Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-07-10
FOR MORE PRACTICAL WORK
BOARD REVISES STUDY SIX
DEPARTMENTS TO BE
MADE THREE
An Effort 10 Remove Preparatory schools
From Annapolis Civil Authorities
Obligated


the board appointed BY President
Roosevelt 10 examine into the system
~ stadiss NJ the Naval Academy. The
board consists ~ Capt. Richard VAIN
wright, Commander Robert =. Grinn
and Lieut.. Commander Albert y. Key.
The report, which has been sub
mitied 10 the Navy Department. rec
onmends that the six departments Of
the Academy be condensed into three.
The mechanical department 20 be- com
bined with mathematics and the Eng
lish department 10 be combined with
modern languages, under the. direction
of 4 sea going officer. Commander
Beach will bo ~ charge of this z part
ment and Professor iiA@son viii re-
tire. IL these recommendation are
adopted. Professor Brown, fomerly
professor Of mathematics, Will remain
to rev ise textbooks. The modern Ian
guage course viii be extended 90 four
years, instead Of two, a. At present.
In the department 0f physics IA
recommends that electricity will be
made paramount with requirement
that this department shall be iu
charge Of a sca-going officer. which
will involve the retirement Of Pro
fsssor Terry. "a Is recommended fur
ther that there be mo- more graduation
short Of the four years course. 4
recommendation Of importance 90 this
city ~ that the training schools out
side Of the Academy shall bc under
the supervise OF the city or the
state.
''The board n Of the opinion that.
a. A whole, the present course ~ An
naapolis is well adapted to its pur-
pose" says the report. hut condi-
tions NJ the Academy have materially
changed in the last few years, due 10
the lack Of sca going officers and their
short detail - instructors, - The large
increase in ilio number Of the mid
shipmen and to Tie fact that many Of
them werc graduated without having
had the benefit Of four years
course.
"During the last year only three
heads Of departments were sea going
officers" continues the report, ''and
the absence Of such officers from The
faculty must gradually tend 90 q loss
OF that close connection with the ser
vice that has always been tho strong
mint Of the Academy. Permanent
leads gradually lose That intimate
know ledge of the service requirements
y bich IL Indispensable to efficiency
and there results a general tendency
Ia conservatism. Besides, tho small
number Of sea going officers that comes
IN contact with the midshipnien has
tendency 81 make their Iitary train
ing efficient. To correct this cOndi-
flon and 90 provide what - believed
60 be a better arrangement of depart
monts the board recommends that the
following named departments be COM
bined Navigation with seamanship,
mechanics with mathematics, English
with modern languages, making three
heads of departments instead Of SIX in
these branches, and that sea going
line officers be placed ~ the bead 0f
the departments ~ soaiiianship and
modern languages.
The board does not nud ~ practi-
cable to combine ordnance with an
0thor department, and docs not recon-
mend a change In the time assigned
To- II. it IL recommended that, 80 FAR
~ practicable, the tour Of duty ~ OIL
GERS detailed ~ instructors be made
three years instead Of two, and that
only Oue-third bc relieved zach year.
10 recommends that the department
" seamanship should be equipped
with tugs for practical instruction ~
midshipmou. " recommends that as
tr0nomy De taught earlier in the course.
In reviewing the entire course Of
studies. the board does not end that
too much time ~ sfeul on matbe-
matios or that the subjects are too alb
strnfe, but believes that with new text
books and revision ~ the course ID
can be made less diiIicuit aid the IN
struetiou more thorough. To this end
u - recommended that all mathemat-
ieal problems that arise IN the course
Of study in The several departments
be- Incorporated IN the course ~ math-
ematics, with suitable references to-
the particular department ~ which -
applicable. Similarly, the textbooks
IN other departments should, 80 far rs
practicable. contain references tO the
textbooks 80 mathematics. In This
way ID fs believed that needless fepe-
tiiion viii be avoided.
The board attacks the two local pre-
paratory schools as follows.
.sThe attention Of the board has been
specially drawn 10 the fact that, while
in attendance at the preparatory
schools in Annapolis, candidates for
appofntment as midsbipmen are
which exercise n most pefniciOus in
fIuence OF the morals Of these young
men. some Of whom contract habits
and associations which il is difficult
to eradicate, because these habits and
associations are continued during the
four wears OF their stay at the Acad-
emv. III the officers Of the navy are to
be men with a high sense Of honor
and morality, il Is Of the FIRST import
auee that the morals Of these young
men who are preparing for admission
he safeguarded. and the obligation
rests upon the civil authorities Of An
napolfs to see that the conditions com
planned Of are removed.
s.Of recent years candidates to the
number Of 300 or more have annually
been coached at the two preparatory
schools located there. Naturally the
revenue from this source is compare
lively large for such . small town as
Annapolis, and il has been suggested
that the influences controlling these
Questionable places are sufficiently
powerfuI to prevent any serious effort
toward their eradication by those in
authority.
BE this as il may, the subject is
one or the serious consideration Of
the department, and it is recommend
ed that II the cftt ef Annapolis will
not do is duty - projecting these
voung a.cn and fi- own preparatory
schools, every legitimate effort be