The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-25

honor Tor the nation and for himself must
not too closely the odds; if he does
he will never see such a day as that when
Cushing sank the Albemarle.
In his fight with the Scraps Jones's
ship was so badly mauled that his opponent
hailed him, saying, Has your ship struck
to which Jones answered, L have not yet
begun to fight The spirit which inspired
that answer upbore the man who gave it
and the crew who served under him through
the fury of the battle, which finally ended
in their triumph. 1t was the same spirit
which marked the commanders of the
met an equally glorious though less for
tunate fate. The Cumberland sank, her
flag flying and her guns firing with the
decks awash, while, when summoned to
surrender, Morris replied, Never, I'll sink
alongside and made his words good.
Immediately after the Cumberland was
sunk the Congress was attacked, and her
commander. Lieut.. Joe Smith, was killed.
After fighting until she was helpless. and
being unable to bring her guns to bear,
the ship was surrendered; but when Smiths
father, old Commodore Joe Smith, who
was on duty at Washington, saw. by the
dispatches from Fort Monroe that the
Congress had hoisted the white flag, he
said quietly, Then Joe's dead Surely
no father could wish to feel a prouder GER
tainty of his boys behavior than the old
Commodore showed he possessed when he
thus spoke; and no naval officer could hope
to win a finer epitaph.
we have met to-day to do honor to the
mighty dead. Remember that our words
Of admiration are but as sounding brass
and tinkling cymbals if we do not by steady
preparation and by the cultivation of soul
and mind and body fit ourselves so that
in time Of need we shall be prepared to
emulate their deeds. Let every midship-
remember. as he looks upon the tomb Of
John Paul Jones, that while no courage
can atone for the lack Of that efficiency
which comes only through careful prepa-
ration in advance. through careful train
ing OF the men and careful fitting out of
the engines of war, yet that none of these
things can avail unless in the ome OF
crisis the heart rises level with the crisis.
The navy whose captains will not sur
render is sure in the long run to whip
the navy whose captains VIII surrender,
unless the inequality of skill or force is
prodigious..
Il wish that our people as a whole and
especially those among us who occupy high
legislative or administrative positions, would
study the history OF u nation: not merely
but with the desire to learn the lessons
that history teaches.
"Let the men who talk lightly about it's
being unnecessary for us now to have an
army and navy ade luate for the work, Of
this nation in the world, remember that
such utterances are not merely foolish:
for in their effects they may at any time be
frought with disaster and disgrace to the
nations honor as well as disadvantage to
Its interest.
Let them take TO heart some of the
lessons which should be learned by the
study of the war Of 1912. As a people we
are too apt to remember only that some
of our ships did well in that war. We had
a few ships, a very few ships.,and they did
so we'll as to show the utter folly OF not hav-
ing enough of them.
Thanks to our folly az a nation, thanks
to the folly that found expression in the
views of those at the seat of Government.
not a ship of any Importance had been
built within a dozen years before the war
began and the navy was so small that
when once the war was on our opponents
were able to establish a close blockade
through the length Of our coast. so that not
a ship, could go from one port to another
"Our parsimony in not preparing an
adequate navy (Which would have pre-
vented the war; cost in the end literally
thousands of dollars for every one dollar
we thus foolishly saved.
inconsiderable British force of about 900
men landed here in the bay, defeated with
ease a larger body OF raw troops put against
1t and took Washington.
81 am soIry to say that these Of our
oountrymen who now speak of the deeds
usually oonfine themselves to denouncing
the British for having burned certain build
In ps in Washington. They had better spare
their breath. The sin of the invaders in
burning the buildings is trivial compared
with the sin of our people in railing. to
make ready an adequate foIce to defeat
aThis nation was guilty Of such short
sightedness, of such folly, of such lack of
prep ration that it was forced supinely
To submit to the insult and was impotent
$3.50 m IL. and IN TpaG npl V the Unn1 fortuna
of ha wing in Andrew Jackson a great ma tura
soldier that prevented n repetition of the
disaster at New Orleans.
aIet us remember our own shortcomings
and see to it that the men in public life to-day
are not permitted to bring about a state of
things bv which we should in effect invite a
repetition of such a humiliation.
I'VE can afford a. a people TO dlfier on
ordinary party questions; but II We are
both farsighted and patriotic we cannot
ton of keeping the national defences as
they should be kept; Of not alone keeping
no blu of going on with building up
the United States Navy, and OF keeping
our small army at least at it's present size
and making it the most efficient for its size
that there is on the globe.
aRemember, you here who are listening
To me. that to applaud patriotic sentiments
and to turn out to do honor to the dead
haroes who by land or by sea won honor
prerared TO show that our energies do not
exhaust themselves in words: If we are
prepared to show that We intend to take
to heart the lessons OF the past and make
things ready 80 that il ever Heaven
~forhid-the need should arise our fighting
men on sea and ashore shall be able to rise
TO the standard established by their prede-
cessors in our services of the past.
Those Of you who are in public life have
a moral right to be here at this oelebration
TO-DAY oniy IL you are prepared to do your
part Of building up the navy of the present;
for otherwise you nave no right to claim lot
or part in the glory and honor and renown
Of the navy's past.
~ nublio Office and within it, are to do for
YOU, and must do for you, in the navy. Let
YOU in the navy remember that you must do
your part. You will be worthless in war