320 OUR HERITAGE THE SEA 



untouched ship. In somewhat the same manner as 

 a slight and perhaps accidental blow upon a certain 

 part of the body of the most powerful athlete, will put 

 him at the mercy of a much weaker opponent, who 

 has the wit to seize the opportunity thus offered. 

 This consideration, however, leads to another the 

 value of smartness in sea warfare. This has always 

 been held of the highest value in our Navy, and 

 rightly so ; for it is evident that where a single shot 

 may have such tremendous results, it is of the highest 

 importance that the side which can fire the quickest 

 and straightest must have the best chances of success. 

 In the training of our men, too, we have made 

 splendid strides during the last twenty-five years. 

 The old rollicking tar, who could and would fight, 

 but who regarded education as a thing unattainable 

 and unnecessary, has vanished into the limbo of for- 

 gotten things, and we have now a personnel in the 

 Navy of higher training and also fighting force than 

 any other country, with the possible exception of 

 Japan, can boast. This, of course, is of the greatest 

 importance in view of the fact that in no other pro- 

 fession are men called upon to handle such vastly 

 complicated machinery under such terrific conditions ; 

 and it is quite gratifying to know that our rulers are 

 fully alive to this fact, and are doing all that is in 

 their power to raise the standard of education as well 

 as mechanical skill among the men of the Navy. But, 

 after all, important as all this is which we have glanced 

 at so hastily, it forms but a part of what the sea means 

 to Great Britain. 



