The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-26
THE CASE OF AnDSHIPMAN AR
ROWOOD.
His Father Defends The Young Man
In The Position lie Has Taken.

The case of Midshipman ArroWOod,
son of Rev. M. G. Arrowood, lately of
this county, Is attracting a great deal
of attention. Young ArroWood had
passed through the training school at
Annapolis and had begun his service
as a naval officer on board the battle
| ship KearSage. While the ship was
anchored at HAMPTON Roads, about
three weeks ago, he disappeared. 1t
then became known that he and his
| father had previously asked the Sec
rotary of the Navy to accept his re-
| signation, which request was refused.
A few days ago the young man was
arrested as a. deserter, and is now de-
| tanned on board the receiving ship
| Hancock in the Brooklyn navy yard,
| and Admiral Coghlan has said that
he will be tried by court martial as q
deserter.
The papers having stated that
young Arrowood had written his
| father that he had found his associa-
lions We're of such an immoral char
acter that he could not be an officer
of the navy and a Christian gentle
| man nj the same time. Rev. Mr.. Ar
roWood write q letter In which he
says his son never said any such thing
to him. but adds that ne himself had
made certain statements TO the De-
nartment, without his sons knoWl-
edge. He says:
"I said that the Fbicherine. injus
tice and jealousies of the service were
such that my son could not be true
20 the demands of the service and
maintain the Christian manhood and
Integrity. his conscience demanded.
What 1 said in M, letter to the De-
partment was said on my own initia-
tive and information, my son knowing
nothing about it, and not directly or
indirectly responsible for d single
sentence in it. My letter is in the
hands Of the Navy Department. IL it
is SO remarkable let the Department
publish it TO the world. / am sure /
wrote it for whoever it may concern.
Now, is my statement as to the bick-
ering. jealousies, injustice in the per-
SOME! OF the service untrue? No
Intelligent American who followed the
Sampson-Schley investigation, doubts
it for n moment. The whole service
frcm ton to bottom in this respect,
is honey-combed with rottenness.
us the personnel of the navy i'm
moral? No, when judged by the
worlds standard Of morals. Is It
Christian: Again no. when judged
by the standard oc morals recognized
by and advocated by Protestant
Christianity. / do not suppose any
one would characterize the doing of
he Four Hundred MS immoral. for
tie world has set its seal of approval:
III fact II is the world. and the world
is IL; neither could any one be found
80 bold as TO characterize the social
Four Hundred as n bright and shin
ing example of Christian morals, with
lis winnings and dinings, It's balls and
cards. its bettings and facings and
"a gA 60 r
social life of the -Four Hundred, and
YOU have Il replica of the social life
OF the navy. Is this morality? Yes,
the world and Admiral Coghlan,
Young Mems Christian Association
preacher i'm his old age" etc, says It
is. Is il 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 de-
fend the truth. we declare it to be
absolutely uHthristian.
why, Mr.. Editor, this is no new
fight with me; | have been in the
thick Of this bottle ever since my s>n
matriculdtcd 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 10 publish them
they will be mighty interesting read
ing at this time. and will heip the
public to see more clearly our conten-
ton for liberty of conscience and re
ligious freedom.
when / signed articles giving my
consent for my son to enter the navy,
mad pot the remotest idea that his
religious privileges would be intcrrer-
ed with, so / sent a request to Com
mander wainwright, asking that my
son be allowed TO identify himself
with the Presbyterian congregations in
Annapolis, as he was a 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
words and ] had to positively da-
mand my constitutional rights before
they would allow my request. For
three years before my son entered no
boy had been allowed to attend the
'hurch of his individual denomina-
ton, except Roman Catholics. Why
tile execution was made in their ia
yor. | know not. l 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?
Because it was the general impression
In the academy that it would make n
boy unpopular with the authorities.
Rev. George s. Bell, backed by all
the mora! forces Of the Northern
Presbyterian church. had been trying
for three years to break that iniqui-
tous rule. but without avail. The
Northern general assembly appointed
a committee to memorable the Navy
Department and the President on the
matter, with no results. 1t was only
when / threatened to carry my in
1iyidual case Greet TO Congress and
demand my constitutional rights, that