Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-02-12

| WituOut yourselves, INTO the keeplnk
OF other men. chosen, not by you, bui
by your country's laws. For nine
out or every ten young Americans
standing as You stand here, at the
threshold of their lifework, success in
life' means success in money making
tue pursuit of happiness means the
pursuit of wealth. Your profession
holds out no money prizes, upless en-.
| riched by mere accident. you must
| look forward to dying poor men and
leaving your children little beyond a
claim on the nations gratitude.
Even the most elementary of what
ara called natural rights, the right
to protect ones self from bodily in.
jury inflicted by lawless violence. Won
have surrendered. Were Won. or
your comrades of the sister service
called upon to quell tumolt, YOU or
they would take passively missiles
and blows no less than curses until
you heard the word of command
And for the protection OF your repu-
tation, something of far greater value
TO men of your education and sur
roundings than personal safety, you
must again trust to the equity aud
the vigilance of your superiors, an
equity and vigilance which, | hope.
VIII be never found wanting. | have
seen lately published statements 10
the effect that here and at West Point
the country gave away an educa.
tion. What | think of such statements
it would not accurd with the restraint
OF official position for me to say; but
it is true that the two national acad.
enies are the scenes of gifts within
their walls young Americans give and
give freely TO their country what is
beyond barter and above aprice, what
no multi millionaire could purchase
and no trust could own, their minds
aud hearts, their hopes and lives. in
short, themselves.
NV young friends, you have made
this gift. and, if you have made il
from the heart aud without reserve.
you have done we'll. If you leave
here meaning to be true sailors, ard
not fake sailors, to be faithful ser.
wants of your country, and not mere
pensioners under pIetext of service.
yon have chosen no less wisely than
worthily. Hero aud there in this i'm.
mense land may be found an enemy
to our Navy, few men who hate the
nations greatness, aud who hate the
Navy as the sign and safeguard of
that greatness; few men whose view
Of everything is proportioned to the
little breadth of their own minds and
who give their time to. petty bicker.
ings about petty things, on this sub
lect as they might and do on any
can people has I1UUIs esu0u'n .s.,I,s.
their talk and their aims it has little
sympathy. LII knows its need for a
Navy, and it would have that Navy
worthy of itself. 1t is grateful to its
seamen for the past, and it trusts
them as the guardian of its safety aud
its honor in the future. And in your
chosen work, if you do we'll your
part, you will guarantee great happi.
ness of a reasonable self-respect and
an approving conscience
Your life may be hard and may not
be long, but while you live, if your
service be what it should be, you will
be houored by your countrymen. You
may not die rich, but if you die With
the consciousness of life we'll spent
in an honorable calling, / could wish
you no better end. +"
At the conclusion of the Secretary's
speech the members of the first class
came to the front of the platform to
receive their diplomas The first
seven-who graduated with "star"
rank-were called up in order of their
scholastic rank and Midshipman Chan
try, Drake, Miller, Knox. Wright,
Jensen and Barker responded in order
named. The remainder of the diplo-
mas were handed out without regard
to standing so that the low rank Of
the less bright or studious midshipmen
would not be emphasized.
AS the midshipmen received their
diplomas there was applause from
their relatives an friends aud this was
particularly marked in the case of these
who had received their diplomas wi th
the greatest difficulty. Midshipmer
Miller, Mann and Mayo, the allitera.
tive trio who mad lately gone through
| the ordeal of facing a trial by court
martial on charges Of hazing, were
greeted with perfect storms Of hanC
| clapping. Three other midshipmen
| whom it was thought would be delay
| ed in receiving their diplomas, bu
who had the barrier waived at the last
moment were Vestal p. Coffin, c
| Boise, Idaho, Stuart W. Cake. o.
Pottsville, Pa, and Claude A. Bon
| william, Of Houma, Ia. The forme
was deficient in conduct and the two
latter were in one scholastic brancl
each and it was officially stated tina
they would not receive their diplo
| mas. However, the deficiencies. " hicl
were slight in each case, were waived
They received an ovation when the,
got their sheepskins.
Others who came in for great ap
plause were the company captain
and the team captains and other ath
Ietes. In each case the members Q
the companies were PARTICULAR
hearty in greeting their own com
mander. The personal popularity o
Douglass l. Howard, the fact that II
has lived in Annapolis all his lif
and that he has captained not onl
one of the companies, but the football
team, conspired to make the applaus
that greeted the receipt Of his diplom
the longest and loudest of the day.
After the diplomas had been present
ed, Secretary Bonaparte delivered {
Midshipman William A. Glassford
Jr., of Las Vegas, n. M. the swor
which had been purchased by mean
Of a fnnd donated by the members c
the class of 1871 of the Naval Acad
emv. The sword is awarded annual
TO the graduate who has made the bes
practical and theoretical showing j
ordnance and gunnery. This MidshiI
man Glassford won the honor
At the conclusion CT the presents
tion the midshipmen of the tnrt
lower classes gave three rousing cheer
, for "those about 10 leave us, III
cheers heuC uroDOsed nv MidShinme