The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-09
TALKS TO CADETS.
President Presents Diplomas to G rad
mites at the Naval Academy

Annapolis, Md, May 3.-President
Roosevelt yesterday forenoon came
here and delivered the address to the
graduating class at the United States
naval academy. He said among other
things:
Responsibility on Graduates.
In receiving these diplomas you become
men who above almost any others of the
entire union are to carry henceforth the
eyer-present sense of responsibility which
must come with the knowledge that on
some tremendous day it may depend upon
your courage, your preparedness, your
keen intelligence and knowledge of your
profession whether or not the nation is
again to write her name on the world S roll
of honor or to know the black shame of de-
feat We all of us earnestly hope that the
occasion for war may never come, but II 1t
has to come then this nation must win and
the prime factor in securing victory over
any foreign foe must of necessity be the
United States navy.
Hope Lies in Navy.
If the navy fails us then we are doomed to
defeat no matter what may be our material
wealth or the high average of our citizen
ship 1t should, therefore, be an object of
prime Importance for every patriotic
American to see that the navy is constantly
built up and above all that it is kept to the
highest point of efficiency both in material
and in personnel. 1t cannot be too often
repeated that in modern war, and especially
in modern naval war, the chief factor in
achieving triumph is what has been done
in the way of thorough preparation and
training before the beginning of the war.
The Supreme Hour.
You, to whom give these diplomas, now
Join the ranks of the officers of the United
States navy. You enter a glorious service,
proud of its memories of renown. You
must keep ever in your minds the thought
of the supreme hour which may come when
what you do will forever add to or detract
from this renown. Some of you will have
to do your part in helping construct the
ships and the guns which you use.
Importance of Details.
You need to bend every energy toward
making these ships and guns in all their
details the most perfect of their kind
throughout the world. The best ships and
guns and the most costly mechanism are
utterly vaueless If the men are not trained
to use them to the utmost possible advan-
tage. From now on throughout your lives
there can be no slackness on your part.
under you, in the actual work of seaman
ship, in the actual work of gunnery.
In the Day of battle.
If the day for battle comes you will need
all that you possess of boldness, skill, de-
termination, ability to bear punishment, and
instant readiness in an emergency. But
tnOuSH WITHOUT tleSt QUALITIES you can 90
no thing, yet even with them you can do
but little if you have not had the fore
thought and set purpose to train your
selves and the enlisted men under you
Alright. Officers and men alike must have
the sea habit; officers and men alike must
realize that in battle the only shots that
count are the shots that hit and that nor
maly the victory will lie with the side
whose shots hit oftenest. Seamanship and
marksmanship-these must be the two