The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-03
Secretary Daniels Would Have
None There But Progress
sivc Men.
WANTS MORE INSTRUCTION
He Proposes That Every Enlisted
Man Shall Be Taught
Trade.

Newport. r l., June 2.-Every ship
OF the American navy will be school
and every officer schoolmaster If Sec
rotary Josephus Daniels carries out
the plan he outlined here to-day in an
address before the Naval War Col
lcge. The chief lack in the navy to-
day" the secretary told the officer
| students. us systematic and proper
instruction Of the young men who
respond to our calls to enlist and
who man our ships"
Referring TO the alluring ADVERTISE
ments OF the recruiting stations prom
ising young men opportunities for
learning all kinds OF trades and voca-
tons, Mr.. Daniels said LAS n matter OF
fact. we have neglected training them
and outside OF the practical duties
aboard ship they do not obtain the
! drilling and education which should be
given them in order to keep the prom
Use made as we'll as benefit the navy"
lie added that when men enlist they
should be assigned TO a regular course
being allowed TO elect whether they
( study engineering or electricity. ma
chinery, carpentry or other trades, and
classes should be organized TO teach
them all In addition. he said. there
should be courses IN primary instruc-
ton. conducted by the younger Off
GERS
Lessons taught BY the ever changing,
ever-!mprovins construction and oper
alton OF chips and accessories" were
discussed in detail by the secretary.
The first" he said, rs that the man
/ who would command ships must be
openminded, studious and inventive,
ready to discard the old and test the
new. There is no place In the navy
for standpat,sr. You know the mod
ern definition of that modern word Is,
a man who has stopped and cannot
start Every good officer IN the navy
must be progressive-thati is one who
has started and cannot stop. started
in n direction of always looking out
for better way to construct and oper-
ate ships and TO make a battlcsh!p IN
all that pertains to it nearer perfec-
ton.
a few days ago / asked En- able
naval officer why a certain plan should
not be adopted and. initiating civilians
who go along beaten paths. he said,
It has never been done and it would
be unprecedented. That phrase has
given us more dry rot in learning in
the navy and everywhere else than
any other that ever framed itself for
inertia and unprogressive ways"
I'VE must put more emphasis upon
Initiative and less upon regulations
Secretary Daniels continued. He told
! Of young officer who, when he un-
successfully attempted to resign re-
! Gently said II want to resign because
| II stay I shall be doing the same fit-
! teen years from now that I am doing
| to day. Naval officers are bound down
| and fettered by regulations. There is
no outlet from mans initiative"
That there is no period when man
can say he has learned all that can
be learned was pointed to as another
lesson taught by ever changing CON
| ditions in the navy. THE post grad
uRte school at Annapolis and this War
College" the speaker said, are de-
signed to encourage naval officers to
feel that the only one who is not go
ing backward in attainment is he who
is diligently seeking to increase his
store OF knowledge"
Has Pride in Navy.
The secretary spoke with pride OF
the achievements of the American
Navy, declaring that the brightest
page In our history is the naval story
from the time John Paul Jones said
i have just begun to fight to the
day George Dewey sailed into Manila
Bay and said to his fellow officers
Well, gentlemen. higher power than
We fought this battle o-day'"
He deprecated the popular habit OF
Understanding the glory OF the VIC
tories won by the American Navy in
the Spanish War. This habit, for It
has dcgenerated into habit" he
said. was born out of the magnitude
Of the victories and the short sighted
ness OF the men who have thought 1t
necessary to minimize the achieve
ments OF the fleet at Manila and SAN
tiago. In order to give strength TO the
arguments advanced for a large navy
Some have seemed to think the argu-
rnent for naval expansion would be
weakened by admitting that we had
strong naval force in 1895"