Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-09-12
BONAPARTE TO CADETS
Graduating Class at Annapolis Listen. ed to a Fine Address To-Day
POINTED OUT WAY TO ACT

Washington, Sept 12.-The follow ing address of Charles J. Bonaparte, secretary of the navy, to the grad uating class of midshipmen at the naval academy at Annapolis. Md, was delivered to-day: .
 Young Gentlemen-You begin to- day the work of your profession; for three years you have tried to learn how to do this work; with what suc- cess the days before you will show. Hereafter you belong to your profess sion and in my trespass on your at- tention this morning shall say but a few words as to what that profess sion is.
 First: It is the profession of a gentleman; to say this in your case is not an ebullition of snobbishness, but the statement of a matter of law. For each one of you 1t is a legal duty to behave as a gentleman and each of you may be tried and punished as for a crime If he fails in this duty. \ Some little time since I had no diff flculty in sustaining the findings of an examining board that an officer had mot the sentiments, habits and man. ners of gentleman who profession ally disqualified for promotion. Now what is gentleman" the question may well be asked, for the word Is grossly abused; in common usage, 1t means some times much and some times little and often less than nOth- ing As used in the laws and regula- tions governing our navy. its essen tial meaning is that you and your brother officers have duties beyond the duties of others; that you have obligations which do not rest on all members of this community; that of you are required measure of self control, readiness for self sacrifice, a sensitlyeness in honor which 1t might be neither reasonable to expect nor charitable to exact of all young fellow citizens.
 Moreover, since whatever else a Gentleman may or may not be, he is thought of always and everywhere as man entitled to respect; 1t Is a part of your professional duty, a part of the service dne your country at your hands. part of the solemn and eternal obligation of your oths that as officers you be known for such simplicity and. truth, such mo- desty of demeanor and such purity of life as will earn for you the re- spect of good men. From others. these things may be demanded by re- ligion or philosophy; from you, they are but the fulfillment of your prom ise; without them, you will not be gentlemen in that sense wherein every good officer must also be. gentleman. es -,..
 Secondly. your profession is the profession of arms; you have chosen q military life. When the president re- views our fleet some persons saw, or affected to see. some inc0ngrulty In his choice of labor day for the pur- pose Why? He saw aligned on the ships he passed some fifteen thousand American citizens. all of them. wheth- CT officers or men. fairly entitled to be called 'workingmen': why should not such workingmen pass in review before the chief officer of our nation as appropriately on labor day as on any other, or as any other working men on any day? The distinction really lies, not in the labor. but in the motives and methods of the laboers; men who serve their country in arms work not for their good but for hers, not that they or those dear to them be the better for their toll. hut that she he safe and peaceful and honor ed.
 'I saw not long ago the prediction that fin forty years war would be ia lost art this sapient deliverance rolled along In that food of talk about the beauties of peace and the horrors of war which ripples around us just now, as it has from time to time during the history of civilized mankind, too often as prelude to bloody and disastrous wars. I am not prepared to say that war will never become a lost art for am not gifted with that confidence in my own omniscence which has been vouchsafed to some among my coun- trymen. but am quite ready to say that this happy consummatfon will not be attained in forty years or eighty or until men have become either better or worse than men.
 Mir John Stuart Mill thought there might be planet wherein two and two made five. and day may come when we shall have no need of po- licemen or jails. of lawyers or courts. of physicians or nurses or even un- dertakers. when that day comes it will. perhaps. he time to think whether we conld do without sol diers and sailors hnt not before"