Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-08
BY EDWARD PRICE BELL.

1t has been made strikingly evident
In these articles, I believe. that the
specialists in government and strategy
about to meet in London are charged
| with consideration of the most widely
| incident and the weightiest political
force in the world-sea power.
This great and singular force. as we
have viewed 1t, is seen to rest upon
geographical configuration, extent and
| richness of territory. number and char
. actenof population and kind OF govern
ment1 We have noted that to have
deep harbors, navigable rivers, abundant
natural resources, people numerous,
| capable and enterprising and govern
ment worthy of such combination Is
| to have the elements OF sea power IN
| large degree. ,y-
And we have remarked that Britain
and America exemplify these conditions
| surprisingly.
Our series has gone on to compare
land power and sea power in the crucial
struggles of history, showing that land
| power has been generally autocratic ana
| militarist. that sea power has been rela-
| lively liberal and civilian, that sea power
has been superior in war and that, be.
cause Of this superiority, 1t has tended
to democratize the world and give 1t
peace. ..... ~.
Fleets Can Block Wars.
The fact also has been thrown into
relief that naval strength, in its pres
ent disposition, is morally and physically
able to bloc kaggressive war on grand
scale, no matter whence such war might
proceed.
Now let us give q little thought to
sea power as an instrument OF culture
In what way does 1t so function? And
what are some of the objective results
of It's cultural operation?
Ships of war, as Admiral Mahan held,
are by no means the only embodiments
of sea power. Neither are ships OF war
solely machines of belligerency. Often
they 20 on missions of mercy and
friendship, as when a tidal wave or an
earthquake spreads disaster and suf1er-
ing, or when . vessel like the q. 3. b:
MARYLAND carries O Herbert Hoover on
A picturesque and eventful voyage OF IN
ternational appeasement.
Naval flags have been flags OF grace.
emblems of law and order, symbols OF
civilization of so many coasts and In
so many ports for so many hundreds of
wears that the sum of their cultural
value to mankind cannot be measured.
Onicers Spread Influence.
Naval officers are men Of education
and social charm, Their area OF in
fiuence is the world. And seldom, I
think. do they land on foreign soil. or
mix anywhere with foreign peoples,
without doing something to further
that universal human Improvement
which, after all, is the only flnAl as
Slrance of peace-the single guaranty
of cultural progress.
Liners and merchantmen, as well as
warships. are expressions Of sea power.
and their service to orderly political
and economic life and through 1t to
culture. becomes increasingly apparent
in all countries. Liners-the lesser
ones quite as much as the palaces Of
the sea-suggest the expanding drama
of world travel. Merchantmen chal-
lenge attention with the yet more per,
yaSive and searching drama OF world
trade. And both tell Of race meeting
race, of civilization meeting civiliza-
ton, and Of the walls of international
ignorance and luminosity becoming at
least q little less firm on their deep
foundations.
Communications Important.
In Mahans large sense, he .elassed
all forms Of transoceanic communica-
ton as constituents of sea power-air-
craft, cable and the radio have q cer-
tain homogeneity with warships, liners
immense and growing phase of over
seas impulsion. They are world forces,
world media, and their advance OF in
ternational culture is much more rapid
than many realize. They are q huge
part of that constantly enlarging stream
of transmarine interchange which
Frank Billings Kellogg recently stated
in London had set a mighty tide OF
public opinion sweeping through the
world toward peace"
We come to the question Of some of
the objective results Of the operation
of sea power in the promotion Of cul--
ture. The two greatest contemporary
opponents of this power are Britain
and the United States of America:
Does any one know Of q case of the
use Of sea power, or any attribute Of
power flowing from strength at sea. by
either Britain or America prejudicial to
culture? Is there not the utmost cul-
tural freedom within the vast jurisdic-
ton of these supreme sea nations?
Seafarers Gather Culture.
Where, in truth, do we md q con-
siderable naval power with an organic
bent against culture? Japan is power
full, and her leaders in government are
among the worlds most active promot-
ers Of national intelligence. The Japa-
lcSc, ScdldTluB Dy CACluSINe lnLlcEILdIlCC,
roam the planet in search Of knowledge
and ideas, and the harvest of these
travels and observations goes to carry
ing the Japanese people forward on the
road Of moral and intellectual improve
ment.
France Is a seaboard nation with q
lively seagoing sense in numbers of its
population, and of no contemplate
status as sea power. And France is
a country Of wide-open avenues Of cul-
ture. Italy is another nation of the
sea, chief state Of the Mediterranean.
And here, again, is eagerness in the
race for the substantial and refined
triumphs of culture. There we have
them, Britain, America, Japan, France
and Italy, navally first in the world.
all creators and defenders of q social
order favorable to the fullest cultural
development.
U. s., England Control Minerals.
Not elsewhere, though, is there any,