Show cohere our ova off acers I 1 gre d 0 ra J 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 HEEG Is no more important unit of preparedness for our national wil de bense than the united states naval academy the american people are today making no better r invest ment for the future come peace or war than in the education and training of the men whose hose probes sinnai ability and person personal pers onil I integrity we must one day trust for the effi chency of the fleet but whose lives and traditions are tire less understood by the people than almost any group of men in the country thus writes 21 relton in the new york sun she continues the american people are 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 midst immen 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 bos who are among the least appreciated of our national resources but who constitute the back bael bone of our poten t 11 I 1 a I 1 preparedness for preparedness is 4 not to bring on war Z 0 1 not to preserve the peace it Is for the purpose of giving the country a reson able surety of sue cess in war our first shore duty w was as at the naval academy my 31 husband then alien a lieu tenant reported in the department depa rement of mathematics and I 1 set valiantly to work to make our quarters at least habitable government furniture has an I 1 exasperating way of representing the combined tas tastes tes of a long line of former occupants V ile e were assigned to a top floor flat in golds borough thorough row the one where admiral theodoric The porters daughter wrote her name with a din dh anond on OR a window pane when hen 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 he same fur kiture when rhen he was an ensign the midshipmen called the old place the corrals and sometimes the incubators young devils the whole row Is gone DO nov v to make way for a green lawn but its mer memories norles will mill go 90 out only with the last of the souls who mho peopled the shabby rooms I 1 think it must be this succession of people facing at different times the same problems and difficulties stepping actually into each others other s footsteps in work mork and play which gives us tl it it splendid spirit of the service the warm brother hood of thought and action that no outsider may leally understand it begins with mith the plebe class in the academy ademy and goes on down a man s life till he Is struck off the list forever and its warmth Is his children a heritage it Is the unspoken gene rosity of the upper class men at the aca lemy to lend a hand to youngsters third class men or plebe alike it begins in discipline and ends in justice it Is the cooperation of officer with mith men it stands behind our guns and sweats in the stoker s hell bell it Is the chap who mho stas aboard to take another fellow fellom a duty that some waiting malting wife may be happy some child hild e discon er that ohp pho he ile Is taught to call father isn t just a it is more th n any other one thing fleet filet efficiency its steady unchong ng ex istance is the armament against which politicians errors break like froth it Is our safeguard for protection and against militarism my father had never let roe me allt the naval academy as a g rl for fear I 1 might marry a naval officer so I 1 looked forwald to meeting my first ilan an with a corlous fla of youth almost is if I 1 were mere to see them through the eyes of a girl I 1 had determined wl en ell we w m ent to duty at the academy to have a home place tor for the boys who mho were mere not invited out very much my I 1 ausband told me once long years ago w m hen I 1 had ind gone all the way from boston to gibraltar to be with nith him for tour four days that no one had ever asked him out to a single meal at the time he was at the file academy I 1 never forgot that little confidence or the look in his eyes and when rhen I 1 picked my first midshipman to invite to our quarters it was wis because he be eaid said yes maam ma am to me and know what to do with his hands I 1 the sunday after S reported we went ment to chapel in the academy we were seated well back and in the shadow of one of the side ride bal hat conics conies it was infinitely quiet there the very light beld 1 eld a quality rf silence and the rows and rows of empty pew pem sr ben beneath path the splendid dome seemed to be waiting tensely with mth me for some expected sound 1 I looked up into the rapidly filling balconies so go many girls so young and eager men and find women town folk and visitors thin us is my H r in 01 or AV 0 alt dom fron ro n routine discipline na may be had openly and in or U der and with mith the sanction of tl it e authorities carvel ba hall f tie tl e one poss ble hotel the pe peggy gy ste stew ait inn and a few boarding houses must be the meeting place for friends and family and perched on clair cl air arms overflowing into hans halls and onto st ilas lining az UY fi pe r PR marr balconies and filling benches in the grounds our navy in embryo kicks licks its t heels pulls down its dress jacket and is generally uncomfortable ible bright and early of a monday morning hat I 1 less ess and h happy appy I 1 N went vent exploring something when I 1 exp explore lore I 1 ve lovely always hai hill pens to me proved it from hongtong Hong kong to the bahamas and back to new york t first ot of all I 1 inspected the quarters ot of the ranking officers some day if my lieutenant ever reaches the exalted rank of commander we might I 1 sat on the live in one of these houses f 4 bench sacred to first class men merl where my hus bus band had been as a boy of nineteen I 1 gazed academic building where at that