The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-30
Making Navy a Real Training School

Making Navy a Real Training School
1t is my ambition as secretary of
the navy to make the navy a great
university, with college extension,
high school extension, and primary
extension, all on board ship. Every
ship should be a school, and every
officer should be a schoolmasteer. In
this way we can give the young man
his rightful chance to better his posi-
ton, and at the same time benefit the
navy by increasing the knowledge and
usefulness of its personnel.
1t is not easy to secure the full
complement of young men of charac-
ter needed each year to man our ships.
To stimulate enlistments it has been
necessary to resort to recruiting sta
lions, traVelings recruiting parties and
advertisements.
We are all familiar with the gaily
colored advertisements of the navy,
showing the American bluejacket in
a natty costume. doing all sorts of in
teresting things. One of the chief
features of these advertisements is
ducement to enlist. of the opportun-
ity to learn one of more than
score of trades.
When 1 became secretary of the
navy, l determined to find out if the
Young men who had been attracted
to the navy by these advertisements
were really getting what had been
promised them. 1 soon reached the
conclusion that only in exceptional
cases has the navy been making good
it's promises. l found that it was
only the young man of exceptional
merit and ability, or with unusual de-
termina ton to learn a useful trade,
who was really getting the kind of
had been led to believe would be af-
forded them. I decided then that
either the navy must stop publish
ing such advertisements, or else 1t
must give the young man all that the
advertisements promise.
I intend to do the latter. l in
tend to see that the young man who
in good faith accepts the promise OF
the navy to teach him useful trade
shall have abundant opportunity to
learn. 1 consider that TO give the en-
listed man that chance which as an
ambitious American he demands is
INV chief business in the navy depart
ment today.
To establish on each ship a school
of instruction for the enlisted man is
NV aim at present These ship schools
should be open not exclusively to the
exceptional man, but to each young
man on board. I purpose that every
Young man who enliSts shall be given
at the outset an opportunity to choose
for himself what line of training he
wishes to pursue, whether 1t be cleo
tricity Photograph, carpentry, ma
chinery. plumbing, painting, shipfit-
ting, coppersmithing, Understandings,
boiler-making, gun-pointing, hospital
stewardship, commisSary stewardship,
bookkeeping, stenography. or any OF
the other occupations for which the
navy is prepared to fit him. When
he has made his choice he should be
assigned to a regular course and given
regular instruction in the kind of
work that he has selected / wish to
emphasize the fact that I intend to
see that first of all every young man
is given his choice, and second, that
he actually receives that kind OF in
struction which he elects. The rest
must depend upon the young man
himself-Joseph Daniels, secretary of
the navy, in the September Popular
Mechanics magazine.