Come on, Texas! By Paul Schubert. Decorations by Arthur
Hawkins. (New York: J. Cape &H. Smith, 1930. viii,
244 pp. 8vo.)

This is the biography of the battleship Texas, told in the
form of fiction. A petty officer is the principal narrator.

"Ship spirit is a curious thing. In war they call it morale,

and it's as important as your guns. In peace it wins trophies;
it's the life and breath of a battleship." Much of the story is
taken up with the rivalries between the men of different battle-
ships, in rowing, in maintaining smart appearance, in maneuver-
ing, in shooting, etc. "And Texas! Oh, Texas was the queen of
the Navy." This sounds strikingly like an outburst of college
spirit after a football victory. In An Admiral from Texas one
finds this sober comment: "I wanted to command a ship that
shot well, steamed well, maneuvered well; a ship that was always
ready at the drop of the hat to perform any duty, and that would
perform that duty up to the handle. My experience had taught
me that it was most unusual for the winner of trophies to be
the smartest ship. Paradoxical as it may seem, quite the con-
trary was true."

The Texas belonged to the Sixth Battle Squadron, British
Grand Fleet, in 1918.

E. W. W.

How to cite:
"Come on, Texas!", Volume 39, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v039/n2/review_DIVL2151.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 22:51:05 CST 2009]