Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-02
ION BROADER LINES
The Naval Academy Training
Course to Be ENLARGED.
POSTGRADUATE COURSE
Institution Proposes to Become a
Naval University"
ADOPTS PLAN OF CAPT. GIBBONS
Program Will Avoid Subsequent
Tuition in Technical Schools.
Formal Reopening of Term.
ADOPTS PLAN OF CAPT. GIBBONS

ANNAPOLIS, Md, October 2.-of far
reaching Importance to the navy in gen.
eral was the formal reopening of the
Naval Academy. for the academic term
yesterday.
Recognized as it is as the greatest naval
institu ion in the world, it became known
today that the authorities now have well
under way a comprehensive plan for en-
larging the scope of training to such an
extent that within few months it will
virtually become a naval university
The plans have as the prime object
combining and extending the curriculum to
such degree that every particle of in
struction that goes to the making of the
competent naval officer will be impaired
right here in Annapolis, instead of as
signing officers from year to year to take
special courses at chronological schools
in order to become proficient in certain
lines of their professional work.
| In short, the scheme is to make the fun
damental part of a midshipmanS train
! ing paramount during the regular four
year course and the establishment at the
academy of postgraduate courses in all
the professional branches similar to the
school of eng. neering now here. 1t is UNI
derstood that the founding of the en-
| gineering school three years ago and the
marned success that has been attained
| thereDy furnished the real motive for the
proposed extension along other lines.
Suggested by Gibbons.
This scheme of readjusting the course
/, in general, it is said, originated with
| Capt John II. Gibbons, the present su-
perintendent. When he assumed charge
a little more than a year ago. Capt. Glib
| bons took the stand that the course both
! before and after the graduation of stu
dents should undergo revision. to the end
| that middies shall not only be thoroughly
drilled in the fundamentals of naval
| training, but that provision should be
| made whereby special instruction could be
| given the young officers in any branch
in which they may desire to specialize.
Capt. Gibbons was given hearty sup
| port by Navy Department officials, but
! not until recently had the project begun
to crystalline into definite form.
Supt. Gibbons has been working hard
| on the plans since his return three weeks
| ago from a summer tour of Europe, and
| has held several conferences with the Of
ticials in Washington. Though the
| classes at the postgraduate school in
| engineering were resumed today, it is
not designed to establish the special
courses along other lines until about the
close Of the first half term in February.
Calls for POSTGRADUATE Courses.
Speaking of the matter, a well known
| officer on duty at the academy said the
| pans call for starting postgraduate
courses in naval construction. ordnance
and electrical engineering. Probably sea-
manship may be added. 1t was intimated
| that naval construction is one of the
| principal branches i'll which special in
| struction is most to be desired, and prob
| ably the course in that will be the first
| to get under way. 1t is well known that
| for years the government has been
/ spending much money in sending num-
| Der of the younger officers each year to
| technical schools, such as the Massa-
| chusetts Institute of Technology, at Bos-
ton, for special instruction in naval con-
struction and other subjects. With the
establishment OF the postgraduate
| schools. this course will be abandoned
| The system of conducting the additional
| postgraduate schools will be practically
the same as that applied to the engineer
| ing school here. This will mean the
. assignment of an officer of the rank of
| commander or lieutenant-commander as
| the superintendent of the school in each
branch and fixing the course Of instruc-
! ton at two years.
| At certain periods of each year the
student officers will be sent on inspection
| tours of the government gun factories
such as that at the Washington navy
yard and the proving grounds at Indian
Head, Md, where the gun tests are
made, and they will visit the various
industrial plants or manufactures I'm the
eastern states. 1t is stated by. the au-
! thorities that no selections of officers to
preside over these schools have been
made. nor have assignments of officers
| to take the course been worked out as
there is ample time between now and the
| first of the year to settle these questions.
Routine Work Begins.
The sixty-eighth academic term of the
Naval Academy officially began yester-
day with all except three Of the 74S mid
! shipmen on this years roster in attend
ance. And while the complement of Of
| ficers as instructors in the several de-
partments has not been completed. suf-
| ficient number was on hand to start the
| routine work in full swing.
! Two of the three nlidshipmen tardy at
| the opening, it is stated. spent their Sep
| tenrber leave visiting Porto Rico and
| their steamer is running behind time.
The third absentee is Theodore Sterling
| Of Missouri, of the second class, who is