Morning journal and courier., 1882-11-10

with this observation, he views his work
 from several different points. Sometimes
 his face lights up with pleasure as he potices
 some letter which he thinks is we'll formed,
 and again q scowl of displeasure steals over
 his countenance at the sight of something
 which he Is sure that he has botched. Two
 of the men who acting school-masters
 have just gone around among the scholars in-
 vestigating their work, and are now discuss
 ing some point on which they have differed
 in fierce whispers. This, however, does not
 annoy the scholars, who are too intent on
 their work to notice anything else.
 1T have known some very bright sailors"
 said an old sea captain linen who were as
 well fitted up mentally as the average of off, cers, or even of captains. And they un-
 taken so strongly to drink while on shore.
 Some of these men have learned navigation themselves while at sea, and besides that have worked hard to instruct their ship
 mates in the common rudiments of educa- tion And would have been glad to have
 recommended some of them as chief officers,
 but when they were paid off they would go on spree, which would result in their ship
 ping before the mast again. But the great
 majority of the sailors are naturally dull, and it would be almost impossible to teach them
 anything outside of their duties I have known of men who have picked up fair amount of common school learning in the
 forecastles of the ships they have sailed on.
 They would improve their time when they
 were below by studying, and there was al
 ways some ono in the same watch with them
 sho had been to school himself and was will ling to lend shipmate hand in the shape of a little instruction. Some very good off cers and even shipmasters could not read or write when they first went to sea, but picked up all their knowledge on shipboard. There are some smart fellows who are unwilling to study. I knew ono lad who could write his nS Hhn 1affara al na6 clearly and distinctly, and yet he could read or write nothing else. He had tho capacity to learn, but he had an aversion to studying. Whenever one of those educational fits takes hold of my men I do what I to encour- age them. I give them slates and school books. We all have libraries for the seamen aud let them have books to read whenever they ask for them. A good many of the men can manage to wade through 8 novel and yet they cannot write and know scarcely any thing about arithmetic. Even when they have learned to write they are apt to com plain that their fingers have grown stiff and when they come to write home to their friends they have to ask the help of some one else. These fits of studying will sometimes strike ship's crew when they are getting somewhat mutinous. In such case we hail it with real pleasure. I have had the men come aft and ask me to change some of the men ill the watches, because ono watch had all the men capable of acting as school. l masters and the other had none. My officers have told me that when passing the forecastle I doors at night they have heard the men nut I tering disjointed things about their studies in ! their sleep. I occasionally take pencil and | figure out my latitude and longitude on the l paint work of the after house, near the | wheel. Then I sometimes find the man at the wheel looking over my shoulder and watching how do it. I am always sorry to l see one of these educational levers leave my men, for it is a real pity that they cannot \ last longer than they do."