The times., 1898-05-08

tory. They said that the Spanlard was
q brave man, with untold military
glory in the past. and must not be un-
dsrrated as an adversary. And with
these gloomy representations they
succeeded in sending the relatives of
some of these American seamen into
Mysteries or the insane asylum. In
short, they created an impression
among The people in general that be
fore We had concluded this war with
Spain our Navy would have lost most
of its present force and would have to
be recruited over again, even if any of
our battleships were allowed to remain
whole
There was a certain amount of sense
in all this. 1t seems quite reasonable
to suppose that naval battle cannot
be fought without men on both sides
getting hurt a projectile fired from
a modern gun cannot strike the deck
of a modern warship without killing
somebody, and when ships are engaged
at reasonably close range some of the
shots usually strike, and sometimes
they all do. History shows, however,
that whenever Spain has engaged a
respectable naval force, even half her
size, she has usually got the worst of
ii. The famous Spanish Armada was
several times as large as Elizabeth's
navy. In 1864, three hundred Spanish
guns were silenced in the harbor of
Callao, by fifty poorly mounted PeruY-
ian cannon. These calculatCrS who
have been soaring American mothers,
wives and sisters half out of their wits
with Jeremiah-like predictions, have
made the mistake of thinking that if
the Spanish could kill two hundred and
siXty-siX American seamen and de-
stroy a large battleship, in the middle
Of the night, without losing a man,
they could do at least four times as
much in broad daylight. But that
principle of calculation is erroneous.
Now that the full report of the Man
lila victory is in, these apprehensive
tears and wailings seem joyfully funny.
1t has been proved, as good many
naval authorities who have had eX-
perience with Spaniards expected it
would be, that a Spanish gunner can
not shoot as straight-not nearly as
straight-as a woman can throw
stone. Some women, in fact, can throw
stones. but il appears that there was
not a Spanish gunner in that whole
feet of fourteen ships who could fire
gun so as to do his side Of the argu-
ment any good. The men who observ-
ed the battle from the masts and decks
of foreign ships in the halbor naturally
supposed that with all the stuff which
the Spanish fleet was firing at ComnO-
dore Dewey, some of il must have hit.
But it appears that none of it did
Dewey comes out Of this engagement.
the first of the war, with the unparal-
/ leled record of six men wounded, none
killed. and all of his six ships intact.
/ while the fourteen ships of the enemy's
/ fleet are no more to be reckoned with.
! Several ship-loads of Spanish ammunl-
tion are at the bottom of the sea or
dissipated in the atmosphere, while the
American ammunition has left traces
where it did its work At least one
hundred and fifty Spaniards are re-
ported killed, and about twice as
many more are being cared for, To their
undoubted surprise, by Dewey's men. 1t
would be interesting to know what the
feelings of these men are. as they dis
cover that they are not going to be kill
ed on the spot: that they will, on the
I contrary, be taken care of in hospital
ships and nursed back TO life by the very
men who have been their mortal foes.
1t is perfectly possible that this un-
holy war, as some people have called
it, may prove means Of civilization
to few of our conquered enemies. 1t
may easily be said that this victory is
the most thoroughly satisfactory which
has ever been gained by American
arms