June 19, 191?». 
LAND AND WATER. 
promoting promising officers young. All have to 
letire at the age of sixty-two. The admirals' and 
captains' lists are small. There are few unem- 
ployed, but no one reaches the captains' list till 
late, and no one stays in it long. Men may still be 
commanders at an age when many British officers 
are rear admirals, lieutenant commandere at the 
age of our senior captains, and there are many 
lieutenants older than our junior captains. The 
system is a thoroughly bad one, because it means 
that the senior officers have exceedingly little ex- 
perience of command. A man may become 
capl<iin, get his flag, and retire in a third of the 
period during which an English officer stays on 
the captains' list. It also means that the senior 
commanders and lieutenant-commanders have to 
be a long time unemployed before getting com- 
mands as captains. 
It is po.ssibly another defect in the American 
B)"stem that there is less specialisation. Every 
capital ship in the British Navy carries specialist 
ofticers for gunnery, torpedoes, and navigation. 
The^e ofiicers have been sent, as young lieutenants, 
to the navigation, gunnery, or torpedo establish- 
ments for courses of one or two years, and when 
qualified, serve the remainder of their time before 
becoming commanders, in charge of the activities 
of their departments. This system results in the 
production of a numerous class of experts, with 
the highest qualification in their particular line. 
From these specialists are chosen the experts who 
man the training establishments, ordnance depart- 
ments, &c., and their existence guarantees a high 
standard of scientific m.astery of these subjects— 
an asset which would be invaluable to any Board of 
Admiralty that cliose to embark upon the innova- 
tion of letting expert opinion govern its policy in 
expert matters. In the American Navy all officers 
receive more or less the same training. When a 
ship is commissioned, the duties of looking after 
special branches are assigned to particular officers, 
who master the problems of their task as best they 
can. It is proliahle that the general resourceful- 
ness is rather increased by this system, but it also 
follows that the highest expertise is lacking. 
Finally, the officers, as a whole, get far less sea 
experience than do our own. 
THE ENLISTED MEN. 
On the other hand, no naval officers in the 
world exceed Americans in general keenness, in 
the thoroughness of their mastery in the scientific 
side of their profession. The American officer has 
one constant task before him, which is a liberal 
education both in the undei-standing and the 
management of men. The personnel^blue- 
jackets, stokers, &c. — is enlisted for short 
terms. It is seldom that a newly-commis- 
sioned ship puts to sea with more than a 
very small proportion of ratings who know 
much about their business. There is, of course, 
an established list of warrant oflicers. But 
for the most part the commissioning of the ship 
means a long and arduous task of converting 
landsmen into seamen, and not only landsmen, 
but men who have not the elementary conceptions 
cither of what the sea is like or of what discipline 
mea.ns. But, in spite of these difficulties, experi- 
enced American officers who know the inner work- 
ing, both of the British and of other navies, will 
tell you that after eight or nine months' training 
an American crew, though extraordinarily hetero- 
geneous in its origin, shakes down into a very 
efficient ship's company. For one thing, everyone 
who is there is a volunteer. He is bound for that 
commission only. He has joined for the sake of 
seeing something of the world, to try a new life, 
to have a taste of adventure. The pay is good, 
the food excellent, and the discipline, though effec- 
tive, is not burdensome. Three things contribute 
to make this system succeed. The first is the 
thorough understanding of the American officer 
of the American enlisted man. The next' is a 
certain keenness to master technical problems, 
which is a national characteristic. Lastly, 
public opinion demands that anyone who 
undertakes a job shall, in the slang of the day, 
" make good." The enlisted man is turned 
into a good sailor because he is at least as 
anxious to become one as the officer is anxious to 
make him so. 
The weakest feature of the U.S. Navy is 
the supreme command and the organisation 
for war — subjects I propose to discuss at a later 
date. 
A GLIMPSE OF WAR. 
THE GROUSER. 
By W. L. GEORGE. 
THE sergeant, w!io was inEpecting the trench with 
au air of suspicion, stopped by the side of Private 
Langley. His dubious thumb and finger felt for 
the "edge of the cottage door which, covered 
with turf, foriced the roof of the trench. It gave 
m little to his hand, menacingly so : 
" That's shaky," he said, " get a couple of props and 
■bore it up." 
Private Langley scowled and the sergeant, who knew 
his ways, smiled: "It'll be down on your head in half a 
tick if you don't." 
Private Bradden, who stood next to Langley, was tickled. 
" Shall I fetch them props for you t " he asked. " Nice 
little job, ain't it ? " 
Private Langley's face assunaed an air in which was too 
mnch gloom for auger to creep in. Speaking to himself 
rather than to Braddeii, hs began in the uncertain twilight 
to shore up the roof with a slanting prop. As he worked ha 
talked : 
" Just like 'im, nosin' about seein' if 'e can't find somt 
damage. Call this soldjering ? It's more like jail, that'i 
what it is, except that in jail you do get a bit o' quiet now 
and then, and you know when you're comin' out o' jug, 
v/luch you don't 'ere." The prop, which was wet, slipped 
through his hands. He pulled it up again; "What am I 
doia' 'ere? That's what I want t' know. What's the good 
of it? I arsk you — what's the good of it? " 
" I don't know," said Private Bradden. 
" Didn't expec' you would," said Private Langley. 
" Then what d'you arsk me for? " said Private Braddeii 
nastily. 
" To expose your gen'ral ignorance," said Private 
Langley, with increasing gloom. 
The prop slipped again, and the roof irritably sub- 
sided on the top of his head; he put it back patiently. He 
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