Evening star., 1909-05-12
.OtH1 ..s...... /.
Appropriated.
The Kickers Are Many.

The new buildings have been very Sc
verely criticised, especially by officers OF
the navy, who very rarely commend them
and object to almost every feature from
the designs to the material used; but l
think that opinion will gradually be modi-
fed when the critics become more ac-
customed to them and are able to adjust
themselves to the changed conditions and
appearances. Many think that the de-
signs should have been colonial to corre-
sDond with the venerable statehouse and
other historical houses in the ancient city
of Annapolis, but the colonial style OF
architecture is not adapted to such enor-
nous structures. as are required to ac-
commodate q school of l, 900 students, with
machine shops, foundries, armOries. boat
houses and other requirements. Whoever
heard of colonial machine shop or CO.
>lonial armory. Other critics think that
the architecture should have been of a
military type-that the exteriors OF the
buildings should have been castellated in
imitation of the mediaeval period, and
still more would have preferred the Tu-
doresque school like Princeton or Gothic
like the University Of Chicago, or imita-
tions Of some other scholastic structures
in Europe: but probably any of these
would have been criticised quite as Sc
verely as the present buildings. which
are entirely original and extensively mod
ern. They are not limitations OF anything
described them as modern French" and
they are very modern, very new, very
monumental and very ornate. while the
chapel, the principal feature, reminds you
of venerable Sanctuaries in Rome and
Venice.
Divine service was held in the new
chapel for the first time June "a 1908,
and 1t has since been used regularly. It
is noble building. and when it loses its
glaring appearance Of newness it will be
more admired.
Plans Stretched Lot
The plans Of the new academy were de-
signed to accommodate 500 cadets, and
have been stretched to accommodate 1000.
Before the Spanish war there were sell
dom more than $50 in attendance, and US
ually about 800. but with the enlarge
ment of the navy additional officers were
needed, and the law was changed so that
each senator is now allowed two appoint
ments, although he had none before: each
representative will have two until 1913 in
stead of one. as before. and the President
is allowed to appoint two each from the
District of Columbia, Porto Rico. Hawaii
and Alaska, and twenty at large This
makes a total of 9S7 appointments There
are now 100 cadets in quarters. and the
largest number reporting at roll call on
any day since the expansion OF the acad-
eny was 915.
Capt Badger, the superintendent, tells
me that about 90 per cent of the young
men appointed pass the entrance exam
ination. and about 60 per cent of those
go through the four years course and
| receive commissions, while about 75 per
cent OF the graduates remain in the navy
for life. He says that his class, gradu-
ating in 1869, entered with 101 cadets, of
whom only twenty-six graduated, and the
names of twelve still appear in the navy
register. That is about the average Of
| classes up to "ths new navy" which
has been growing as rapidly as the rest
OF the country.