Connecticut western news., 1882-08-23
CANAAN, CONN.,, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1882
a down masts. painte

scraped and gr d down masts, painte'
 the ships side, tarred down, cleaned
 brasswork, painted the quarter boats,
 and l only wonder that the skipper
 didn't put us to washing up the cuddJ
 dishes and cleaning the knives.
 "They may call this learning to be a
 sailor, but I don't; sailors none the
 better, that can see, for knowing how
 to polish brass and flourish scrubbing.
 brush. You might as we'll say that a
 mans not fit to get married and rent a
 house and be master of it until he's
 learned how to clean the door-steps and
 black-lead the kitchen range. When 6
 man pays large premium for his son
 to go to sea he doesn't expect him to be
 put to work which an able seaman would
 refuse, saying it was an ordinary sea-
 mans or boyis job. What he pays for his son to learn is practical seamanship and navigation. If cleaning brasswork and Ecrubbing decks is practical sea- manship, so mustpolishing the shippers
 boots be, and making his bed. And
 why don't captains put midshipmen and premium apprentices to that sort of workp Couldn't they argue, 'Ob, how can you expect boys ever to become sea. men if they don't know how to shine the boots of sea-captain, and stow 8 bunk or cot fit for skipper to sleep in P
 "Well, we'd be kept at work all the afternoon on mean jobs which taught us nothing. and then we'd go below for the first dog.watch and get tea, which was breakfast over again. That's the routine, with shift of watches every twenty-four hours, the dog watches be. Ing invented to give the crew change and change about. Of course, I'm talk. ing to you as if we had always warm, fine weather. Bat there's more storm than sunshine at sea and no matter how dead tired you are, you can never turn in without eighty chances in the hundred in favor of your being routed up, just as you are dropping of, to come on deck and find it blowing hard and with the watch singing out at the reef-tackles, and work enough to keep you busy until your watch below is up. Mind you, I don't grumble at that. That's part of the calling. It teaches you seamanship, and no gale blows without leaving fellow, who keeps his weather eye lifting, wiser by something. But it all helps to make out the picture of life that no man can look at without wondering that gentle. men can be found willing to pay down round sums of money for their sons to go to it.
 "The voyage I've taken has taught ne that should have been much better 'f in the forecastle. should have earned more and seen more, and not nave grown a bit rougher than the mid hlpman's berth has made me. I should lave been as well fed, and perhaps bet. CT, for they'll stand no nonsense in the orecastle, whereas boys can be imposed 'n, and anything is thought good enough or them. By going to sea in the fore 'astie should have saved my father a | arge sum of money, and become sailor l which only women would consider me LOW. And, though I'm only fifteen and l quarter, I'm old enough to see this hat all that's done by crowding lot of | 'oungsters together on board ship is flowing them to make regular black. ,uards of one another. Why. in our | 'erth, language was used which you'd | lever hear in the forecastle. It wasn't hat we were more wicked than young. ters ashore. We carried on because | 7e thought it was nautical, and because 7e were afraid of being thought spoonies y one another if we hung back or eemed ashamed. So far as I'm con. erned, may go another voyage to 'lease my father, if he insists but I ont reckon I'll die a sailor. It's a fine lie Tn books, where all the suffering is n the other side but it doesn't lono emain fine when once you're in it. Nnats the lookout for manp Why, he oountry's full of men with certificates Vho can't get ships. What I sav is if
 boy will go to sea, let his father keen is money until the youngster is for. yard enough in his calling to render honey useful to him by investing it in
 ship, and making the youngster stand yell with the owners. That's what onr hird mate used to say. He'd been a aldshipman, and his father had paid hree premiums for him, amounting in Il to s210, with 93O more for mess. honey, and another 4200 at the back of hat for the outfitters, who filled b,s hest with clothes, most of which he sed as l did mine-giving them to the ook and the steward for soft tack and lates of the leavings from the cuddy able. Dye ask me if I've told nv ather all this ? Certainly I have. and
 good deal more; only, you see, as I aid before, he's parted with one ore. llum, and doesn't like to think of its aving been spent for nothing. It's atural enough, but I've got my views. DO and though he's very good fellow. nd nothing would please me more than carry out his wishes. I very much oubt, if you meet me this time next ear, whether you'll still find me A auucal man-well, I won't say man. ut fellow"
 An Unkind Reply. h