Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-08-13

winch ne mas Deen ni&1Ny luCkeA:091
. doting mother. No, sir. Wed
want no milksops.. Ny experiences
has proved to me that street Arsbs
develop ihto the best sailoss.'j The
boy whoshas known ltheswant, Of food
aud experienced, ghardships will APP
preciate the plain but substantial
diet furnished on shipboard and the
rough comfort Of q man-of-warsman'sd %
life." & Z &c go. -, % u o 81 ID
Thus it will be aeen. that the youth
Who has gained his ideas OF sea life
from the cheap literature with which
the market is, 'to-;the disgrace ofits
publishers, 10 thoronRhly flooded Isl
scarcely likely to realize his rfayorite
dream on board q United States train.
ing ship.
itedw ASA RETORMATORY. -,
In 1847 thersfwere forty apprentice
boys app0inted to the Naval Asade-
my, aud ont of that number but one
passed the examination. Again. i'm
1858. when the Sabine was In com-i
mission as training ship, out Of %
large number selected but. six stood,
the ordeal. ln mQst cases, when the
applicant foradmissiOn to the service
is not q victim to that very prevalent
malady among Juveniles. known as
the ''sea craze" he has been guilty Of
some misdemeanor aud decides to
enter the navy rather than become an
inmate of one of our reformatOry iD.
stitutions. In the majority Of fn-
stances the threats of parent or guar
dian have much to do with the. yonug
defenders preference for Uncle Sans
service to that above limited at. The
youth, ignorant Of the impossibilfty
Of such q thing, believes himself des'
tined to wear, in tho near future, an
admiral's stripes, aud upon waking
to the realization of his delasi0n
generally loses but little time in
meritiug stripes Of quite different
character, which, however
nately for him-are, not in favor in
either Ourafmy or our navy. sa
| A story is told by Commander Har-
mony, OF the receiving ship Colorado,
about q well.to do German who came
aboard training vessel one day with
his son, whom he was desirOus~ oi
enlistiug. The boy failing. to meel
the physical requirements his father
used every effort to induce the cap.
tain to receive hIM not withs tandlng
"WhY are you 50. anxious to put
your. boy in the navy" inquired the
officer.
"Vell. I'll told you," replied the
fond parent. "He vos q dhief. He
stealed my pocketbook last week, und
de Odder day he dook his nudder'l
watch, und l dinked mebbe ov got
him in der nafy he vos got broke il
aud made an officer some day."
The captain suggested that thu
! penitentiary would be q more appro
pirate place for SO opromising youth
where he would doubtless graduate
to the Legislature or state prison
, Government vessels are not i.tendet
; as reformatories for vicious boys
There have been four separate en-
deavors by she government to estab
lish an apprentice system in the navy
. and the latest, made about six year
D ago, bids fair TO prove successful
The object Of the present arrange
ment is to make sailors, not officers
, aud the chance of a boy becoming
t eyen 3 petty officer ls not great
therefore education is considered
, matter of minor Importance. Their
are, however, Oh each training shi
from three to tive enlisted men calle
schoolmasters, whose duty it 10 to in
struct the boys in the ordinary Eng
fish rudiments-i. e., .,reading, writing
= arithmetic aud geography. All tha
i is really required Of tho boys is
9 sufficient acquaintance with til
science Of figures TO enable them I
> keep their own accounts correctl
aud to be able to read we'll enoug
II to understand the printed work
!. treating upon gunnery aud seaman
ship, with which they may be calle
: upon to become cOnversaut.
e PEDAGOGUE AND PUPIL.
d The system of education in vogu
II has been much ridiculed by officer
l. and Others who entertain prejudic.
against the training service. 1t hs
been asserted that some of the schoo
i masters possess but very limite
amount of knowledge, and that nc
unfrequently the pupil gives eviden.
Of having greater store Of learnin
E. than his tutor. Ii the following
e true it would appear that the. stat
,r meut is not without foundation, c
at least that one pedsgogue was ne
= very worthy disciple OF GreenleAi
'e A gang Of boys Oh . certain 'shi
a were one day Engaged in the hol
~ breaking out some provisions for Il
paymaster's yeomsn when the wOr
d was passed calling them to- the
l. studies. AS they did not make the
le appearance within the Canvas el
i, closure ou the gun deck the schoo
~ master proceeded below to hunt thel
" ur. Finding them employed as d,
y, scribed hs inquired OF the yeoms
1t whether he required all of them.
,e II can get along with . less nuu
). ber," no replied. "though what the
= are doing is quite important"
r, The man OF learning, stopping ovs
m the open hatch, called, how many {
a you are there down theie2
y. "Nine," was the reply.
swell half Of you inust coAe up
IA oncsi want you for school," r,
- 'sponded the tutor.