The Lexington advertiser., 1938-10-20
Current Comment
BY Henry Willis

The Influence OF Sea ROVER on HIS
ory is most interesting study. This
title has been assigned for the prize
ssay by the Masonic Lodge and $500 is
o be awarded for the best paper by
me tho High School Seniors. There is
hance for some very good essays. 1t is
rot necessary to go beyond our own his
sory to find examples of the compelling
torce it is. For. example, it was the
act that French fleet, for the only
,ime in history that recall, was super
or to the British fleet, that made the
.apture of CORVALLIS with his British
Army possible and thereby practically
ended in victory, the Revolution of the
Colonies. In the war of 1912 1t was
brilliant victory af small American
leet over a small British fleet at the
,attle Of Lake Champlain that saved us
from invasion, and possible capture OF
New York IL will be recalled that the
British captured Detroit, Mackinac, Chi-
earn. all our northwest, and defeated
our efforts to oust them by land. Ihen
came another brilliont naval victory on
Lake Erie and the British had to with
draw into Canada. In the Mexican war
we shut up the Mexican ports ana al
lowed no munitions to reach them and
we won easy victories. The Federal
fleet shut up the Confederate coast IN
the Civil War and kept out supplies the
Confederacy sorely needed and in the
cotton we wanted to ship. In the Span
ish War we sank the enemy fleet IN
Manila Bay and that gave us the Philip-
pines and then did the same at Santiago
and further fighting was useless. Prob
ably the fewest battle casualties Of any
major war. october.27 is set aside by
proclamation as Navy Day, the inten-
tion being to make US conscious OF the
history Of our Navy and its needs Tor
the future preservation of the country.
Our sterling citizen and fine naval of-
ficer. retired, Gillespie Catron, led last
year in the Navy Day program. 1t is
to be hoped he will again.
An Interesting Feature Of Navy Day
will be program of broadcasting-over
the National Broadcasting Company's
hook UPON Sunday, 23rd. at 1880 p. m.
The Commander-in- Chief of the Navy
will speak from New York, Admiral Yar-
nell will speak from his Flag Ship IN
Shanghai, China Admiral Lackey Will
talk from a sea port in France; Admiral
Bloch from his flagship off California;
Admiral King from an air ship over the
Pacific Ocean. All will be short talks
and there will be ceremonies and opera
tions. All pretty interesting II you
think about it. The Navy has no money
to spend that way--being limited to the
purposes specified by Congress when
appropriations are made-but the cour-
tesy of Col. David Sarnoff, President OF
Radio Corporation of America, made 1t
possible. Navy Day proper is the 2fth
and school and other exercises will be
held that day
A Bridge Story? "He-'Does your wife
play contract bridge?' Him--'No-Judg-
ing from She cost | think it's toll
bridge'."-A e. M. Journal.
Have You Noticed the interesting
freshness of the column by Martha
Rhyme? The young lady is interested,
eager, smart inquisitive and evidently
willing to work. Easy to look at, friend
ly. she may become a Mary Dawson
Cain in time. To Superintendent Kenna
goes the credit for having made real
training courses such as this young lady
Is taking, available to the High School
seniors. for which they get school cre-
dts. Several of the graduating class
are obtaining actual experiences in vo-
cations they will, or may, choose for a
life work. Just think; we could have
vocational training, city hall, COM
munity center, auditorium, basket ball
courts, all permanent improvements for
small cost via WPA if we only "went
after it" as if we meant it.
"Seek Elegance Rather Than Luxury.
refinement rather than fashion"
Looking Thru The Lexington Adver-
tiser and comparing it with all other
weekles, "a new conner in the newspaper
field is impressed with the high rank it
holds for it's news features, its clean
appearance. its readable type, the abb
sence of "syndicated stuff" the heavy
advertising patronage, the evidence of