Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1916 — Page 3

Where Our Naval Officers Are Trained

A lieutenants wife writes about life at Annapolis Academy, and tells especially about the work which Mrs. Gabrielle Jackson is doing as “Little Mother” to the young midshipmen there

A __ = fIIERE is no more important unit of preparedness for our national defense than the United States Naval academy. The American people are today making no better investment for the future, come peace or war, than in the education and training of the men whose professional ability and personul integrity we must one day trust for the eflb clency of the fleet, hut Whose lives and traditions—are less understood by the people than almost any group of men in the country.” Thus writes M. Kelton in the New York Sun. She continues^ — “The American people are unrepresented before congress by the brains they are taxed' to train and upon which they must rely to protect the national honor. “Come with me through the Maryland avenue gate of the academy, past the midshipmen of the guard and let us look out at the world with the—-

spirit and swing of the service back of us and through the eyes of the boys who are among the least appreciated of our national resources but who constitute the backbone of our potentia 1 preparedness; for preparedness is not to bring on war, not to preserve the peace; it is for the purpose of giving the country a resonqble surety of success in war. “Our first shore duty was at the naval academy. My husband, then a lieutenant. reported in

hlrerdepartorenf of mathematics arid I set valiantly to work to make our quarters at loas4 habitable. Government furniture has an exasperating way of representing the combined tastes of a long line of former occupants. “We were assigned to a top floor flat in Goldsborough row, the one where Admiral Theodor!c Fmrter’s daughter wro,te her name with a diamond on a window pane when she was a child and he but a lieutenant. Admiral Benson, our present chief of operations, lived in the same flat and doubtless endured remnants of the same furniture whfen he was an ensign. The midshipmen called the old place the Corrals and sometimes the Incubators—young devils!—The whole row Is gone now to make way for a green lawn, but its memories will go out only with the last of the souls who peopled the shabby rooms. e — facing at different times the same problems and difficulties, stepping actually into each other’s footsteps in work and play, which gives us that splendid spirit of the service", the warm brotherhood of thought and action that no outsider may really understand. It begins with the plebe class In the academy and goes on down a man’s life till he Is struck off the list forever and its warmth is his children’s heritage. It Is the unspoken generosity of the upper-class men at the academy to lend a hand to youngsters (third-class men) or plebe alike. It begins in discipline and ends in justice. “It is the co-operation of officer with„men. It stands behind our guns and sweats In the stoker’s hell. It is the chap who stays aboard to take another fellow’s duty that some waiting wife may be happy, some child discover that the photograph lie is taught to call father Isn’t just a rnnkehcHiwp. It is, more than any_nther_one-„ thing, fleet efficiency. Its stendy, unchanging existence is the armament against which politicians’ errors break like froth. It is our safeguard for protection and against militarism. “My father had never let me visit the naval academy as a girl for fear I might "marry a naval officer, so I looked forward to meeting my first midshipman with a curious flareback of youth, almost ns if I were to see them through the eyes of a girl. I had determined when we went to duty at the academy to have a home place for the boys who were , not invited out very much. My husband told ipe once long years. ago, when I had gone all the way from Boston to Gibraltar to be with him for four days, that no one had ever asked him Out to a singly meal at the time he was at the academy. “I never forgot that little confidence or the look in his eyes, and when I picked my first midshipman to invite to our quarters4t was -because he said ‘Yes. ma’am’ to me and didn’t know what to do with his hands. “The Sunday after S. reported we went to chapel in the academy. We were seated well back and in the shadow of one of the side balconies. It was infinitely quiet there, the very light held a quality of silence and the rows and rows of empty pews beneath the splendid dome seemed to be waiting tensely with me for some expected, sound. ~ . “I looked up into the rapidly filling balconies. So many girla, so] young and eager, men and •women, town folk‘and visitors. Then, as my

