Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-01-21
THE POINT OF VIEW
OF AN UNDERGRADUATE
Midshipman Ernest G. Small U. S.
Ia. Class 1912.
TELLS OF THE NAVAL ACADEMY
Reproduction Of Story Recently
Published in U. S. Naval In
slitule.

Ii is with some degree of trepida-
tion that approach the subject of the
Naval Academy from an undergradu-
ate's point Of view. Having been
STEPPED in a naval atmosphere for
four years, have absorbed respect
for authority which has made me hes
itate to add my opinions on this sub
ject to those advanced by officers
much my senior.
There are also the ear, closely
akin to the Chinese ear of closing
face" that in a few months after
graduation, should find my judg-
ments reversed by virtue of sounder
knowledge of what is required of an
officer. However. have persisted in
attempt, and present my impressions
of the Academy system, its tenden-
cies, and also some suggestions that
have occurred to me. The whole pa
per will be, of necessity, of a ramb-
ling nature, and will be only what il
pretends to be. an undergraduate
views.
10 considering the scholastic side
of the Naval Academy the system of
instruction combines the Oxford sys-
TEN of education and the American
university system. Briefly, the Ok
ford idea is to leave the undergradu-
ate largely to his own resources for
three years and then to set an exami-
nation for him, by which he stands or
falls. This plan of education exer-
cises the judgment and discernment
of the student to high degree, for it
is obvious by the very nature of the
case that the examination must con-
cern itself with practical knowledge,
broad principles, and not mass of
trivial detail.
The American university system
makes each half year complete in it.
self The American student finishes
his freshman Latin, his analytic geom-
etry or what not; fogets it, and seeks
to new worlds to conquer / repeat
the Naval Academy system combines
these two systems. The midshipman
half year is complete in itself, but
ne must make a semi-annual and an
nual examination in every subject, and
these examinations, unlike an Oxford
examination, in most cases, do not con-
Germ themselves with broad principles
but often do ask for a very minute
knowledge. The net result is that all
but exceptional midshipmen suffer
from mass of undigested knowledge.
Under the scheme of exemptions
formerly in operation whereby mid
shipmen having a mark of 800 or
over tout of possible 400) for the
term was exempt from the examina-
tion, the majority solved the problem
in the most economical way. Since
it was easier to get 800 by making
each month complete in itself, they
made the month the objective and
avoided the examination, with its at
tendant work and worry. At the
present time the midshipmen are
foundering. hoping to pull through
somehow. Personally, believe that
the oxford idea is good, and that an
examinations is valuable index to
"present character and true worth,
to borrow a familiar phrase for it is
not what we have learned an hour
ago that counts so much as our ability
to produce our knowledge six months
hence.
An examination is simpy q concrete
application of the principle Of "by
their fruits ye shall know them
principle as equally applicable to
things mundane as to things religious.
To make the examination effective,
TO conserve its true spirit, care must
be exercised by those setting it to see
that it is fair, broad in its scope, and
not a gigantic fact of memory. This
| congestion. this cramming process, is
| largely the result of the attempt TO
meet the increasing requirements of
the naval profession in the same time
as was required forty or fifty years
| ago, when steam was in its inf fancy
| and fire control unborn. The results
are bad. specially prepared text
books in tabloid form are issued
to mIdshipmen and they are required
to accept fact after fact because
1.-The book says so. The valuable
training given by modern education in
weighing evidence il missed alto
gether and the student develops a
slavish adulation for the book.
/ AhSAS - ohS bChSnth Laiig III bi7
course the midshipman learns the
value of "bluff. = The first time be
is called upon to recite on a subject he
knows nothing about he asks TO be
excused. Prestol He gets a maxi.
mum of a 200 or his second subject
The next time he gets a subject he
knows nothing about he presents some
product of his common sense that Of.
tentimes brings him a $50. I have
known a section after recitation tC
demonstrate in no uncertain manner
with a member who had refused 1
subjecs. This training is valuable il
that it instills little Of the "Mes
sage TO Garcia" spirit, so necessar.
in a military organization.