eir　fathers　had　been　of　the　material　means　by　which　to　accomplish　their　somewhat　indefinite　purposes。
  The　reconstruction　of　the　American　Navy；　which　had　attained　such　magnitude　and　played　so　important　a　part　in　the　Civil　War　but　which　had　been　allowed　to　sink　into　the　merest　insignificance；　was　begun　by　William　E。　Chandler；　the　Secretary　of　the　Navy　under　President　Arthur。　William　C。　Whitney；　his　successor　under　President　Cleveland；　continued　the　work　with　energy。　Captain　Alfred　T。　Mahan　began　in　1883　to　publish　that　series　of　studies　in　naval　history　which　won　him　world…wide　recognition　and　did　so　much　to　revolutionize　prevailing　conceptions　of　naval　strategy。　A　Naval　War　College　was　established　in　1884；　at　Newport；　Rhode　Island；　where　naval　officers　could　continue　the　studies　which　they　had　begun　at　Annapolis。
  The　total　neglect　of　the　army　was　not　entirely　the　result　of　indifference。　The　experience　with　volunteers　in　the　Civil　War　had　given　almost　universal　confidence　that　the　American　people　could　constitute　themselves　an　army　at　will。　The　presence　of　several　heroes　of　that　war　in　succession　in　the　position　of　commander…in…chief　of　the　army　had　served　to　diffuse　a　sense　of　security　among　the　people。　Here　and　there　military　drill　was　introduced　in　school　and　college；　but　the　regular　army　attracted　none　of　the　romantic　interest　that　clung　about　the　navy；　and　the　militia　was　almost　totally　neglected。　Individual　officers；　such　as　young　Lieutenant　Tasker　Bliss；　began　to　study　the　new　technique　of　warfare　which　was　to　make　fighting　on　land　as　different　from　that　of　the　wars　of　Napoleon　as　naval　warfare　was　different　from　that　of　the　time　of　Nelson。　Yet　in　spite　of　obviously　changing　conditions；　no　provision　was　made　for　the　encouragement　of　young　army　officers　in　advanced　and　up…to…date　Studies。　While　their　contemporaries　in　other　professions　were　adding　graduate　training　to　the　general　education　which　a　college　gave；　the　graduates　of　West　Point　were　considered　to　have　made　themselves　in　four　years　sufficiently　proficient　for　all　the　purposes　of　warfare。
  By　the　middle　nineties　thoughtful　students　of　contemporary　movements　were　aware　that　a　new　epoch　in　national　history　was　approaching。　What　form　this　national　development　would　take　was；　however；　still　uncertain；　and　some　great　event　was　obviously　required　to　fix　its　character。　Blaine's　Pan…Americanism　had　proved　insufficient　and；　though　the　baiting　of　Great　Britain　was　welcome　to　a　vociferous　minority；　the　forces　making　for　peace　were　stronger　than　those　in　favor　of　war。　Whatever　differences　there　were　did　not　reach　to　fundamentals　but　were　rather　in　the　nature　of　legal　disputes　between　neighbors　whom　a　real　emergency　would　quickly　bring　to　the　assistance　of　each　other。　A　crisis　involving　interest；　propinquity；　and　sentiment；　was　needed　to　shake　the　nation　into　an　activity　which　would　clear　its　views。
  At　the　very　time　of　the　Venezuela　difficulty；　such　a　crisis　was　taking　shape　in　the　Caribbean。　Cuba　had　always　been　an　object　of　immediate　concern　to　the　United　States。　The　statesmen　of　the　Jeffersonian　period　all　looked　to　its　eventually　becoming　part　of　American　territory。　Three　quarters　of　a　century　before；　when　the　revolt　of　the　Spanish　colonies　had　halted　on　the　shores　of　the　mainland；　leaving　the　rich　island　of　Cuba　untouched；　John　Quincy　Adams；　on　April　28；　1823；　in　a　lengthy　and　long…considered　dispatch　to　Mr。　Nelson；　the　American　Minister　to　Spain；　asserted　that　the　United　States　could　not　consent　to　the　passing　of　Cuba　from　the　flag　of　Spain　to　that　of　any　other　European　power；　that　under　existing　conditions　Cuba　was　considered　safer　in　the　hands　of　Spain　than　in　those　of　the　revolutionaries；　and　that　the　United　States　stood　for　the　maintenance　of　the　status　quo；　with　the　expectation　that　Cuba　would　ultimately　become　American　territory。
  By　the　late　forties　and　the　fifties；　however；　the　times　had　changed；　and　American　policy　had　changed　with　them。　It　was　becoming　more　and　more　evident　that；　although　no　real　revolution　had　as　yet　broken　out；　the　〃Pearl　of　the　Antilles〃　was　bound　to　Spain　by　compulsion　rather　than　by　love。　In　the　United　States　there　was　a　general　feeling　that　the　time　had　at　last　come　to　realize　the　vision　of　Jefferson　and　Adams　and　to　annex　Cuba。　But　the　complications　of　the　slavery　question　prevented　immediate　annexation。　As　a　slave　colony　which　might　become　a　slave　state；　the　South　wanted　Cuba；　but　the　majority　in　the　North　did　not。
