THE EVOLUTION OF NAVIES.
295
fleets on the qui vive. The terrible celerity with which the most powerful ship in the world becomes an 'obsolete old crock' hardly worth consideration, the uselessness of old guns and torpedoes—these facts are bound to cause continual uneasiness and render difficult any arrival at perfection. After the Great War the sailing ship remained much as she had been under Nelson, till steam came and worked its revolution. In such conditions perfection was easy. None could feel the danger of falling behind, ideal perfection was visible to all. To-day there is a different ideal every year, and it is a blessed thing that it is so.
