The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-27
u GOUyERNEUR NORRrA
afaonal News star CnrreopG

taonAl News STAR Cugxespnn-
dent.
mewhere Near AmArioa. On FRI
May II. ! received psrmission to
= fieet OF United States warships,
told where to ma Il, how to reach
md that until THURSDAY, the cath
~. must not convey ~ the news
B which ! represent any OF the
REASONS, that 1t should make upon
nor Al OF the impressions until
End OF the war.
may be OF interest to the public
now that the fleet which I visited
mewhere in American waters, and
backed BY the proper authority.
aay pc reached in several ways.
e than this I am not permitted TO
nor may l give the composition
Dosing 1t. nor Of any OF the ON
i'll governing those ships.
must deal In imposittves. II I saw
ssses or virtues / must not particular
In short. I must tell about the
without telling about II. and give
neral impression with most OF the
fessions left out.
Baftl6sRip A Man.
A shall deal, then. rather with the
quantities Of the fleet than with Its
Nchanics: with its aspects rather
80 Its potentialities. And with one
$icular ship rather than with
|ehy.
Il has been said that a modern bat
nip Is machine. It is not. IT IL
nan. His eyes may no longer have
~ vision of youth. but he sees
fHngh hundred pairs, whose WIS.,
is twenty-twenty magnified many
&meters by lenses sxQuiAtely ad-
ed. his hands may not he large or
eng. but they have within them
1&pst a gods power to destroy.
- Is as II his brain had multiplied
~ increased his body to an ominous
n beautiful abominaion, displacinE
400 tons. ana had heightened his
f@s and strengthened his hands un-
&they could reach otu clear away
M the rim OF the world. and there
NASH and crush and tear and kill.
| Il was twenty years since ] had set
S& on a battle.hip. There was some
ling familiar about him and some
ing strange. 1t was like meeting q
fNmising friend OF your boyhood at
SEsshe had grown ifstox q man II WILL
~ be- she warships, nor be-her them.
her are men, He had grown older.
iber, grayer. stronger, broader. tall
sand swifter. And though neither
.ps had forgotten the best. nor the
|0rst OF those things which We had
31ce had in commoi- he eyed me
tkance, and ! felt embarrassed and
Nv
s. warship Now More Kind.
zhe efiiccr OF the deck spoke to a
k&man. Ard by the tone OF the
bice knew that friend battieshtp
~ not only grown stronger and
'rNater. but so sure of himself that
could afford to be more courteous
~ more kind. Things happened. A
Stal came and went. One threw dice
~ the cigars. One lost. One listen
hand one talked. and one began 10
S1ociate in the back OF ones head
hs1 face wifi the rightful name OF
= owner and that insignia with the
,llce OF It's wearer.
SO two faces OF the uniformed men
Pound the long. narrow table of the
Ssfsl room mess were alike. Ru'
Nv were all fine, clean cut faces o!
| kbrousiy educated men in the pink
condition. Like all trav-
kefs. they were broad minded. and
AsA all mon who have been brought
q among true values. they were
fjkhout affeetation OF any kind.
No two faces were alike, and nc
H0 men. think. at that long table
kme from the same city or even
kpm the same stnte, and yet with
kNain strongly marked and Ane
1eTtities the service had stamped
h4sx al. ,aPssas ts E. 4. .j's.tT
&Whaf Universal Service Means
These men were telling and
killing answer TO those who raise
Hf1eetions to universal service. They
Ssfe tho proof that by training and
ktf- sacrifice sectional lines and jeal-
'1ntes may one day be abolished
EMong us, And that. no man. ere his
&Gpicions are laid, will need to in
hire whence another man comes.
let me try TO show you what
Sean- From the tones of their voices
frsed to guess the localities from