The Washington herald., 1915-09-11
"A Nursery of Honor. p"

The Naval Academy has received much atten.
ton in the last few months because of the investi
cations of charges of cribbng and hazing. "The
Academy ought to be the nursery of honor" says
the New York Sun and we can all agree with that
statement. 1t would appear from news reports
and editorial comment in the newspapers of the
Pacific Coast that this definition accepted by
the people in San Francisco, San Diego and Los
Angeles when the midshpmen visited those cities
and that the middes lived up to it. They were
treated as honor guests, shown every official and
social attention, and their conduct justified the
confidence in which they were held. The uniform
of midshpman was accepted by the general pub
lie as badge of honor and the youngster inside
it as the personation of honor. Men and women,
cid and young rich and poor we are told sought
the society Of the middes, feted them, gave balls
in their honor invited them to their homes intro
duced them to their daughters and if we are to
accept the newspaper reports, did everything pos
sible to develop the personal ego in the young
sters and make them insufferabe prigs but they
through all with the dignity and considera-
ton for the honor of the service that would be
expected of veteran officers in the navy. They
were accomplished assistant hosts to the admiral
when the people visited the battleships, gallant
bcaus at the balls given in their honor, danced till
morning and returning to the ships doffcd dress
uniforms donned works" and scrubbed the decks.
Some of the praise bestowed on the middes by
the California press may be the result of hospi-
tality but there is much evidence from the officers
in command as we'll as from the public, that on
this practice cruise the middies showed that they
had come from nursery of honor and that they
honored that nursery. 1t is severe test for the
average man, of even sedate years and much cx-
perence resist the efforts Of the people to spoil
him with hero worship, but the mddies seem to
have passed through this test on the Pacific Coast
and continued to be middies to parade for hours
in the hot for the entertainment of the public
stand at attention to receive distinguished guests
and listen to long speeches, attend banquets and
resist the temptation to make fools OF themselves
dance all night with pretty girls, scrub decks or
60 into the furnace room to take the place of fire.
men and get every pound of effort out of the
engines and doing all these things at command
but with the enthusiasm of youth and the spirit
OF loyalty which is characteristic of the United
States navy. That the middies made such good
impression on the Pacific Coast where for the
first time in several years, our own American citi-
in close contact with them while on the
practice cruise, might be accepted in large
measure due to their own demonstration that they
are the product of nursery of honor, and at
time when there exaggerated and sensational
reports Of the investigation OF cribbing charges
which reflected, not only on the few against whom
the charges were preferred, but against the whole
regiment of midshipmen. 1t demonstration
that did credit to the navy and the Naval Academy
as we'll as to the middies.
If Secretary Daniels has any fear that the in
vestigations at Annapolis have weakened the con-
fdence of the American people in the Academy as
a nursery of honor, he might next year follow
the precedent of this year and confne the practice
cruise to home waters. He could then give the
people on the Atlantic Coast opportunity to
meet these young midshipmen and realize that they
have not allowed either exaggerated praise and
extravagant courteses unjust representation and
criticism to make them forget that they gentle
men, men OF honor and arc to be future officers
of the navy and defend the honor of the nation.