The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-20
AMERICAN ROY AND AMERICAN
81 NAVY.
His Advantages In the Naval Service
Pointed ont by Q ReCruiting Oficer.

TOIutoU Vut W hcCtustu8 vmCcT.
TO THE EDITOR or THE suN-Sir: In
your paper Of Aug. ~ appears . Letter under
signed by Mr.. Frederic Grlnith.
feel that cannot oonscientlously. az n
recruiting of1cer. permit II to pass unan-
swered. in fact, certain statements made
by him make II imperative that should
answer. since have risen from the ranks
--"entered the wardroom through the en-
listment roll"-to use Mr.. Grlfiith's words
II Ii true that President Roosevelt II
working increasingly to impress on the coun-
try that the future safety Of the United States
requires many and formidable naval vessels.
TO be constructed without delay" Who that
has watched the war In the Far East and
noted the important part played by the navy
Of tho winning Power can deny that Mr..
Grlfiith. circulating such Misleading state
ments ~ arc ntained In his letter from
Paris, bid fair to undo much Of the Presi-
dents tireless work.
Mr.. Grlhith IL wrong when he says that
enlistment does not commend itself to am
bilious fellows willing to begin low" and
that the Departments statement that the
navy offers Q great chance for young men
TO zee the world" Is come on The great
trouble with most Of our young men Ia that
they are not satisfied to begin low. They
want to begin on top. They know more. in
their own minds. when they go on board
ship than the man who Is placed over them
and who has spent years In gaining his ex-
perience. They do not take kindly~to naval
discipline. which. nevertheless. must be en-
forced II we are to have q service worth the
name.
My personal experience has been that no
man who shows the least desire to learn and
to improve himself In the naval service will
ever lack assistance from officers or enlisted
men OF longer experience.
No concern on shore offers more for the
intelligence invested than does the navy 10
the average American boy.
As the law stands to-day. a boy can enter
the service at ~ years, reach warrant rank.
with a salary OF from 81 200 to 81, 800 year.
by the time he Ii - or IS years Of age. secure
a commission In the line three years later
and enjoy the rank of full Lieutenant at the
age OF 80. From then on his promotion ia
just as rapid and he will just as surely reach
the grade OF Rear Admiral as any other
oficer OF similar rank. thus contradicting
Mr.. Griffith's statement that after long year
of dutiful service a man may be given tho
rank OF Ensign and be allowed to swing his
hammock in the wardroom eaapgway" I
sSps s I'D ssep II aa
but II Mr. Griffith will take the time. 10 visit
one Of our modern vessels he will fnd =
Should young man lack the ambition or
5 ss @ srn se hsf b4o frsd
OWL life il he sticks to the service. during
the thirty years an enlisted man iss required
= per eSaht to Save $50 Of thst
II he 10 % careful Of his earnings as he would
hsy e s T. s sy doSn ans h'y
month for ths remainder Of his life. Can YOU
beat thss Y the factory in the store or o"
AZ ior seeing tho world !. one Of The most st
he Hoy Lana from R pp men aS
The time our ship va. az chored n that poT,
md d Japan. and Went on shor. i IL Every port.
.o r. w thss ct q sSs
that barbor took extended leave and. with
northern Japan. Il is certain they, were
seeing more Of that part Of the world than Ia
q thu the
6T aa HGts one sof ssn see much Of the
e: ~ i:sss e
the ofncer who was not kind and ever ready
to help me- Since entsrlpg the Eardroom,
tSan mn have have a enjoyed al the hands Of my
messmates. There are no enobs in the
United States navy. and as for the kid glove
class Of ofirers" Mr.. Grffth mentions, I would
to Visit one Of eur. bsttieshps. where he will
IN all probability hnd more Of the officers In
than In irock GOAT and kid gloves.
No. Mr.. Griffith has been Ill informed
respecting the United States Navy, and he
would do we'll to turn his pen toward en-
couraeine all young men to give 1t q fair
trial. rather than to write however uninten;
uonally on his part. In q manner that viii
only serve to DISCOURAGE the few who have
thoughts inclined In that direction.
The law allows twelve, warrant officers to
thus far less than half that number havo
applied, though the Navv Department has
do go. HENRY p. Sorr.R,
Lieutenant. United States Navy
NAVAL REcRU1TINo OFFICE No. S. SPRINn-