Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-04-25
A NAVAL PAPER
Contributed to u. S. Naval Institute BY
Capt. T. w Kindaid.
partII

partll.
( one question that hobs up paren-
I nially is that of waving physical de-
fects. These would hardly ever he
waived except through influences out
| side of the navy itself or course waiv-
ing physical requirements practically
/ assures an increased retired list. Now
| let US ask ourselves the question
Is the present system of appointment
of malshipmen the best system posi-
bic Is it the one that is bound 10
give as the best results; the best off,
| GERS for the best shipsT believe thar
| the correct answer is No
The present system produces fair
results, Some of the young men who
come to the Academy as midshipmen
are bright. some are of good ntellec-
tual quality, and some are of a quality
than can. perhaps. be designated as
/ fair. Some of them have superb
| physiques. some are only fair to good
| in bodily qualities. and some are head
| ed to the retired list Some possess a
| high degree of aptitude for the naval
| service, if not the spark of genius ami
will make excellent officers. some are
destined TO make good naval officers.
and some, because nature intended
them for other roles. wiz never rise
| above mediocrity as naval officers.
1t would appear that. if only the
best is good enough for our naval serv-
ice, decidedly improved system of APP
| pointment of midshipmen should be
| established In a country with a pop
ulation of approximately one hundred
| millions, it is surely possible TO gathec
a couple of hundred of lads between
the ages Of 16 and 20 each year who
| possess fine physiques. 6ne mental
| qualities. excellent characters. and
high degree of aptitude for naval life
Why not abolish the system OF appoint
| ment which tempts the appointing
| authority to use this power to pay pc
litical debts. and which. in any event.
produces only results which average q
system of appointment which viii
throw the whole burden upon the indi-
vidual states?
The present system has the good
characteristic of placing in the Naval
Academy representatives ofall parts of
the country; the proposed system
would preserve that feature AppOr-
ton the appointments among the several
states as the representatives of Sena-
tors are apportioned. Let the govern
ment of each state settle in its own
way which young men of the lawful
age viii it send as its representative
at the Naval Academy. At first glance
tho new scheme appears TO invite the
Vaccinations Of politicians. but furth-
er consideration viii, think, convince
US that when the representatives of
one state at the Academy have a high
or standing than those OF another
state, the latter state will be melted
automatically to increase the stand
ard of its appointees.
We're the proposed system adopted
! DO not doubt that each state would
throw the competition for midshipmen
appointments open to every school boy
OF suitable age within its boundaries
The newspapers would see that the
| competition would be fair; and the
| points of merit Of the successful can
| didates would be heralGed from one
L
| doubt that this system wouh give us
| practically all star entering classes,
al least as far as mental and physical
| characteristics are concerned. The
moral characters of the matriculates
would doubtless be good. if not uni
| formly excellent
''As to aptitude for the naval serv-
| ice, ] see no means OF determining
| this quality except at the Academy it
| self. Besides the ordinary means of
| determining aptitude, as at present
employed, it may be that the compar-
ativcly new science Of character anal
| ysis by the observational methed
which is said to be employed at certain
| large industrial establishments, would
be of great assistance; but this, at
| least seems certain; the aptitude Of
| the growing midshipnan should be
| one Of the chief concerns of his in
structors IT may be thought that an
| objection TO the proposed scheme
would lie in a tendency to send TO the
| Naval Academy too great a proportion
4 OF young men of the high brow or
| mental, type But ] believe that a
natural check would operate. The IL
Illustrated press OF the country. weekly
| and monthly, now keeps the nation so
| well informed as TO the materiel Of the
| navy and of mary Of its operations
| that the average boy in almost any
| section is fairly well posted on many
| of the essentials of naval officer 3
| life and / believe that the young men
| to whom the naval life would natural
| ly appeal would be the ones that would
apply for the competitive examina-
/ tons.
| Hence | should expect that the pre-
| dominant temporamental constitution
| of the new midshipmen should be mo-
| tive-mental-vital or mental-motive-
| vital. rather than vital-motive- mental
or any other combination. In Nelson,
Howe Hood, John Paul Jones, Farra-
| get and other great naval captains the
| facial characteristic we're such as
can be predicted of all great military
leaders l might mention, also that
in spite Of Kiplings famous verses
on The Females of the Species, it IS
probably not good policy to encourage