NStar Articles

As most of you know, Bancroft Hall has quite a lot to offer a midshipman - it’s their home while at USNA, their means of grabbing a quick snack, there’s Smoke Hall and much more.  We’re developing a blog series on all the ins and out - and details you might not know - about Bancroft Hall. Our premier blog is about the Steerage Restaurant. 

Beginning in the 16th century, the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri church in Rome achieved notoriety for a unique style of musical religious service. In an effort to instill moral musical entertainment, St. Philip Neri instituted services which included two musical acts separated by a sermon. With a name derived from the church where it originated and the and Latin verb, orare, meaning “to pray”, these performances came to be known as oratorios.

In a letter written by John Paul Jones, he noted that “It is by no means enough that an officer of the Navy should be a capable mariner.  He must be that, of course, but also a great deal more”. The world in which John Paul Jones fought and commanded ships bears little resemblance to the contemporary global environment, yet his view regarding the qualifications a Naval Officer must possess is still relevant today.