Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07
False Ideas About Navy.

False Ideas About Navy.
Perhaps the most interesting of the false
ideas propagated about the navy is in
volved in calling it's work "unproductive. -
I find this suggestion interesting because it
forcibly illustrates a form gof sophistry
which has figured often and very harmfully
in the sad history of human error. This
consists in ascribing to word a technical
or conventional meaning and then using
the same word in a far broader sense when
1t becomes an instrument of falsehood. In
Political Economy the distinction between
productive and "unproductive" labor de-
ponds entirely upon whether such labor
does or does not directly add to the wealth
of the community; man who makes mo-
lasses candy at the street corner Is engaged
in productive labor; a clergyman In his
pulpit a teacher at his desk, a physician
on the bench. are all laboring ''unproduc-
lively The founder of Christianity Ia
bored productivity in His trade as a car
penter; in His teaching, his institutions
and his death. what He did was unpro-
ductive." In his narrow and special mean
ing of the word the work of the navy is
doubtless ''unproductive.' 1t shares this
character with many, indeed with most of
the higher forms of human activity, with
many indeed with most of those kinds OF
iliZed man and not savage.
The work of George Washington and Paul
Jones produced" something, something
greater and better than the largest output
from the most profitable factory. something
that will live and live to bless mankind
when all our present mountains of material
wealth shall moulder into dust and when all
the men who raised up these mountains
shall be no longer even memories
1t has been the salvation of the Ameri-
can nation that, while We have Always had
and, from the nature of our institutions.
must always have political parties. these
parties have been in truth political" and
not as they were at Rome, and generally
in antiquity essentially social; al of them
have always included both rich and poor.
men of all conditions, callings and circum-
stances; they have been founded on differ
ences of opinion or temperament, not on
permanent and ineradicable hostility of in
terest; their avowed aims nave ever been
the advancement of the welfare of all
classes in the community; not the oppres-
sion of one class or the spoliation of an
other
Those disguised or alarmed by unhealthy
and un-American talk and thought can
turn their eyes on our navy. There, In
truth. none are for party, but all
are for the state;'' there 1.-The great man
loves the poor man and the poor man loves
the great; from the admiral of the navy
to the last recruit enlisted. every man in
the service who is worthy to be there, feels
himself first of all and before all else, the
servant of his country, and as such. the
comrade and friend of every like servant.
Among others who spoke were Jarvis B.
Edson president of the United States Navy
League; Colonel Robert Thompson, Captain
Aaron Vanderbilt and Chaplain +. F.
HUMPHREYS.
Prior to the meeting tonight a branch of
the Navy League was organized by Atlantic
CITY men, The idea of the formation of the
local league is to assist in the general
movement to foster stronger sentiment
for a formidable navy. and 1t is the ex-
uectation of the local members to nave
naval review off this city annually.