations marching together, and
never was anything better calculated to
impress upon those who saw them the
lesson that the American sailor can keep
his place upon the seas only when his
government is behind him
This, after all, should be an abiding
moral of the pageant for our country
men. 1t taught not only the beauty of
peace, but the duty in peace to prepare
for war. 1t was suggestive, no doubt,
that while 30 years before Russia, Prus-
STA and Austria had entered into a futile
combination to reduce the Spanish
American colonies because they had set
themselves up as independent republics,
here were Russia and Germany joining
their ships with those of republican
France and the South American repub-
lies.
1t was still more suggestive to find the
armed forces of Russia and England
marching one after another in the same
streets and i'll the same column and the
armed forces of France and Germany in
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 never
formally renowned the right of search,
on account of which the war of 1912 was
fought. until 1853, but the two countries
have made peace mt last, mutual good
will and respect have been testified in
many ways and never more significant
~ than at this naval review"
Yet it is not the peace note with which
the secretary closes. He insists, as his
conclusion, that in spite of Geneva arbi-
trations and Paris arbitrations, we have
not yet found n safeguard against war.
The Geneva arbitration was achieved
only after the terrific battles of our civil
war had demonstrated TO the world the
fighting capacity of our citizen soldiery.
If America would keep her own peace
with all the nations of the earth and
maintain her place in the vanguard of
civilization, she must be at all times pre-
pared for war This is the lesson of
history emphasized by the rendezvous
and the review" We may add that such
lessons were wholly additional to the
original purpose of the ceremony, which
pageant as the fittest possible form of
public festival in honor Of the greatest
of voyages.
Indeed it may fairly be said that the
full benefits of this memorable pageant
were not universally recognized when it
was planned. Even Mr.. Herbert him
self, although member of the house
naval committee, voted against the joint
resolution of congress which directed il
to be held, but as its possibilities gradu-
ally became apparent he headed the sue
cessful effort at n subsequent session to
increase tho appropriation for it to the
amount needed. The advantage derived
from bringing our own lew ships to-
gether for the first time in considerable
numbers has been exceedingly great, and
it has been increased by giving them the
opportunity to compare themselves not
only with each other. but with the picked
warships of eight other nations.
Still the great benefit of the review,
according to Secretary Herbert, has been
in teaching what remains for the coun-
t,-- tr do in IFS naval DreDarafiOns New