THE OCEAN AS A BATTLE-FIELD 



(Continued) 



THE battle of Lepanto preceded the defeat of the Spanish 

 Armada by only seventeen years, and in the minds of 

 many there is great doubt which of the two great events 

 was the greater, as far as the history of the world was 

 concerned. As far as we as a nation are concerned, 

 there can be no doubt at all, although the conflict 

 was between two nominally Christian Powers, of the 

 greater importance of the latter event ; but taking the 

 broader, more universal view of the matter, I think it 

 will be admitted that the issue of the battle of Lepanto 

 had a profounder influence upon the history of the 

 world than any other single conflict in that history ; 

 for it decided that the advancing civilization of Europe 

 and the farther West still should not be crushed back 

 into barbarism, should not again sink into the horrible 

 slough from which it had so painfully emerged after 

 ages of struggle. I hope I may be pardoned if I 

 magnify mine office, but I cannot help saying that, 

 in comparing these vast conflicts at sea with those 

 that have taken place on land, the effect of the sea- 

 victories always seems to me to have been incomparably 

 greater; for, with the world subdivided as it is by 

 the ocean, land conflicts are in a measure localized, 

 but whoso has command of the sea, and occupies an 



278 