glance wandered, I made out in the dimness of the organ loft the figure of a tiny woman. She was leaning forward and I could tell by her alert watchfulness that she, too, was waiting with me and the quiet church for a breaking of the silence. “The _ seats about us were filled now with officers and their families. The midshipmen of the choir sat motionless in the chancel. Zimmerman, the band master, slid silently along the organ bench. There was a turning of heads, an instant’s heavy pause, and then the quick, sharp crash of men marching on stone, an inrush of sweet air through the open doors, short, high commands, and to the triumph of ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers,’ in they marched, youth and life, ambition and hope, courage and discipline, “I had thought to see them through the eyes of a girl, for I was only twenty-two, but the blurred sight of those 900 shining young heads, the straight, strong bodies in all their bravery of- full drcss nniformSi the knovvledge pline had marched them to church when most of them wnttted to be free and out of doors, wakened in me a sense of them I have never since lost. They needed a home and a mother, and but few of them realized how the Iron arm of the navy department would separate them from both. You’ll understand presently; but first let me take you out of the quiet chapel Into the earnest business of Sunday liberty. “The broad shallow steps are massed with uniforms crowding up to meet the frocks and flowers coming down and far out under the splendid „ trees and along Love lane the midshipmen wait to be joined by friends or family. All too many have neither living near enough to come to them, and these stand In grdups or move off toward Bancroft hall, which Is quarters for the entire brigade. There goes my little lady of the organ loft, completely swamped by 20 or more young giants and more come hurrying toward.her along Chapel walk. I do not remember seeing In alt my life so happy a face as hers. ‘The gay picture breaks up, the people scatter and presently the streets of Annapolis are thronged with hurrying, loitering, laughing youths qll moving dinnerward. It is a pathetic thing. In its very joyousness, these young men children trying to make the most of a few short hours of liberty. Many homes are thrown open to them on liberty days, both out in town and among the offieera, but comparatively few boys aro reached in this way.———— —— “Annapolis has no f. M. C. A. no club, no place of amusement, no place of aujs. kind where free-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

In the grounds onr navy in embryo kicks it* heels, pulls down its dress jacket and is generally uncomfortable. . “Bright and early of a Monday morning, hatless and happy, I went exploring. Something lovely always happens to me when I explore. Ive proved it from Hongkong to the Pahamas and back to New York. ' ' ‘ “First of —ail I inspected the quarters of the ranking officers. Some day if W lieutenant ever reaches the exalted rank of commander we might live in one of these houses. I sat on the ‘ bench, sacred to first-class men, where my husband had been as a boy of nineteen. I gazed upon the academic building where at that moment he was engaged in subduing B.lftl-j;

Pr «‘SoSy m nm’nm, hut you can’t talk to that there lady; it’s agin orders. She sets there and wntes and there ain’t no one to disturb her. “ ‘But,’ I began. Friend dog barked my lady looked across at us. and I could hear her laug: . “‘Did vou want to speak to me?’ she called out- “ ‘Every wan wants to speak to ’er, said the departing and disgusted Jimmy legs. “We were friends before I had sat down under her tree, and, would you believe it, I’d known her all mv life because she wrote ‘Denise and >ed Toodles’ in St. Nicholas, and I think that makes her partly belong to me. “‘Have you any children?’ I asked. “ ‘Yes, my dear,’ she replied crisply, ‘one daughter and about 900 sons in uniform.’ “So, here was the mother of midshipmen, a tiny, alert figure, young eyes, face lined by years of phvsical pain and the heart and soul of her in eV ery—tone of . voice and expression of her screwed-up forehead. “That was the beginning. Since then, all down the years I have been Gabrielle Jackson’s honored friend and watched her work for her boys against the odds of delicate health, constant physical suffering and slender means. Her little sitting room in Carval hall, dubbed Sky parlor in its early days, is the meeting place for all her sons, plebes and first-class men alike. There are no “rates” there, and all she asks is that they shall come to her and let her be their ‘little mother.’ » “There is an open fire to stoke, big chairs, a tea table to mess with a warmth of love no hoy should ever miss, no matter how good for him the discipline all through the week may be. Midshipmen of the first class have only 20 hours of liberty in a whole week and a plebe but five and a half. What wonder that they long for a home place 1 in which to spend the precious hours. , , “For nine years Sky parlor has been a home to all who wish to come, with or without introduction or invitation, and only three times has Mr*, Jackson been forced to say, ‘Son. I am sorry, bat remember the open sesame to Sky parlor must he clean living and high standards,.nnd having forgotten this I think, for. the sake of those who have not forgotten, it would be wiser for you to give up your visits here.’ “Commandant and officers are glad of her cooperation, for discipline and drills, strict order* and hard work may turn out many a fine officer, but it does not always reach and help a naturally fine hut high-strung nature- _ . • “This is Gabrielle Jackson’* work.*

