Octobor 4, 1003.
TI1E ILLUSTRATED KEE.
The Chief Disgrace
of the Roving Sailor
(Copyright. 190.1, by Albert Sonniehsen.)
k .IV! nKtinpn VL-lth nnlv- a 11m.
lOf I tl ihI knowledge of men who sail in
1 ahlnu una nut nnt to rciriird the
sailor u8 a gentleman of dignity.
Slovenly, unshaven and drunk, lie
rolls down the grimy streets of the water
front districts, disregardful of what people
think of him, apparently without pride. Rut,
for all that. Jack Is a most sensitive Ix-lnif,
Keenly conscious of what constitutes dis
grace according to his own peculiar code
of morals.
There is no more keenly felt disgrace to
the genuine deep sea sailor than having
Ills ability as a seaman Impeached. You
might cast all sorts of d' ubts on the In
tegrity of his moral character, but, pro
Tided you qualified them by admitting his
professional ability, be might still be your
friend. Reverse the order, and declare him
A good man but a poor seaman, and he Is
n the warpath at once.
Tills peculiarity Is fully understood by
ship's officers, they, of course, being more
susceptible to it than the men under them.
Bo when they wish to Inflict some par
ticularly severe form of punishment on a
sailor they do not resort to physical vio
lence. Assault with a helaylng pin might
Imply merely a momentary displeasure.
That Is not tho bucko mate's method when
he wants to be especially cruel. He simply
sets his victim to work at some Job or
dinarily given to the deck boys, and thus
strikes deeper than mere blows ever could.
That sort of punishment has set more th in
one sailor brooding during the night
watches until he ended his misery by a
leap overboard.
I remember a particular case wherein nn
old sailor, who had silled every sea on
the globe, was punished In this manner. He
had given tho mate some back talk. At
first It looked as If there would be a light,
but the mate withdrew with a revengeful
look In his eyes.
Here, for the benefit of the landsman,
certain details must be explained. Kach
square sail on a sailing ship is furled by
means of ropes called buntlincs, which pull
the sail up to the yard arm, where It Is
made fast with other ropes called gaskets.
When the sails arc set the buntlincs hang
loose, and, so that they shall not chafe
the sail by the weight of the hauling part
running down to the deck, they are pulled
up slightly and fastened to the block on
the yard with thin cotton twine, easily
broken if it becomes necessary to clue up
the sail. Overhauling and stopping bunt
Ilnes with twine is essentially a deck boy's
duty; the greenhorn learns it on first com
ing aboard.
In the second dog watch of the day when
the mate and old Jack quarreled, all hands
were gathered on th? main hatch, spinning
yarns, as is the custom. At such a time
the men are never disturbed unless It Is
absolutely necessary for the safety of the
hip.
As we lay there we noticed the mate come
down from the poop and go to the main
rigging. He grasped one of the main upper
topsail buntlincs and gave It a Jerk. In the
stillness the snapping of the twine aloft
could lie heard. A moment later tho bos"n
came for'd mid sang out:
"Jack, go up and overhaul the main upper
topsail buntlines and stop them" to the
Jaekstay!"
Every man became silent at once and
looked, uneasily Into his neighbor'!, eyes.
Jack gaspfd, then paled to a sickly white.
, His hands trembled as he slowly rose. On
the bos'n's face was an expression of al
most abject apology, as though lie meant
to say:
"For God's sake, don't blame me It's
orders!"
Jack climbed slowly and painfully aloft,
as though he had aged ten years in the last
minute.
He did as he had been ordered, but for the
rest of that passage he was no longer the
Same man he had lieen.
When the ship reached port Jack went
ashore and by chance met the mate in a
grog shop. The few drinks ho had taken
broke the last restraint, and ht'.d not by
standers Interfered he would have sp nt his
remaining days in the queen's service. As
It was, he cut the mate with his sheath
knife so severely that next trip there was
a new mate.
It Is well known how f ind ship's officers
are of swearing. I,lfe nt sea seems to
breed in men a genius for creative pr -fanlty.
In the sailor's vocabulary of swear
words there are terms never heard ashore.
But occasionally a mate feels that even
extraordinary profanity will not adequately
express the state of his feelings toward
some one whom he particularly wishes t3
wound verbally. He turns red and blue
In the face with suppressed rage, then, with
relief, tlnds the one word that will rankle:
"You"blastcd soldier!"
