New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-28
JACK.
for a reply.

The popular Jack Tar 10 longer exists, except IN
tradition. He is IS dead as the Commodore Irun-
MON species of the British Navy. The rOllicking,
roaring, reckless, generous, sngle-hearted, and
simple minded sailor, in white ducks, blue jacket,
and tarpaulin hat, with his pocket full OF money!
ready to be squandered on the smallest provocatlon
of fun folly, or distress, and with the rest of bis
worldly possessions tied up in a red cotton hand
kerchief- this jolly character, whom old people
still remember as an actual existence, lives no
longer, except upon the "boards," as the hero OF
an after-pece who thrashes the villain OF the play
within an inch of his life, rescues lovely maiden
in a straw hat, white frock, and streaming blue
sash, from violence and ruin, and saves her venera
BILE parents from starvation and despair. This tradl-
tional Jack, when he went to sea, turned away his
eyes, filed with manly tears, from "the girl ne left
behind him." standing on the shore, her blue rib
bons utterrg in the breeze, her baby in her arms,
and waving her handkerchief her gallant sailor;
and year or two later she sits upon rock, with a
new baby on her bosom, and miniature little
Jack by her side to watch the good ship as she
heaves up over the horizon to welcome her sallorboy
hcme again. Even the exaggeratiOns of the Stage
suggests what we have lost, who is replaced now by
q creature who is taken on board dead drunk by
his landlord pitched into the fOrecaste to get SOBER
at his leisure unless the kicks of the mates shall
prematureIy awaken his slumbering senses; aud
when, at the end of the voyage, he returns, the
same landlord will receive him before the ship
touches the wharf, to make him at once roaring
drunk to deliver him to the woman "whose house
ais the way to hell, going down to the chambers of
death" and to rob him before he returns to SO.
berness of every penny of his hard-earned wages.
In short, the modern sailor is, in many
if not in most cases little else than pos
able pirate at sea, positive bruts on shore, con-
msnded too often, in the one case, BY men who are
not much his superiors in anything but intelligence,
and in the other owned by rufians as INSCRIPTIONS
as slave.traders, and as cruel as plantation over
GERS.
That our commercial marine is in this sad cOndi-
ton, and loudly calls for reform, is unquestionable
and unquestoned Were Commerce far-sghted
and unselfsh it would never have permitted things
to come to their present pass, when its indspensa-
bic servants are reduced to condition with some
virtues that belong to the condition of slave. But
commerce neither sees far nor acts with unselfsh
ends; it concerns itself with the voyage that begins
to-day and will not stop to consider whether
thoughtfulness and care now, even at temporary
loss may not have consequences in the future OF
almost inestimable value. Sailors the most i'm.
pressbe OF all human creatures the most liable to
yield to temptation and the most exposed to it, the
most guileess and the most easily deceived, have
been permitted, uncared-for and unthought-of, OK.
cept when the sails were bent for another voyage,
to become the unresstiDg victims of vicious sys.
tenn. If this is ever TO be remedied they must be
no longer left to fall without redress into the hands
of men who make of them prey. The question
ls forcing itself upon the attention of shipowners,
What are we to do for men The character of
seamen, as q class is already so low that any
probability of its becoming lower would seem
to threaten to put an end to the service,
we're it not certain that point in this, as in ether
evils, may be reached where it will bring its own
cure. That however, does not seem 10 be yet ar
rived at for the shipping interest of this city, pow
erful and wealthy as it s, suffered an ignominious
defeat year or two since, at the hands OF the
landlords, on the question, if we remember Alright
of the months advance to sailors. Ii could not
hold out week against combination of men who
hold o large proportion of the seamen who sail out
Of this port in a sort of peon slavery and whose in
terest it is that they should be reduced as low as
possible in character with no knowledge but OF the
ropes of ship and manly in nothing but mere
brute strength and health
There is one cure for this state of things,
which can be advanced without interfering with
any legitimate interest, or calling for any sacri-
fee If the sailor is better educated and
his calling made more respectable he will DO
further removed from temptation, and less
easily assailed by it, The service needs peculiar
care, because II is in . peculiar condition. Special
schools should be established to train boys for this
calling, and they should be so conducted that
protecting guardianship may BIO exercised over tho
youth when he has ceased to BIO pupil. A new
class of seamen would grow up under such an infu-
ence, and the name of an American sailor cease to
be the reproach that it has become in foreign ports
In Massachusetts and in Maryland, in this country
these Nautical Schools have been established, and
they command support and are found Of great ser
vice in England A bill for the establishment of
similar school in this city has been introduced at