dom from routine discipline may be had openly and in order and with the sanction of the authorities. Carvel hall, the one possible hotpl, the Peggy Stewart inn and a few hoarding houses must be the meeting place for friends and . family, and perched on chair arms, dverflowing into halls and onto stairs, lining balconies and filling benches

Love lane and watched section after section march by to recitation and thanked my Maker I did not have to study what they did. “A nice yellow' dog joined me, and we wandered off to look at the old statue of Tecuinseh, god of two-five, or passing mark, who must be kissed by all plebes if they hope to get through the academy. There was a flight of stone steps leading over the terrace to the tennis courts below. Dog and I went down and there under the -single— great: willow tree sat my very tiny lady of the organ' loft. A watchman ap-

TRAINING TODAY’S BOYS AND GIRLS

Fair Play Among Brothers and Sisters a Necessity. HASTY JUDGMENTS ARE RISKY Innocent Child Too Often Is Held Responsible for anrfirtetfon* That Ariße—Tasks Must Not Be Evaded. By SIDONIE M. GRUENBERG. Father was glancing at the papers white waiting for his son to join him for their Sunday morning walk.; Presently- he noticed that he had road more of the paper tliuu he hud expected to, and looked at his watch. The delay was unusually long, and he called to William. William’s voice came hack sobbing? “They won’t dress me!” Father did not like that. He went right up to the children’s quarters to see what it all meant. “The oldest sister spoke up. She thought that William, aged seven, was quite old enough to dress himself, and he wouldn’t even" try. The silence and the expressions on the faces of the other sisters suggested a conspiracy. This would never do. Father pronounced final Judgment. “A hoy who has three older sisters ought to be able to get help when he has to be dressed, and not be neglected.” William had to be dressed at once, and the girls would see to it that the task was accomplished with neatness and dispatch. To have the opportunity —to look after younger brothers or sisters is no doubt of great value to any girl. And to be obliged to dress William through all those years must have beepan education for the girls. But it is certain that they gained was more than counterbalanced by the boy’s loss." And it is also certain that the experience and “discipline”« that the girls gained were counterbalanced by the resentment and sense of injustice which they developed as William became old enough —at least in their judgment—to relieve them of their responsibility. William was no less a victim of circumstances than his sisters. It was his fate to be the youngest—and the only boy. It is bad enough to be the youngest, and it is bad enough to be the only boy—or the only girl. But the combination of the two handicaps is in many households quite insurmountable. But every child is unique, if not in one way then in another. And so every child is likely to derive advantages from his peculiarities as well as to be handicapped by them. The older of two brothers was of the “accommodating”kind. A neighbor said to Charles that he “always gave in be-

“They Won’t Dress Me!”

