The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1899-06-24
NAVAL PROMOTIONS
Some Very Good Opportunities
Open to Enlisted Men.
Yet the Fact That They Cannot Be.
come Commissioned Omcera De-
tiers Many Good Men from En-
tering the Navy.

A correspondent, formerly voluu.
teer naval officer, writes to the Pos,
as follows:
Il noticed the other day in YOU,
paper that the United States navy wa,
having some difficulty in obtaining til.
necessary enlistment of men to prop
erly man the ships now in and going
into commission.
1T is not at all wonderful that ii (
hard TO get respectable American
young men to enlist in the United
States navy. Why should they do 50?
What prospect for advancement in life
is there for any enlisted man in the
United States navy?
| ''No matter how intelligent, how dis.
tinguished in action or in any way fit
can he ever become a commissioned
officer? All he can possibly look for.
ward to and hope for is that he mas
eventually become a warrant officer
boatswain, gunner, sailmaker, car.
penter-an officer who is neither fish
tiesh, fowl nor red herring. Let there
be some law passed by congress so that
young men in the navy can obtain com,
missioned rate, the same as young men
in the army can, and there will be no
trouble ia getting lots of young men
to go into the naval service"
OF course this is an old familiar
proposition which has been threshed
over for 10! these many years, and
which loses force with every advance
in the science of marine warfare Il
may have possessed merit 30 years ago.
when the education of officers was
very simple on. and when courage, sea
manship, the faculty of command and
high personal character were the only
requisites. But nowadays, when the
Annapolis curriculum is extravagantly
exacting, when the equipment for
command is practically beyond The
reach of anyone save an alumnus of that
particular college, it is idle to talk Of
promoting men from the ranks. no
matter what their personal ability
may be. The modern warship is the
most complicated piece of machinery
imaginable. Steam and electricity
have taken the place of Drawn and
sails. Guns are loaded and fired by
mechanical appliances. Range is
taken by mathematics. 1t is impossi-
BILE for a man, whatever his native gifts
may be, to fit himself for the success
full discharge of naval officers duty
by any amount of experience in the
-foraoosfIa O,1r n0rra~ nn,,1antSc tho.
DRY is beautiful and alluring, but it is
hopelessly Utopian.
We are moved to say, however, tina:
the rewards open to seamen are not
altoge ther unworthy OF an honest
mans notice. The Post published, a
few days ago, list of promotions
within the ranks which indicate that
excellence there is far from unproft'
able. We quote few instances:
Daniel Montague, master at arms
to be boatswain, from $50 month Il
$1,000 year.
George Charette. gunner's mate, to
be gunner, from $50 a month to 81, 3oC
year.
Rudolph Claesson, Osborne Deg
nan and - Murphy, coxswains. 70 bt
chief boatswain's mate. an increase Of
$50 a month.
George +. Phillips. machinist, TO b.
chief maehinist, from $40 a month e
$40 month.
Francis Kelly, a water tender, L
be chief machinist, from $37 a montl
10 $40 a month"
1t can hardly be said that 81 300 a
year, with board and lodging FURNISHED
by the government, is a thing to be
despised. 1t may not carry with #
high social position on shore or th'
privilege of wearing a gorgeous Uni
form on deck, but many thousands o.
government employees of good socia
standing work hard for much less re
Enumeration, and do not feel that tn
world is empty, either. There Is room
to spare in civil life for men capable
of earning larger salaries.-washing
ton Post.