The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-06
SnYai Ylyisection.

Naval yiyisection.
| Before any actual fighting had taken
/ mace in The war between China and
| Japan we pointed out one cause Oh me
| IMPENDING conflict by the Powers
/ not directly concerned in -. TINS
| was the chance that experts COULD
at last see how modern navy
would behave in acton. sure enough.
| since the terrible sea0ght off the
| Yam the critics and amateurs nave
| been having a joyful Tune. SpecidI mes mes
| sengers have been rushed of 20 see Cap
| tain MahaD TO find out If the ships were
sunk and the thousands OF men drowned
or blown to pieces according TO precon-
| ceiyed notions Of the way the thing Wouid
| be done, and in the highets style or the
| art. Naval architects and gunmakers
| and officers OF the marine have Deen ca
| gerly looking for confirmation OF their own
crotchets. or refutaton of the ridiculous
ideas of rival experts, and The whole
thing has been more like gathering
about vivisection than anything else.
Usually, in such cases. there IS AT
least, pretence Of humanity. war is
terrible thing. military students have said,
but II II must come, with an lts edlahi-
ties and barDarIties, II Is our duty 10
learn what we can from it. But there
has been almost nothing OF this III the
discussions OF the naval battle between
the Chinese and japanese. We 90 not
now remember to have seen single eX-
preston OF sympathy or Of horror III She
writings of the expert disputants. me
nearest approach 10 human feeling they
have displayed-not a very elevated type
of feeling, il must be adma.ted-is a thank
ing their stars that 1t was 4 lot of hea-
then laps and Cinnamon who had tried
the experiment for the benefit OF more
civilized races. The later could thus
save their own SKINS while getting
valuable lesson in the science Of destroy
ing human life by wholesale.
Now this bunting Of humane sensibili-
ties is not thing to be looked upon
Ir.hf no MIR Nf N y
scientific spirit seems to have filled
many minds with a zeal for weapons OF
precision. for beautiful strategy and ma
val evolutsons, for quick-firing guns and
new tricks of armor, TO the entire over
sight OF what an essentially barbarous
thing war is. They will turn to accounts
Of the Yalu fight and read such bit as
the following, from the narrative OF an
eyewitness, printed in the North China
Herald:
eve now observed the Chiyuen sudden
ly heel over and sink, probably from a
chance shot from the enemys first d.
horror at the thought of crew of 300
men thus going to the bottom without
moments warning. Ihey rather ex-
enthusiasm: by love! Old Krupp was
right, after all. or they will read of
the Kingyuen going down like lead be,
fore a torpedo, with a complement OF
20 men. and will only think of the spleh-
| did argument this will furnish them to
! squeeze an appropriation for more tor
| pedO boats out of their Parliament or
Congress. In short, the new school Of
naval experts. with their great learning
| and scientific attainments. tends distinct
| ly to throw an unreal glamour about
war and to make IL little else than a
| beautiful demonstration Of mathematical
theses or problems in mechanics or DalliSt-
| les. This is a clear return 10 savagery.
| The whole progress Of civilization has
| been marked by efforts to mitigate the
| horrors OF war. and TO make resort 10 II
| as reluctant possible, but our modern
| scientific fighters are in danger Of for
| getting and cOunteracting all that, and
| making war seem thing in which TO take
| a barbaric delight.
! If any one is yet in doubt about the
way in which the growth of the navy
| itself has fostered Warlke spirit
| among us, and made ii seem light thing
| to go to war, he need only look at the
| effect of the new navy on the last two
| Secretaries of the Department. Mr.. Ira
| cy known only as quiet lawyer
| before he was put at the head or the
navy, but no sooner had he got there
| than he began to cast about for some
| corpus vile to try his big guns upon.
| Because one commander lost good
| chance though an illegal one. TO blow
| somebody out of the water, he dismiss
| ed him with contumely
| Later on when the Itata sailed away, In
| a perfectly legal manner as our own
courts decided. Mr.. Tracy had the
| &alk of powder and blood, and also be-
| gan importing shot and shell from Eu-
| rope-though he had no money to pay
| the duty on them-so as TO be ready TO
sink Chilean ships and lombard Chilean
| cities. The transformation of peace
| loving counsellor at law INFO a blood
| thirsty bully Of the sea was most aston
| ishing and can only be accounted for on
| the supposition that If you put terrible
! engines of destruction into a mans
hands ne becomes mad to get them at
| work.
Secretary Herbert has undergone a not
| dissimilar metamorphoss Not long ago
| this erstwhile inoffenslve congressman
| gave us a picture of a modern battle
| ship moving into an enemy's harbor the
| happy captain pressing a button now
| here. now there, and dealing out death
| and destruction with beautiful effective
| ness. In the last North American he
| has an article on the lessons OF the Yalu
| sea fight, in which there is not a word
of sympathy for victims or survivors, not
| line in depreciation OF our own country
! ever being drawn into war; but onle and
| everywhere anxiety about making our
| battleships bigger and more deadly. Is
| il any wonder that when the head of
| the Department takes such tone, a
| subordinate should draw fancy pic
| ture of hell of death and destruc-
! ton" and PRINT ii i'm a popular maya
zine, az the kind of 4 thing naval officers
| think about day and night?
OF course this is partly 10 be explained
| on the ground or PROFESSIONAL aDSOfp-
| ton. This is natural enough and need
! not be objected to. But the danger lies
in popularizing such professional absorp-
ton. I'm spreading broadcast the idea that
| because modern warfare Is scientific. IT
| thereby ceases to be savage by nature
| and that a great industrial nation, at
peace with all the world. and able to re-
| main so indefinitely, ought 10 spend its
| brains and treasure in getting ready TO
| fight all corners. Naval experts who
! propagate such barbarous notions are do
| ing what physicians would DO II they
| tried to make people take a purely Sci
! entific view Of disease or to lose all dread
| Of IL for themselves or sympathy for
those who suffer from It, The heartless
| way in which naval writer's have been
! analyZing in public the incidents of the
| Yalu fight may prove them to he very
| professional and scientific though their
| radically conflicting views throw doubt
| even upon this. but II certainly proves
| them dangerous hands to which TO in
| trust the peace and honor of great ma
| tions.-New Yorh Evening Post.
Executive Chimney Invoked
Governor OFerrall yesterday declined
TO grant applications for pardon to the
| following persons:
| I'll fTevIar eaptancaJ In Optohar 1904