The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-06
NAVY ENTHUSIAST
TALKS DOWN STORM
G. A. r. Veterans Ready to Go
Over Top Again at Mo-
bile Bay Exercises.

cuSh 10 me psycHoiosS Va INC hu-
man animal that sheer courage often
times succeeds where faltering and un-
certainty invite disaster II was per-
haps because OF this that small sized
riot, or at least an interruption of the
proceedings In the northwest corner of
Madison Square, was nverted yesterday.
1t was the fifty-fourth anniversary Of
tie battle of Mobile Bay. in which the
intrepid Admiral Farragut. declining to
be bothered by such trifles as mined
waters and the guns Of Fort Morgan and
Fort Gaines, not to mention Confederate
men o. war. led the Union fleet, headed
by the flagship Hartford. up the narrow
channel almost to the gates of Mobile,
defeated the opposing land and naval
forces and thus put an end TO blockade
running from an important enemy base.
Around the yatue of Farragut in
Madison Square We're grouped a few.
pitifui few, bluecoated survivors of that
battle who. together with few of their
friends OF the q. A. r.. gather at the
spot to pay tribute to the victorious Ad-
miral as regularly as August makes
its rounds Thanking them were a mum.
Der of white clad and felt-hatted Daugh-
tiers of Veterans. Over all presided
Henry J. kerney, a member of the crew
otAhe famous Hartford.
Likes Navy Better Than Army.
!. Millner, once an able seaman on the
Hartford, first introduced 10y Chairman
Kerney. had finished and G. W. Burn
ham. also OF the Hartfords crew, was
moving his hearers OF a younger genera
tipD with tho tale nP hOht
this story he rambled quite naturally
to discussion of the present navy,
concerning which he said some nice
things.
On this subject he grew 80 eloquent
that he overstepped what might easily
have been the limits of discretion, BY
implying that the army is more or less
a necessary evil. while insisting that
the navy Is the greatest institution In
the world. Bewhiskered @. \. r. vet
Grams cleared their throats, looked men,
acingly at the speaker. and poised as
IL ready to spring II more of this sort
Of thing followed. 1t did
"Why. don't you know" went on
Seaman Burnham b,ithely. that the
navy is the greatest dissemination OF
religion in the world? We may cuss
and drink, little bit and do some bad
things, bn. we certainly are religious
There never was a missionary who went
anywhere that he wasn't carried by a
sailor. You see, we spread religion.
who ever heard of the army being
religious: Why. while we were at
church Sundays the army was out steal
ing potatoes and robbing chicken roosts.
The navy never robbed chicken roost
in its life"
G. A. n. Men Ready for n Row,
Eyes OF the Grand Army men flashed
they glanced at one another and then at
the orator, but he was entirely UNI
ruffled, and by this time was reiteratinR
| an earlier statement to the effect that
Farragut was the greatest Admiral the
| world has produced. and the battle OF
Mobile Bay one of the greatest scraps
In the history OF naval warfare
1t was obvious that his unfiinching
attitude forestalled trouble for the army
veterans relaxed. and what might have
| been a merry row. since the army and
| navy were about equally represented,
| failed to materialize. Moreover such
was the power OF Seaman Burnham's
bravery. that even a Southerner in the
crowd heard him use the term rebel
| and yet refrained from singing Dixie "
Thus another celebration of the Mobile
| battle passed without casualties, since
| in the next and final Grafton by Com
! mander George Blair of FaTragut Naval
| Post. under whose auspices the cere-
| monies were held. there was nothing to
| create friction but much to arouse en-
! thusiasm. He predicted that in the
present war the navy would shortly find
its Farragut to blockade German bases
| and the army its Grant. who would
| move on to Berlin even as the leader
Of the Union forces did to Richmond