Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-05-10

welt delivered the diplomas to the grad
uating class at the naval academy here
today. In his presentation address the
president said:
Presidents Address.
I'm receiving these diplomas you be-
come men who above almost any others
in the entire union are to carry hence
forth an ever present sense of respon-
sibtlity which must come with the
knowledge that on some tremendous
day 1t Ia depend upon you courage,
your preparedness, your keen intelli-
gence and knowledge Of your profes-
sion, whether or not the nation is
again to write her name on the worlds
roll of honor, or to know black shame
n defeat. We all of us earnestly
hope the occasion for war may never
come, but IL IL has to come then this
nation must win, and the prime factor
in securing victory over n foreign
foe must of necessity be the United
States 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 citizenship. 1t
should, therefore, be an object of prime
Importance for every patriotic Amerl-
can to see the navy constantly built
up, and above all that 1t is kept to the
highest point OF efficiency, both in ma
terial n personnel. 1t cannot be toe
often repeated that In modern war,
especially in modern naval war, a
chief factor In achieving triumph is
what has been done in the way of
thorough preparation and training be-
fore the beginning Of the war. II is
what has been done before the out
break of war that is all important.
After the outbreak all that can be done
is TO use to the best advantage the
great war engines and ~seamanship,
craftsmanship and general efficiency
which already have been provided by
The forethought OF the national legis-
lature and by administrative ability
through a course of years in the naval
department.
Cannot 30 ImprovisSd.
"a battle ship cannot be improvised.
1t takes years to build, and the skill
of officers and crew in handling IT
Alright can likewise never be improvised
but must spring from use-and actual
sea service and from the most careful,
jealous, systematic training.
you, to whom | give these diplomas,
now join the ranks Of the officers OF
the United States naVy. You enter Il
glorious service, proud of It's 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
enown Some of you Will haV TO do
your part in helping construct the ships
and guns which you use. You need bend
every energy toward making these
ships and guns In all their details the
most perfect of their kind throughout
the world. A ship must be seaworthy,
the armament fitted for the best pro-
lection to the guns and the men, the
guns in all their mechanism TT to do
The greatest possible execution In the
shortest possible time. Every detail
must be thought out far in advance,
and that thought carefully executed in
actual work The best ships and guns
and the most costly mechanism are
utterly valueless if the men are not
trained to use them to the utmost pos
sible advantage.
Must B9 No S~lackness.
From now on throughout your lives
there can be no slackness on your part.
Your duty must be present with you,
waking and sleeping. You have got
TO train yourselves and those under you
in the actual work OF sCamanship and
gunnery. If the day for battle comes
you Will need all that you possess OF
boldness, skill, determination, ability
to bear punishment, and instant readi-
ness In an emergency. But though
without these qualities you can do
nothing, yet even with them you can
do bUt little if you have not had 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, must realize hat in
battle the only shots that count are the
shots that hit, that normally victory
will be- with the side whose shots hit
oftenest. Seamanship and marksman-
ship, these must be the two prime OBJ
jects of your training, both for your
selves n for the men under YOU"