Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-05
YATES STIRLING
TELLS WHAT A NAVY is FOR
A Handbook on fundamentals of Naval Policy Full of
Information for Men Who Want to Fight for
Their Country on the Sea

TT is doubtful if one person in a thou.
i sand who sees the blue uniformed men
from the navy yard walking mp and down
the streets has any definite knowledge of
what these sailors do on board the war
ships The average person regards them
as enlisted men in the navy and let's II
go at that
There is also a similar lack of knowledge
of the purpose and mission of the naval
establishment az q whole. We usually say
that 1t IL maintained for national defense.
This is true far as 1t goes but It does
lot go far enough
Now that we are at war and there is n
demand for more sailors and more ships
and for the active participation Of the
navy in the conflict IL is of the first i'm.
portance that the average citizen should
inform himself on these subjects, first In
order to decide whether he will enlist in
the navy and assist Ia fighting the battles
Of his country. and then, so that he ulay
understand more fully just why an ANY
and navy are necessary. There is TO let-
ter place for getting this informh ion tnan
in Fundamentals of Naval Service"
handbook of between 500 and 600 pages,
prepared by Commander Yates Stirlin,-.
l. s. n. II is written 80 simply that \
man who has never studied the subject can
understand 1t. Commander Stirling has evi-
IDENTIFY tried to explain the navy for the
incxpert rather than for the specialist and
he has succeeded admirably.
Instead of saying that an army and navy
are maintained for national defense he
makes II evident that the military arm of
+, the Government has positive rather than
negative functions. War. he reminds us. Is
| a political act In that II is a means for
carrying out a policy of the Government
| against the opposition of another Govern
| ment. Military men are familiar with this
| way OF putting It, but the layman seldom
or never thinks of It in this light. When
| he does he sees at once that il the United
| States is to carry out any policy which
| affects other nations or successfully resist
| the execution Of the policy of another
| Government which trespasses upon its
| rights 1t must have an adequate army and
| navy. In this simple and direct way Com
! mander Stirling gets down to the basic
| facts of naval policy, naval strategy, the
| qualifications of a naval officer, the ee-
| ments of sea power and a score of kindred
| subjects The section of his book devoted
| to this phase of the question will open the
| eyes of those who have never thought be-
yond the surface Of military questions and
| 1t will be read with interest by others who
wish to find an epitome of the military and
| naval thinking of the experts.
| The book answers every question on
| which the young man thinking of entering
| the navy needs information. 1t tells him
| that the sailors are carpenters, steamfitters,
| blacksmiths. painters. stenographers, gun
| ners, engineers and fremen, and that the
| men qualified to work at any of these
| trades receive promotion and pay CORE
| spending to their fitness. 1t tells him that
| there are schools where he receives train
| ing in the trade of which he may have some
knowledge. 1t enarges upon the qualifi-