The evening times., 1899-05-31
INCREASING need OF
MORE NAVAL CADETS
Important Subjects for the
Board Of Visitors.
Expansion at Annapolis Gives Fa-
cili.ies for Additional Students.
Over One Hundred Vacancies In the
Grade of Ensign-The Guess
tiOn of Languages.

Naval officers believe that the board Of
lis will be impressed with the wide scope
OF the educational facilities to be provid-
ed upon the completion OF buildings now
being erected and the creation of PRACTICAL
ly new institution. While only prelimi-
nary work has begun on the structures,
modern academy for the education OF
future officers of the navy is practically
assured
Perhaps no board OF visitors has in re-
cent years had less to do and report ON
than that now at Annapolis. For many
years boards have labored assiduously and
presented reports intended to impress on
Congress the urgent necessity of providing
suitable buildings for the Academy This
year the board will find earth already bro
Ken for two of the buildings which are to
form part of an elaborate group that in
lew years will comprise the main quar-
ters and buildings for instructions to re-
place the present miserable affairs.
Two important subjects will be present.
ed TO the board, and will probably receive
It's endorsement. The extension of tho
navy's work and the growing duties i'm
posed upon officers and men will render
necessary the maintenance in commission
OF larger fleet and call for an increase
OF the personnel. This has suggested TO
naval officers the necessity for providing
yearly larger number OF Annapolis gradu.
aies for commissions in the lower grades
win the completion of the plans for the
new Naval Academy there will be provision
Tor nearly double the number OF cadets
now allowed. Three hundred have been
under instruction at once. bu. over 5Oo
may De hereafter quartered and educated
IL Is asserted by naval officials that II
with over 100 vacancies existing in the
grade OF ensign, together with the annual
casualties and retirements. the graduating
ciass IS 10 remain at thirty-five these va
cancies can never be filed, and even il the
full strength of the personnel was secured
an insufiiciency of officers would still exist
TO meet the demands of the service The
boards attention will be called to these
idcts, ana II Is expected some recommenda-
tion De made and a plan suggested for
increasing the number of appointments at
the academy by no. allowing one TO each
senator and twenty additional appoint
ments by the President. Such an increase.
1t is said, would not create more graduates
annually than could be absorbed by the
ordinary vacancies created by deaths, re-
tirements, and other causes 1t is said
further that IL would be far more to the
country's advantage to discharge cadets for
whom there are no vacancies than 10 lave
from thirty TO fifty places each year for
which there are no cadets.
Another subject said to be OF great inter-
est is the question of languages. The
permanent acquisition of territory where
languages and customs differ will make
necessary, it is believed, important changes
in the curriculum both at West Point and
Annapolis, where only elementary in5truc-
tion practically is given in foreign Ian
guages. The course in French and Span
ish at Annapolis is good so far as it goes,
but it is claimed it does not go far enough
TO make cadets on graduating capable of
either speaking or reading these languages |
to advantage.