Therefore the limitation mentioned is not mentioned as a criticism, but simply to point out that the game-board, in common with most of the other means of discussion in naval matters, has gradually led people to think of naval matters in terms of material units only.

That such an unfortunate state of affairs has come to pass can be verified by reading almost any paper, even professional, that speaks about navies; for one will be confronted at once with the statement that such and such a navy consists of such and such ships, etc.

Since when has a navy consisted of brass and iron?
Since when has the mind and character of man taken a place subordinate to matter?
At what time did the change occur whereby the instrument employed dominated the human being who employed it?
That this is not an academic point, or an unimportant thing to bear in mind is evidenced by countless facts in history.

In order not to tire the reader, mention will be made of only one fact, the well-known fight between the American frigate _Chesapeake_, and the British frigate _Shannon_ to which I have already referred.

These two ships were almost identical in size and in the number and kinds of guns, and in the number of officers and crew, and the battle was fought on June 1, 1813, in Massachusetts Bay, under circumstances of weather and other conditions that gave no advantage to either.