The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25
A College Presidents Ignorance of the
United States Army.

Professor HADLEY, tho newly elected
President Of Yale University, will need to
exercise moro sagacity and exhibit more
Intelligence than he displayed on Friday
in an address at New Haven, II he is make
his administration of that school Of learn
ing OF distinguished ability and usefulness.
wise man takes pains to inform himself
about important subjects rs to which he
ventures to express decided opinions, and
more especially is it incumbent on him SO
to do when his function Is to mould the
sentiment OF youth upon whom will de-
volve the solemn responsibilities Of citizens
Of great republic
Theignorance and misconception OF which
we speak wcro shown more particularly in
President HADLEY's references to the army
and navy and their respective perform
ances in the war with Spain Here is one
of his paragraphs
IF you want object lesson from last years
events OF what by this tsrrit de corps in pub
lie service consider tho work Of our navy as COM
pared with the different record Of the army In the
lazy each officer is eager for distinction and pro
III 'tion as i'll the army but each considers himself
part Of a whole. whose glory is greater than any
which he az an individual can gain. In the army
the scramble for commissions wrought much havoc
ieNoiu VI ls eQldl tnAt OF
onr magnificent hghting navy"
II President HADLEY had known anything
about the two services and their spirit and
relative efficiency he would never have
talked in that way. II no had undertaken
to speak OF any subject OF learned in
Quiry outside Of the special sphere of
lis studies as scholar and n man
OF science he would have guarded
himself against misjudgment by careful
and thorough preparation, diligently
weighing the evidence hut manifrstly he
discussed the army and navy with no
other qualification to express opinions
about them than he had got from the
reading of equally ignorant newspapers
1t was n distinctly unscientifc method,
and his pursuit Of it was the moro incxcus-
able, the more reprchensible, since by u little
really scientific inquiry he could have
acquired knowledge as to the subject suffl-
cent to save him from injustice and really
absurd misunderstanding.
In the first place. there Is no difference
between the esprit de corps OF the navy and
OF the army. They are governed by the
same military principles and their moral
tone Is similar. Obedience ia at the basis Of
Il
President HADLRY essayed to draw between
the two services Is utterly without justih-
cation. Neither Is better than the other,
and neither has distinguished itself in this
war more than the other Each In its own
sphere has cast lustre on American arms,
and such shortcomings as occurred are
inevitable In human performances and In all
warfare. and they were no moro notable in
the one than the other.
Except for the small force Of the Naval
Reserves. the navy was wholly regular,
trained service. The army was unwisely
supplemented by body OF volunteers and
OF militia without previous training for the
service required OF them, Congress having
refused to pass the original Hull bill for the
reorganization and sufficient increase Of tho
army to meet the exigencies OF the war Our
little army OF about $4,000 men, scattered
over the Union far and wide, was made the
nucleus OF force ten times as great but
the task was performed by the Government
with astonishing celebrity and unexam-
pied success. From beginning to end
there was no instance OF weakness or
breakdown In the army or its supply de-
partments. II President HADLEY had pur-
sued the scientific method Of qualifying
himself to speak on subject Of which he
was ignorant he would have read,
Tor Instance, the reports OF the critl.
cal lnspector-Generals Department, which
accompany the report OF the Com.
nandin.j General. and afford no iusti,