Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-06-07


for the officials and instructors al the
Naval Academy to le criticised by
those who have champ.oned the cause
OF former midshipmen who have moi
Teen able 10 meet the requirements OF
the institution, more than the usual
interest is being taken in recen;
criticisms by members OF Congress
and others. in view OF the fact that
the authorities have made unusual ef-
forts TO give every midshipman full
opportunity Of remaining, in the
Academy
All Given Fair Show
None OF the officials at the Naval
Academy is I'm position at present to
comment on the criticisms coming
from Congressman. but it may be
stated on official authority that no
midshipman has been compelled. dur
ing the present academic year to re
sign on account OF unsatisfactory
scholarship until he has been given
special instruction. after failing the
regular examination, and then given a
reorganization. Only those failing on
the second test were required 10 re-
sign. Therefore. all statements as to
midshiDmen not being given a second
chance are without foundation.
The basis OF a great many stories Of
this kind is found in the excuses
given by midshipmen TO their parents
or TO the Congressman who appointed
them. A case in which those inter
ested seem 10 be completely misin-
formed occurred recently. A profess
sional man or Baltimore became
greatly interested in midshipman
who had failed and stated in the
newspapers that he had not been
given a fair chance As a matter of
fact. the youth had failed in all four
of hR subjects in the first examina-
ton. He was then given special in
struction for a month and failed in
three OF the four. passing by the bar
est margin In the fourth.
In the case of another midshipman.
alleged 10 have failed by few points
in one subject, the conduct grades
were so poor that the combination Of
unsatisfactory scholarship and un-
satisfactory conduct caused the au-
thorities to ask for his resignation. A
great many similar cases occur. the
midshipman. apparently. having tried
TO explain his failure in the best way
he could
IL is true that about two-thirds OF
the instructors al the Naval Academy
are naval officers. Naturally the in
strnctors in seamanship navigation.
ordnance. and gunnery. are naval Off
GERS. II is reasonable TO suppose that
by training and practice they arc bet
ter equipped than others to instruct
in these purely professional branches
All of the professors and instructors
in the department of English are
civilians. In mathematics, the head
holds the rank of professor of mathe-
matics' i'm the navy and all the as
sistants were appointed from civilian
life. The head of the language de-
partmeni is a naval officer. and all his
assistants are civilians.
The departments of marine engi-
neering and naval construction. and
OF electrical engineering and physics.
are both headed by naval officers and
most of their Instructors are of that
status. Both have few civilian in
s;Iuctors. II mus. lie Remembered.
however, that naval officers may all
be termed experts in these lines The
requirements of their profession is
such that all must have a practical
knowledge OF those branches ready TO
put in practice at any time There is
no doubt that the average officer is
thoroughly equipped along these
lines. though their teaching ability
may differ
Limitations OF Law
As to the matter of instructors AT