moment the upon I 1 sat in III in subduing 16 plebes engaged I 1 e was ar love lane a and nd watched see alon after section march by recitation and thanked my to ayi to maker I 1 did not have study what they did A nice yell yellow ow dog joined me and we me wandered man dered off to look at the old statue of te cummell god of two five or mark who must be E 0 pas passing sing kissed by all plebes if they through the acad nead hope to get ot emy there was m as a flight stone st steps cps leading over the terrace to the tennis court below dog and I 1 went ent and there under der the aw down single great willow tree sat my very tiny lady of the organ 10 loft ft A watchman ap ao bauce mau wandered dered I 1 made out in the dimness the organ loft tl e figure of a tiny woman she was mas leaning forward and I 1 could tell by her alert watchfulness that she too was mas waiting with me and the quiet church for a breaking of the silence the seats about us were filled now with jofh cers and their families the midshipmen of the choir sat motionless in the chancel zimmer man the band master slid silently along the organ bench there was mas a turning of heads an instant s I 1 eavy pause and then the quick sharp crash of men marching on stone an inrush of sw beet air through tie tl e open doors short high commands and to the triumph of onward chris tian thin soldiers in they marched south and ind life ambition and I 1 ope courage and discipline I 1 hid thourl t to see them through the eyes of a girl for I 1 was mas only twenty two but the blurred sight of those SOO shining young heids he ids the straight strong bod es in all their bravery of full dress uniforms the knowledge that bisci pline had marched them to church when most of them w anted to be free and out of doors wakened in me a sense of them I 1 have hive never since lost they needed a I 1 ome and a mother and but few of them realized how the iron inn irr n of the navy department sep separate arite them from both you 11 understand presently but first let me take iou out of the quiet chapel into the earnest busl bust ness nels of sund sunday ay iy liberty the broad shallow steps are m massed with nith forms ci clowd ou d ng up to meet the frocks and ind clovers flo vers coming down don and far out under the splendid trees and along love lane the midshipmen wait to be ile joined by friends or family all too m many miny iny cave have neither ahing ing near enough to come to them and these stand in groups oi 01 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 lurry 1 hurrying ing toward her along chapel walk I 1 do not remember seeing in all 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 lottering laughing soughs all moving moning dinner waid it Is a pathetic thing in its very iery joyousness these oung men children tra triina ing to make the most of a few short hours of liberty man homes are thrown open to them on liberty days both out in town and among ti tie e officers b bit it comparatively compa few boys are tire reached in this way may annapolis I 1 as no n Y M C A no club no place of no place of any kind chero tree free proa chos me cant talk to that there but you sorry ma am there and writes sh she e sets lady it Us s agin orders esturb I 1 er d and tl ti ere ei e ain aln t no one to lady dog barked r my ay friend but I 1 began her laugh long h I 1 could hear at us and looked across to me she called ont out want mant to speak did you said the every wan nan wants nants to speak to er departing and dis gustel te I 1 jimmy legs friends before I 1 had bad sat dom down n under we were ere I 1 id d known hei het believe it her tree and m would you she wrote denise and ned all my life because in st nicholas and I 1 think that makes her partly belong to me have ou any children I 1 asked yes my dear she replied crisply one daughter and about sons in uniform so here was mas the mother of midshipmen a tiny alert figure young ees face lined by 3 ears cars of phi pill steal ste alpain pain and the heart and soul of her in every tone of voice and expression of her screwed screed up forehead that NN was as the beginning S nee then all down the tears ears I 1 have been gabriel gabrielle e jackson s honored friend and watched her work for her boys against the odds of delicate health constant physical suffering and slender means iler little sitting room in carval hall dubbed sky parlor in its early days Is the meeting place tor for ill her sons plebes and first class men alike there are no utes there and all she asks Is that ti they ley 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 N warmth of love no boy should ever no matter how good for him the discipline all tl 0 i ough the week may be mid of the firt fir t class have only 20 hours of liberty in a whole week and a plebe but five and a half what wonder nonder that they long tor for a home place in which milich to spend the precious hours for nine years sky cirlor has been a I 1 ome to all wl ml 0 wish mish to come with or without introduce Intro lAtro duc tion or invitation and only three times has mrs jackson been forced to say son I 1 am sorry but remember tie tl e open sesame to sky parlor must be clean living and high standards stand aids and having forgotten this I 1 tl ink for the sake of those who hae hane not forgotten tt it would mould be wiser for you to give up our visits here Comman commandant dint and officers are glad of her e cooperation 0 for discipline and drills strict orders and hard work nork may turn out many a fine officer but it does not always reich and help a naturally fine but high strung nature this Is gabrielle Gabr lelle jackson jacksons s work |