reasonable and dined with the principal a long and earnest consideration of the whole matter took place over the the of was and young was turned over to the ex naval officer with full to discipline him as he thought best mr had converted the young america afloat and he hoped he should be able to convert the son after dinner mr went down tlie bay with his host in the on the way they passed the school ship to which boys are by the courts for crime and and on board of which they are and educated mr explained the institution to his guest an excellent idea said mr it is just tlie place for your son replied mr but it is for very true robert is a criminal if he is not now he soon will be if he continues in his present course if i had him on i could make a man of him then i wish you had him on perhaps i may yet replied the principal with a smile i did not purchase the academy with the intention of becoming a in the ordinary sense of the word i have no intention of remaining in it i hope you will i have been thinking of fitting up a vessel like the school ship that rich men s sons may have the benefit of such an institution without the necessity of committing a crime i could do more for the boys in a month on board ship than i could in a year at this was the first mention which mr made of his plan though he had been considering outward bound or it for several weeks mr hoped that this idea of a academy would be reduced to practice for he now felt that it was just what his son needed the project was discussed during tlie rest of the trip the history of the scheme from its need not be followed in detail many persons were consulted in regard to it there were plenty to approve and plenty to but in october tlie of a four hundred ton ship was laid down the object of this marine institution was thoroughly explained and before the ship was ready for there were for every berth on board of her the idea was exceedingly popular among the boys all of whom were to be students on board especially as it was already hinted that the ship would visit europe to parents it held out for their sons all the benefits of a sea voyage with few of its it would furnish healthy exercise and a vigorous constitution to its pupils in march of the following year the ship was at anchor in harbor ready to receive her crew young america afloat j chapter ii the young america with mr the academy ship which was the name he usually applied to the idea he had and thus far carried into effect was not a speculation he did not intend to see how much money could be made by the scheme it was an experiment in the education of rich men s sons for only rich men could pay for in such an expensive institution the academy was to be continued under the management of a board of an accomplished teacher had been selected by mr and the school under its present administration was in a highly prosperous condition only ten of its pupils had been transferred to the academy ship for it required no little nerve on tlie part of parents to send their sons to school on the broad ocean to battle with the elements to endure the storms of the atlantic and to undergo the hardships which tender mothers supposed to be connected with a life on for six months mr had studied upon his plan and it was hardly when the new ship came to anchor in harbor during outward bound or this period he had visited the principal cities of tlie northern states those of the southern section being closed against his operations by the war of the rebellion then raging at the height of its fury he had interested his friends in his bold enterprise and boys witli whom the experiment was to be were from all parts of the country the securing of the requisite number of pupils was the first success and what he had regarded as the most difficult part of the enterprise more than half of them had been obtained before it was deemed prudent to lay the of the ship the details of the plan had been carefully considered during the winter and when the ship was at the organization of the school its rules and had all been written out the boys began to arrive about the first of march and by the first of april all of them eighty seven in number were on board mr was naturally very anxious for the success of his experiment and for months he had labored with diligence in his plan and carrying it into operation in this occupation he had found the activity he needed and he may not be blamed for believing all the time tliat he was laboring for his country and his race if it has been inferred from what has been said of mr of his domestic and of his views on the subject of discipline that he was an austere cold and man a wrong impression has been conveyed the boys of the academy when they came to know him loved him ar much as they respected him he was not the man young america afloat to the harmless enjoyment of youth or to repress its innocent he watched the sports of the students with interest and pleasure and encouraged them by all the means in his power he was fond of humor enjoyed a harmless joke and had a keen appreciation of wit lie was a good companion for the boys and 