fore and after.” By this she meant that he always did what he could to avoid friction in advance; but that when* any altercation arose he was then ready to make further concessions and yield. He would not let his preferences stand in the way of peace. This was so marked that whenever trouble did arise it was quite natural for Henry to receive the blame. But later it became possible for Charles, in his quiet way, to make trouble in the certainty that Henry would be blamed. It is quite proper for us to recognize the fact that the children are not alike and to take the differences into consideration in our judgments and in" our other treatment of them. But we must not let our classification of children stand in the way of substantial justice. It is quite probable that Henry was the trouble maker nine times out of ten, and an understanding of Charles’ disposition was very helpful to the parents. But each case, as it arises, should be considered on its merits and not on the earlier generalization that Henry is usually at fault. The actions of parents, like all movements in the world, are along the line of least resistance. And the generalizations we make about our children furnish channels that are often helpful, but occasionally dangerous. So it happened that Helen, whom ev--OrVC, OlltU MiliCitnJ 1 W ufation. One day her mother heard her voice berating Edward, while the chil- ' ’ * - -. " -e *■ n

dren were at the edge of the water. She could also see the blade at an oar raised menacingly in the air. Of course, Helen was up to come mischief and was abusing Edward. She started for the shore in the Interests of peace and Justice. But when she came near enoughs she saw that the quiet and unobtrusive Edward wns the real aggressor. . He held out his foot to Indicate where Helen was to land her boat, and as the boat did not strike exactly in the indicated spot he would shove it out again. This he repeated several times, until Helen was exasperated beyond self-control. The mother admitted later that had she not seen the performance herself she wou 1 dltave-eershlered Helen responsible for (lie tristioa, Without regard for the girl’s pleas in extenuation. In the distribution of tasks and responsibilities of a household among the children then? will necessarily be Inequalities in age and strength and also on account of Interests. Some children are more obliging than others, and at one stage the child is more eager to go bp errands than he will be later. It is perfectly legitimate to allow such Inequalities. But we must not let the less-obliging child take advantage of the more helpful brother at

Helen Suffered for Her Reputation.

sister; he needs to do his share of the work even mere than the work needs to be done. Nor must we allow him to evade his tasks through sub- ** terfuge or through persistent refusals. Let George do it, if he will, for he likes It and it is worth his while. But do not let the others defraud themselves by leaving too much to George. The education of the child in Ideal* of equity must come In large measure from the give-and-take of his relations with other children, whether In the home or outside. But must be supplemented with the pervasive Influence of sympathetic, yet detached, judgment of older persons.

Fifty-Fifty.

In the big preparedness parade which took place ip New York: tn May, and which set the example for other preparedness parades all gver the country, Digby Bell, the comedian, led a company made up largely of actors, theatrical managers and playwrights from the Lambs and the Players clubs. The marchers moved in wide lines 20 abreast, extending from curb to curb of Fifth avenue. All went well with Capt. Digby Bell’s squad until they reached Forty-Secoifd street, where an isle of safety for pedestrians stands in the middle of the asphalt roadway. He knew there must be a military command for dividing a column so as to pass about a fixed obstacle, but he didn’t know what it was. For just a moment confusion threatened his group. Then in this emergency an inspiration came to the leader. He swung about and faced the oncoming formation. “Fifty-fifty!” he blared at the top Of his voice. And, splitting in the center, the line flanked the safety isle without missing a step.

Took It for a Poultice.

Mr. Coddles was suffering from that rundown feeling. In fact he might have sat as a model for the artist who draws those pictures every one of which is alleged to tell a story. A bright idea came to him—namely, that tie should visit some friends in Bradford, for he knew that there was no cure quite equal to Yorkshire hosthem when he caught cold and had to take to bed. With kind thoughtfulness his hostess baked a Yorkshire pudding, which she carried to his room. Three hours later she again visited the invalided Mr. Coddles. “Well,” she asked, “have yo’ etten it all oop V ‘Eaten it?" gasped Mr. Coddles. “Was it meant to be eaten? I’m wearing it on my chest ?” —London Tit-Bits,,

Caught.

Mrs. Flatbush— Why, you’re all wet! Mr. Flatbush—Yes; got caught in a shower. “But you had an umbrella when you left this morning?” “Yes, but it was the fellow who owned the umbrella that caught me!”

Let Him Try It.

Bacon —Someone has figured It oul r that the annual fall of snow and rain in the United States weighs In the neighborhood of 6,000,000,000 tons. shoveled any knows right well that the snow alone weighs a good deal mart than that. t;