The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-05

AL 44A
our public schools was a wastefui ex-
or d needless
OF money. II. therefore. II is neces-
sary to make our Navy not only a |
proper protection to our but
an economic asset as well. II We
would gain universal support TO its
proper upbuilding. and II the real
waste Of our Navy at pres
emf is in the men withdrawn from IN
dustrial pursuits 10 man our ships,
why cannot the result aimed at De
achieved by taking these men during
the time they are in the service OF
the Navy and training them To the
highest degree. so hat On their return
TO civil life they will become a hun
dredfold more efficient industrial
units than they were before?
II we can do this. it seems 10 me we
will make the Navy in times OF peace
a national asset that will be well
worth the money. / feel that the Navy
presents a great opportunity and
should play a great part in the train
ing Of our young men. Consider the
situation. Here are so. 00o young
men. in part suffering from n
handicap of limited educational OPP
~portunities. and in part, OF n type
which makes the poorest industrial
unit, the type Tia 1idACS - AhS
strict discipline of home and factory,
and that likes to wander abroa and
| see new things. If the Navy can take
these men, advance their School-boOk
education while, at the same time.
training them in discipline. until they
realize that to NINA they must
first learn to obey, and in addition,
| can train their hands to be Skillful IN
the Industrial arts, it will surely be
something really worth while.
What the Secretary Of the Navy is
Trying to Do. and Why.
/ am not, here, discussing the ne
cessity for increasing the Navy in any
case, but of trying to turn what some
consider a necessary evil int an i'm
portant factor in the Development Of
Of the nation and, in SO doing, Secur-
ingthe support of hose who remem-
Der only John Paul Jones and forget
what happened to an inferior fleet,
though manned by brave men, at
Santiago. l awe tried to elaborate in
detail the reason underlying my Ell
forts to make the Navy a great school.
as we'll as a greater enforcer Of the
peace. AS for the details of what has
been done along these lines, the news
papers have told them in full; the
daily classes for the sailors, the
technical training and opportunities
to learn a useful trade now offered all
l c1111StcO ItlC11"dl1 III 1dS pSS1 j
ed many times.
sons plain. There have been many
merry quips by newspaper paragraph
erS, and sometimes a serious mlSun-
derstanding of the aims of this new
policy, and l would like the public te
understand just what the present Sec
rotary Of the Navy is trying to do and
why. To the question:: Has this
| n1on CO fer q G If haC hSon in naarQ
ton, given evidences Of success? The
best answer lies in the enlistment
figures. / have had prepared a char'
showing the enlistments this year a.
compared with the yea previous
which is reproduced for the first time
with this article. 1t will be noted
hat from the 4th Of March. 1918
until April of that yea the rapid
, decline in enlistments of the year pre-
vious continued. In April it was de
fnitely published that the fleet would
visit foreign shores, and / then an
Eounced that it was my purpose t
{ add what has been described as tn
liberal education Of travel" to m.
, other educational plans for the sea
| men Of our Navy. In the next TIVE
e months the enlistmfnts increased ia
: beyond the highest point of the e
previous.
: After the fleet had sailed, the en-
j, IiStmentS naturally dropped of
! though to nowhere near the low poin
Of the year before. In November, tn
: details of my educational ideas Wer
made public, and were Commente,
upon generally by the papers From
1865 enliStments in November, Their
= was a jump to 1900 enlistments il
December, breaking all records il
:. times Of peace. Could better answe
= than his be made to the question?
n IAN Adequate Navy Large EnOug1
i and Powerful Enough tn Make a
War with the United States too
Unpleasant in Its COnse-
), uen to be Seriously
>, COnsidered."
a., There are still many details TO b
1t worked out, but, SO far, no seriou
ly objections have arisen to the accom-
IF plishment of my dream-an adequat
navy. large enough and pOwerf,