Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-02-25
THE REV. N. c. ARRONOOD
DISCOURSFS ON A'REMARK.
ABLE CASE
Father of Deserving Midshipman
Severe On Navy Morals And
New York -Four
Hundred.

Hundred.
A marked copy. of the Morning Post,
of Raleigh, n. o., has been received
at this office. containing the follow
ing article above the signature of NJ.
q. Arrowood, father of Midshipman
Arrowood, now awaiting court-martial
for desertion. The article reads with
ont change as follows:
Editor Morning Post The commu-
nication in today's issue of The Post
under the flaming headlines Remark
able Case of Young Arrowood, is SO
palpably false in its differences, and
statement of facts that justice demands
that / answer it at some length. The
statement that my son wrote me that
he "found his associations were of
such an immoral character that he
could not be Christian gentleman
and an officer of the navy at the same
time, is untrue My son has been as
silent to me as your correspondent dc
cIares him to be now on the receiving
ship Hancock. My letter to the de.
partment, which your correspondent
dignifes by his significant adjective
remarkable was my own, based
upon information Cleaned from va
rious sources, the least of which was
directed from my son.
| said that the pickering, injus-
tice and jealouses of the service were
such that my son could not be true to
the demands of the service and main
tain the Christian manhood and integ-
rity his conscience demanded. =" What
| said in my letter to the department
was said on my own initiative, and
information, my son knowing nothing
about it, and not directly or indirectly
responsible for a single sentence in it.
My letter is in the hands of the navy
department Ii it is so remark
able'' let the department publish it to
the world. / am sure l wrote it for
whoever it may concern. Now, is
my statement as to the pickering, jeal
ousies, injustice in the personnel of
the service untrue No intelligent
American who followed the Sampson
Sohley investigation, doubts it for a
moment. The whole service from top
to bottom, in this respect, is honey
combed with rottenness.
Is the personnel of the navy i'm
moral No, when judged by the
world g standard of morals. Is it Chris
tian ? Again no, when judged by the
standard of morals recognized by and
advocated by Protestant Christianity.
l do not suppose any one would char
acterize the doing of the Four Hun
dred as immoral, for the world has set
it's seal of approval; in fact it is the
world, and the world is it, neither
could any one be found so bold as TO
characterize the social Four Hundred
as bright and shining example OF
Christian morals. with its winnings
and diningS, its balls and cards, its
bettings and racings. and fast life gen.
orally. Look well to the social life OF
the Four Hundred, and you have a
replica of the social life of the navy.
Is this morality Yes, the world and
Admiral Coghlan, Young Mems
Christian Association preacher in his
old" age, etc., etc., says it is. Is it
Christian No, by all the shades of
our Scotch forefathers, from whom we
have inherited our love of freedom
and right. and from whom we have
learned how to love and defend the
truth, we declare it to be absolutely
unChristian.
Why, MIR. Editor, this is no new
fight with me; have been in the
thick of this battle ever since my son
matriculated at the Academy. More
than one remarkable letter have |
written to the department. | suppose
they are ON file, if the department will
be so good as to publish Them they
will be slightly interesting reading at
this time, and will help the public TO
see more clearly our contention for
liberty of conscience, and religious
freedom.
When | signed articles giving my
consent for my son to enter the navy l
had not the remotest idea that his re-
ligious privileges would be interfered
with, so / sent aTequest to Command
er Wainwright, asking that my son be
allowed to identify himself with the
Presbyterian congregation in Annapo-
lis, as he was communing member of
that church. / received polite reply
that it was against the regulations to
allow BOYS to go out to church. This
was quite a shock to me. There was
the first crossing of swords, and l had
to positively demand my constitutional
rights before they would allow my re-
quest. For three years before my son
entered no boy had been allowed to
attend the church of his individual
O6QOml0hIlOnso oACCpb hOAhoh OoOuOAASS.
Why the exception was made IN their
favor. I know not. | have tried to
find out, but no explanation was ever
given. Only one other boy besides my
SON would ask the privilege. out of
over three hundred boys. Why! be-
cause it was the general impression in
the academy that it would make a
boy unpopular with the authorities.
Rev. George s.. Bell, backed by all
the moral force of the Northern Pres
byterian Church, had been trying for
three years to break that iniquitous
rule, but without avail. The north
ern general assembly appointed COM
mittee to memorable the navy. depart
ment and the President on the matter
with no results. 1t was only when !
threatened to carry my individual case
direct to congress and demand my
constitutional rights that the depart