The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-27
MANILA BAY HERO
Is YEARS YOUNG
FEELS CLIPPER AS ENSIGN AND
DOES GOOD DAYS
WORK.
NAVY'S MASTER MIND
TAKES DRIVE AND HAS FRIENDS
AT DINNER-PHYsICAL Ex-
ERCIsE GREATEST AS
NAVY'S MASTER MIND

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.--Admiral
George Dewey Is seyenty-flve years
old today and young as an ensign"
The hero of Manila bay didn't make
use OF the occasion to take il easy
around the house-didn't put on his
slippers and doze before the fire
didn't live in the past. lie plodded
through the slushy streets to his Of
flee and did a full days work-tried
to. but a steady stream of admiring
acquaintance would not let him.
Men old In the service, young lads
home from the academy for the hoii-
days, clerks, secretaries and civilians
by the score. dropped in to chat
with him and do him honor.
Master Mind of Navy.
For though the admiral can look
back on three-quarters of a century,
he is still the master mind of the navy.
AS chairman of the general naval
board. he has much to say in shap-
ing policies, In designing warships,
and he is in large measure respon-
sible for the department knowledge
of the secret operations of the navies
of other nations. When other navtes
experiment In torpedoes, it Is Ad-
miral Dewey's duty to see that the
department knows the results OF the
experiments. When they try out
new arship, new armor. or a new
projectile. it is in his province to keep
informed of the conclusions.
In questions pertaining to construc-
ton, Admiral Dewey lis particularly
well advised. as he was at one time
chief of ordnance of the navy depart
ment On account of his wide knowl-
edge and his long experience, he Is the
dominant factor in the naval board
discussions.
1t amused the admiral today to be
told that his friends said he looked
like an ensign"
Feeling His Best
'T certainly feel like one. I never
In my whole life felt any better than
I do today. should say that any
man who begins to ride early and
continued with 1t throughout his early
wears will find in the end that he has
invested in form OF physical exercise
that will be n great asset to him In MS
later years. Driving is splendid. too.
| Getting lots of air is the principal
thing. J learned to ride early. In my
own State Of Vermont. I don't know
how early, but / have kept on with
that exercise, and 1t has been great
benefit to me.
Il remember one day riding with
George Bancroft the historian. He
was eighty years old at the time.
asked him to what he aScribed MS
perfect physical condition at that time,
and he pointed to his horse for an
swer
, riding does it, he said. He was
using single footer; / like to ger
on a horse with-a little more action
1t shakes me up more.
Riding Best Exercise.
st was rather delicate when I WAS
young but constant riding got me
over that. OF course. had good
| constitution to start with--my grand
| father lived TO be ninety, and Other
| people in my family have lived to
| good old ages. That helps. When
was younger, the Washington OF thoce
DAYS was blessed with climate that
would permit riding close up to this
| time In December. and so it has been
this year, so that ] have been exer-
( Hsing this way right along this year
Another thing that has helped me
| has been keeping away from ban.
DUETS don't 60 to any more OF
them than possibly can help I re-
member the time when we used &c
20 to banquets that laid us up fol
| two or three lays afterward. bnt
| abandoned that long ago, and -
should any man that wants to feel u
young as I do when he is seventy
! Ave-
/ BY way of celebrating his britt.
! day, the admiral took long drive
I late this afternoon with Mrs. Dewey
and then he entertained a sman par
ty informally at dinner.
Early in the evening he retired &C
that he can do good days work to-
morrow.