The sailor thus termed Is pretty apt to
flght, even though his opponent is his
superior officer.
What mortal Insult there Is in being
called a soldier la hard to explain. It prob
ably originated In the olden times when
soldiers were transported In sailing ships.
They usually incurred the contempt of
sailors by their frightened behavior dining
storms, as all landsmen are apt to d at
first, and thus the word may have come
to be synonymous with coward. Anyhow,
sailors believe that soldiers that Is, sol
diers In time of peine are the most con
temptible creatures on earth.
I knew of a mate once who punished by
ordering men to pac the deck with capstan
bars on their shoulders, as though they
were troops on parade. He carrle 1 t.iat on
until he caused a de.-perate mutiny wherein
several men were killed.
In spite of the fact that many Cape Cod
sailors are also farmers. Jack c nsidcr.t
tilling the soil In the light of a disgrace
i was once walking a country road In Eng
land with a shipmate, a typical siilor wh i
had been to sea all his life. Outside a
snr'iul vl'l ise OT wen; overtaken and Joined
by a farrier on his way to mirket with a
wagon load of potatoes. He Invite J u to
rido with him and we accepted his Invita
tion. The countryman did not observe that wi?
were sailors, so began steaking of the
crops and various other things Incidental
to farming life In a way that Inferred a
thorough knowledge of the subjects on our
part. Jack sniffed contemptuously, as
though considering it quite a condescension
that an able seaman should choose to con
verse with a common farmer.
"What d ye think of the early drum
head cabbage alout lime to plant it now,
isn't it?" suggested the countryman.
Jack a us wired very shortly that he
didn't know.
"Ke nt ye in the farmln' line yersel'?"
asked our companion.
I almost thought I saw tears in Jack's
ryes. He looked himself over, and then
me, saying, in a highly aggrieved tone:
"Say, mate, do we look like farmers?
For heaven's sake don't tell this when we
get aboard!"
In spite of the rough life they lead, sail
ors are undoubtedly cleaner and neater
of dress aboard ship than any other work
men of their class. A slovenly man in a
forecastle never has a pleasunt time with
his mates. To be called dirty is u keen
disgrace. This Is especially impressed on
young hoys on their first trips.
On an American bark that traded be
tween San Trancisco and Honolulu there
was once a green fellow from the Seattle
coal trade, where the men can't keep clean.
He had learnt d all he knew of sea life
there, and consequently was under the
impiesslon that he could slouch about deck
on it deep water vessel in the manner he
had been accustomed to aboard the coast
ing collier.
At first his shipmates Intimated by hints
that his ways did not suit them, and when
he disregarded them they told him plainly
that he was a filthy cub. Hut he was not
sailor enough to take that as an insult.
One early morning watch they dragged
him out of his bunk and scrubbed him
down with the deck brooms, and there
after lie was barred from social inter
courve during the evening dog watches.
A man whom it had been necessary to
treat In that manner was considered dis
graced for life. Never again was he
treated on terms of equality in any fore
castle he afterward went In, the story
having spread all over the coast. On this
account he was dubbed "firty Hick."
Gospel of Good Clothes
Tailors seem content to remain supine
and permit the dressmakers to hold all the
dress conventions, but it will, in time be
made clear that In order to Induce people
to make divss well and to make a broad
breach in the rrjllitudinous army of thab
blntss there will need to be exhibitions of
dressing. Contempt of good clothes is a
weukness which it is to thj tailors' Inter
est to overthrow. No falser sentiment
ever was disseminated than "Don't Judge a
man Dy Ills clothes." Carelessness of clothes
is carelessness of character. Shabbiness
goes with dirt, and dirt goes with shiftless
ness, and shlftlessness goes with a Weak
Intellect, and then you begin to get closj
to crime. A clean collar Is an aid to in
tegrity, and u new suit of clothes insures
happiness for twenty-four hours; twenty
four hours of happiness is not to be looked
on with contempt in this melancholy world.
Tailors do not seem to realize that they
are preachers ajid teachers as well as gar
ment makers. They make the world better,
, but some of them do charge a frightful
price for doing it. A well-dressed world is
going to be a more contented world. There
should be missionary work, there should be
conventions and exhibitions and training
schools and a reasonable reduction In
prices. We are not giving all of this advice
to tailors without seeking a direct and
early benefit to the peuple.-St, Loula Globe-Democrat.
TilEJlfRED BLOOM CO.,
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