  After　the　Civil　War　in　the　United　States　was　over；　revolution　at　length　flared　forth　in　1868；　from　end　to　end　of　the　island。　Sympathy　with　the　Cubans　was　widespread　in　the　United　States。　The　hand　of　the　Government；　however；　was　stayed　by　recent　history。　Americans　felt　keenly　the　right　of　governments　to　exert　their　full　strength　to　put　down　rebellion；　for　they　themselves　were　prosecuting　against　Great　Britain　a　case　based　on　what　they　contended　was　her　too　lax　enforcement　of　her　obligations　to　the　American　Government　and　on　the　assistance　which　she　had　given　to　the　South。　The　great　issue　determined　the　lesser；　and　for　ten　years　the　United　States　watched　the　Cuban　revolution　without　taking　part　in　it；　but　not；　however；　without　protest　and　remonstrance。　Claiming　special　rights　as　a　close　and　necessarily　interested　neighbor；　the　United　States　constantly　made　suggestions　as　to　the　manner　of　the　contest　and　its　settlement。　Some　of　these　Spain　grudgingly　allowed；　and　it　was　in　part　by　American　insistence　that　slavery　was　finally　abolished　in　the　island。　Further　internal　reform；　however；　was　not　the　wish　and　was　perhaps　beyond　the　power　of　Spain。　Although　the　revolution　was　seemingly　brought　to　a　close　in　1878；　its　embers　continued　to　smolder　for　nearly　a　score　of　years　until　in　1895　they　again　burst　into　flame。
  War　in　Cuba　could　not　help　affecting　in　a　very　intimate　way　the　people　of　the　United　States。　They　bought　much　the　greater　part　of　the　chief　Cuban　crops；　sugar　and　tobacco。　American　capital　had　been　invested　in　the　island；　particularly　in　plantations。　For　years　Cubans　of　liberal　tendencies　had　sent　their　sons　to　be　educated　in　the　United　States；　very　many　of　whom　had　been　naturalized　before　returning　home。　Cuba　was　but　ninety　miles　from　Florida；　and　much　of　our　coastwise　shipping　passed　in　sight　of　the　island。　The　people　of　the　United　States　were　aroused　to　sympathy　and　to　a　desire　to　be　of　assistance　when　they　saw　that　the　Cubans；　so　near　geographically　and　so　bound　to　them　by　many　commercial　ties；　were　engaged　against　a　foreign　monarchy　in　a　struggle　for　freedom　and　a　republican　form　of　government。　Ethan　Allen　headed　a　Cuban　committee　in　New　York　and　by　his　historic　name　associated　the　new　revolution　with　the　memory　of　the　American　struggle　for　freedom。　The　Cuban　flag　was　displayed　in　the　United　States；　Cuban　bonds　were　sold；　and　volunteers　and　arms　were　sent　to　the　aid　of　the　insurgents。
  Owing　to　the　nature　of　the　country　and　the　character　of　the　people；　a　Cuban　revolution　had　its　peculiarities。　The　island　is　a　very　long　and　rugged　mountain　chain　surrounded　by　fertile；　cultivated　plains。　The　insurgents　from　their　mountain　refuges　spied　out　the　land；　pounced　upon　unprotected　spots；　burned　crops　and　sugar　mills；　and　were　off　before　troops　could　arrive。　The　portion　of　the　population　in　revolt　at　any　particular　time　was　rarely　large。　Many　were　insurgents　one　week　and　peaceful　citizens　the　next。　The　fact　that　the　majority　of　the　population　sympathized　with　the　insurgents　enabled　the　latter　to　melt　into　the　landscape　without　leaving　a　sign。　A　provisional　government　hurried　on　mule…back　from　place　to　place。　The　Spanish　Government；　contrary　to　custom；　acted　at　this　time　with　some　energy：　it　put　two　hundred　thousand　soldiers　into　the　island；　it　raised　large　levies　of　loyal　Cubans；　it　was　almost　always　victorious；　yet　the　revolution　would　not　down。　Martinez　Campos；　the　〃Pacificator〃　of　the　first　revolution；　was　this　time　unable　to　protect　the　plains。　In　1896　he　was　replaced　by　General　Weyler；　who　undertook　a　new　system。　He　started　to　corral　the　insurgents　by　a　chain　of　blockhouses　and　barbed　wire　fences　from　ocean　to　seathe　first　completely　guarded　cross…country　line　since　the　frontier　walls　of　the　Roman　Empire　in　Europe　and　the　Great　Wall　of　China　in　Asia。　He　then　proceeded　to　starve　out　the　insurgents　by　destroying　all　the　food　in　the　areas　to　which　they　were　confined。　As　the　revolutionists　lived　largely　on　the　pillage　of　plantations　in　their　neighborhood；　this　policy　involved　the　destruction　of　the　crops　of　the　loyal　as　well　as　of　the　disloyal；　of　Americans　as　well　as　of　Cubans。　The　population　of　the　devastated　plantations　was　gathered　into　reconcentrado　camps　where；　penned　promiscuously　into　small　reservations；　they　were　entirely　dependent　upon　a　Government　which　was　poor　in　supplies　and　as　careless　of　sanitation　as　it　was　of　humanity。　The　camps　became　pest…holes；　spreading　contagion　to　all　regions　having　intercourse　with　Cuba；　and　in　vain　the　interned　victims　were　crying　aloud　for　succor。
  This　new　policy　of　disregard　for　property　and　life　deeply　involved　American　interests　and　sensibilities。　The　State　Department　maintained　that　Spain　was　responsible　for　the　destruction　of　American　property　by　insurgents。　This　Spain