Evening star., 1937-02-07
Bv Mary Badger Wilson.

ODA1 Ille OOClCty Va ofoA-S
Of the United States Navy,
gathered in Washington for
L their annual meeting, are
holding a patriotic service in WASH
tngton Cathedral at 4 pm, where a
choir of midshipmeE from Annapolis
will render music.
Tomorrow and the day after that
business sessions of the Society OF
Sponsors are scheduled at the Hotel
Carlton. Mrs. Russell c. Langdon,
president of the society," will preside.
Mrs. Roosevelt, herself Sponsor,
will be the guest of honor at the
societys annual luncheon, held this
year at the Carlton, and the Navy
Sponsors will be guests at the Army
and Navy reception at the White
House on Tuesday evening.
This year the assembling of Navy
Sponsors in our Capital City has a
wider interest than usual. The
United States is now building big
ger, better Navy, and our newWspa-
pers will frequently inform us, during
coming months, that a new battle
ship, a new cruiser or a new destroyer
has gone down the ways"
The Navy is one institution which
might be regarded as safely mascu-
line in a world said to be fast be-
coming a woman's world. Certainly
our giant vessels will be built by men
and manned by men. But here, as
elsewhere, women will have the last
word because women will name the
ships. Yes, our Navy has godmoth-
ers, officially known as the Society OF
Sponsors.
MOT until the nineteenth century
did it become feminine peroga-
tive to christen men-of-war. Before
that time ships were christened by
men, and prominent officials were
frequently launched with the ship.
The earliest record of United States
Navy christening is that Of the Con-
stitution, October 20, 1897, when
Capt. James Sever, U. S. N, broke a
bottle of wine over the bow OF the
frigate. John Paul Jones, himself,
was on board the America when she
was launched.
In 1928. apparently, the first woman
sponsored an America Navy ship.
Prebles History of the Portsmouth
Navy Yard records that: "The Con-
cord glided beautifully into her des-
tined element and was christened
by a young lady of Portsmouth. In
those days young ladies-whether OF
Portsmouth or elsewhere-did not
have their names in the public prints,
and so the identity of this first Spon-
sor is lost in the dimness Of propriety
By 1846 it would seem that linn
tied publicity had become permissible
for the sheltered sex, for in that
year it was recorded that the United
States sloop of war Germantown was
christened by Miss Watson, daughter
of John Tanning Watson, the Phila-
delphia annalist. A reporter OF the
day observed that Miss Watson was
attired in pure white and wore in her
girdle a neat bouquet OF freshly
culled flowers"
From then on it became the recog-
nized procedure to have our fighting
craft sponsored by women, and only
in a few scattered instances did men
again participate in the naming OF
the ships. Thus, what may have
originated as a gallant and gracious
gesture became established as cher
tshed tradition of our Navy.
BY 1908 so many women had served
as sponsors that they organized un-
der the leadership of Miss Mary Camp
bell (now Mrs. Underwood the So
ciety of Sponsors of the United States
Navy, which was later incorporated.
AS its name implies, the society con-
sists of women who have bestowed
names upon the fighting craft Of our
country; and its objects, briefly stated,
are "the promotion of a healthy, pop
ular sentiment for the development
and support of the United States
Navy" and "the undertaking of such
benevolent work as the society may
determine"
Among the members of the society
are two former Presidents wives, Mrs.
Coolidge and Mrs. Hoover. The Presi-
dents mother, Mrs. James Roosevelt,
and his daughter, Mrs. John Boet-
tiger, are also sponsors, and on April
4, 1886, the Presidents wife christened
the Navy plane carrier Yorktown.
THE Navy Department has taken fire.
- quent opportunity to show its ap-
probation of the helpfulness of the
sponsors, and at the last annual meet
ing of the society in Washington the
President of the United States sig
nally honored its gathering by a
personal letter expressing his interest
in the organization and showing his
familiarity with its work.
Even though the remainder of her
Life should be colorless, Navy spon-
sor can always cherish the memory
of one vivid day. There are few ex-
periences more automatically thrill
ing than the launching Of q great
ship, and the ceremony, however SIM
pie. is unfailingly impressive. All ages
and all peoples have observed such
ceremonials, and the traditions which
have gathered about the baptism Of
ships are most interesting.
Long ago, when men had super
stitious fear of the elements, they
strove to propitiate the gods before
they went down to the sea in a new
= ship. Among primitive peoples there
.fwere even human sacrifices performed
in order that the boats deck might
g be washed with human blood. Such
barbaric practices naturally >disap-
peared with the growth Of civilization,
hit the habit Of Mailing Yofiua offnr.