SOME ONE TURNED ON THE
CURRENT
A
UNITED STATES
MIDSHIPMAN
IN THE
PHILIPPINES
by
Lt. Com. Yates Stirling Jr. U.S.N.
Author of
“A U.S. Midshipman Afloat”
“A U.S. Midshipman in China”
“A U.S. Midshipman in Japan”
“A U.S. Midshipman in the South Seas”
Illustrated by Ralph L. Boyer
THE PENN PUBLISHING
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
MCMXIII
COPYRIGHT
1910 BY
THE PENN
PUBLISHING
COMPANY
Introduction
The writer has attempted to describe in thisvolume the life of two young midshipmen ofthe United States Navy, serving in a smallgunboat in Philippine waters.
The fighting between the United Statestroops and the lawless bands of Filipinobandits (for they were bandits, more or less,after Aguinaldo’s army had been dispersed)was in most cases “hand to hand” and to thedeath. The navy had but small share in thiswar, but in some instances the helpful coöperationof their web-footed brothers savedthe soldiers from embarrassing situations.
Midshipman Philip Perry and his classmateat Annapolis, Sydney Monroe, first made theirappearance in “A United States MidshipmanAfloat.” They had a part in stirring adventuresduring one of the frequent South Americanrevolutions. Here they became involvedin diplomatic intrigue, and had some success;but unfortunately diplomatic successes cannotalways be proclaimed to the world.
[4]“A United States Midshipman in China”told of the adventures of the same boysin China during a threatened uprising offanatical Chinese against the foreigners.Here again diplomacy counseled silence, andtheir reward for saving the day was a mild rebukefrom their admiral. One of the principalcharacters in all three books is Jack O’Neil, atypical modern man-of-war’s man.
These books are written in an endeavor toportray the life led by young officers in thenaval service. The writer’s own experienceswarrant the belief that the incidents are notunusual. The midshipmen are not merelyautomatons. To one of Napoleon’s pawns anorder was an order, to be obeyed, right orwrong. But the doctrine, “their’s not toreason why” when “some one has blundered”is no longer accepted as an excuse for poor results.In these days of progress we court-martialan officer who stubbornly obeys anorder, when he knows that to do so will injurethe cause he has sworn to uphold.
Further account of the boys’ stirring adventureswill be found