Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1914-03-18
WEDNESDAY,. MARCH Is 1914
NAVAL ACAnEMY slANDARD5


Every n)w ana then representative
or senator goes &c the Navy Depart
ment with the claim. OF indulges in an
expression on the floor to sthe effect,
that the requirements of admission TO
the Naval Acadom my are excessive and
therefore unreasonable. When il is
considered that between 65 and 20 per
cent Of those who are admitted are
graduated, il can not be fairly asserted
taht the standard Of admission is be-
yIud the mental capacity of youth
who has been designated as a midship
man.
or the 80 per cent OF those admitted
who fail. Il may be said that the elimi-
nation is proper one and that there
should be no modification either Of the
requirements of admission or Of the eX-
aminations which occur during the
course and at the time Of graduation.
The efforts in favor of any change
winch would lessen the conditions and
make it easier for q young man TO en-
ter the Naval Academy may very prop
crly be resisted. as it has heen by The
naval authorities.
The judgment of those connected
with the Naval Academy should be ac-
cepted by Congress beyond question
and there should be no suggestion from
the congressional quarter which will
mean. ia the end. lowering On stan
dards. IL is mistake 20 proceed in
any such direction. both for the indi-
vidual who is thus favored and for the
service for which the young men at
Annapolis are being trained
In the hearing before the House ma
val committee when CaptainJ IL. Glib
bons appeared in his capacity of super
intendent OF the Naval Academy. there
was an illuminating disc eussoin of this
problem and the committee was in
formed that the Navy Department had
heen 10 the trouble OF ascertsining
from high school principals and others
who should be in position to know
that the entrance examinations at An
napolis were such as should be passed
10y those who have had the advantage
of a public school education up TO one
or two years ia high school.
This is quite within reas n and
places the dement's of a naval training
represented by an appointment to the
Naval Academy and the course of in
struction at administration, within the
reach of yodng men who have impro V
cd their opportunities to acquire an
education at home. There must be
standard which assumes certain nd.
divual qualifications. and departure
from them for the purpose of favoring
candidates would be. OF course, nothing
short of the disastrous The iaforma-
tion acquired on this subject by the
Navy Department showed that the
training OF young men st public schools
throughout the country was such as to
make the Naval Academy entrance ex-
aminat on quite within their scope.
The departmental inquiry further re-
vcaled the fact that there was 40 Reog-
raphical restriction in education and
th,t Il was not necessary 10 make spc-
cial provision for the student product
OF any region or section OF the country
The fact that the son of some in
uucntial constituent OF congressman
or senator. may fail. despite his at
tractive appearance and his assumed
qualifications. should rot be regarded.
ia any sense. as a disclosure of any
radical defect Ut the system. Captain
GIBBONS rendered good service to the
Naval Academy when he presented sta
ustics and facts which showed. in the
hrst instance. that the requirement of
admis. ion was Just ana reasonable and,
ia the secona PLACE. that there was no
necessity for the lowering Of Naval
Academy standards.