The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-02-01
To q WOuId.he Sea farer.

To a WouId.be Seafarer.
wo have given advice to asp!rants for al
most evory sort OF profession, and 1t Is with
satisfaction that we reply to u young man
who says that he wishes to be q sailor. The
applicant in question writes to us as follows:
81 am eighteen years old strong and healthy. and
from very early ngs have evnced strong liking for
the sea Under these circumstances, and having tho
necessary spirit and ambition to carry through the
hardshps OF the seafaring life, would you advise to
follow the seat"
This young man views his possible future
more dispasSionately than the average
would-be sailor The usual way OF beginning
a seafaring life is to run away without Sock
ing advice from any one. But since he de-
slres counsel, we tell him he had better stay
ashore. Tho sea is not q pleasant place to
live on. There is little variety in It's occu-
pations or associations. ship Is mar
row field of existence. and, although it may
often DO tho scene of protracted and super
human activity, 1t has mono of tho varied and
profitable hustle OF life that Is mot with even
In the humblest surroundings on land. On
board vessel there is u tendency to a sort
OF chronic intellectual dulness that even oc-
caslonal visits to unknown and interesting
ports can hardly interrupt
Then, again, tho sailor 8 life Is pretty rough
He never has more than four hours sleep at
q time and Is liable to be called at any mo-
ment. He may suffer from the most depress-
ing idloness il caught in tho doldrums; or no
may be wearied to exhaustion by constant
labor with persistent and unavoidable gale.
The work Is very hard and the food Is very
poor; aud, oven iflt were good, the tradition
true appreciation and reduce the best TINT an
indulgent steward under tho advice OF a
kind-hearted Captain can provide, to a
level with the desplsed and tasteless fare OF q
convict. No sailor, 80 soon as no is a full
fledged tar. likes his grub, however good it
may be- The flavorous bean soup and tho
tasty pork cease to be thought of as food
for the stomach, and arc turned into food
for complaint. For once Identified with
the brotherhood. complain you must and will.
In fact 1t has always been difficult to under
stand why men should so often seek the sea,
and when once the seq Is known why they
should ceave to 1t. 1t can only BIO explained
through that innate human passion, the de-
sire for n change; and that is all there is of
a sailors life. 1t Is a constant search for tho
unattanable; for when once engaged In one
ship the man soon seeks another, although
no better than tho first, and so soon as no
has arrived in one port no longs to go some
where else Immediately.
The highest rewards upon the SEQ, which
few ever attain, are small as compared
with tho possibilities attending land life.
The chief Captain OF the Cunard service does
not get as much as great many confidential
clerks; and the aged sailor generally has no
accumulated money to represent his past
services. But it Is only fair to say that about
tho most contented man we ever knew was
sailor, and he was no fool either He was
young Scotchman. When we knew him lie
was third mate. and probably now he is n
skipper; but he confessed he was happy
wherever no was. and no always looked it,
Perhaps our correspondent, should no 20 to
sea. might find the Same satisfaction in his
calling as did our friend the Scotchman; but
tho probability is that he won't.
And yet In this unfavorable view OF a
watery life we do not wish to forget or Ignore
tho unique fascination of the ocean. No
wonder that some restless souls find content
ment only In travelling continually over IL,
and in being constantly under tho influence
OF its ceaseless swash and movement
W. uuSo hHoWu VOyuBeTS 10 Europe WHO
preferred to sleep In the very bows of tho
steamer, where the rears and plunges would
DO most strongly felt. They liked being.
as 1t were, dropped down n well and then
sent sky high by the following wave. More
over, what ingenious mind can ever lose
its interest in the sailing OF a ship? No
one but fool can stand by in anything
but wonder and delight at the seaman's cum
ming which enables him to force an adverse
wind to carry him either with it or against
1t. Sailing is one OF the most amazing and
satisfactory inventions ever known, and Its
operations can never lose their interest.
Besides, there ls one great luxury on the
sea, and that Is tho fresh air. Many men on
land have great deal OF fresh air. and they
are generally healthy and strong. but it has
not the transcendent freshness and unsus-
pected purity that Is met with on the ocean;
and II our friend regards fresh air as the
one luxury which he would possess above all
others, we advise him to go to sea imme-
dlately. He may think that rugged OK
istence, wherever 1t may be. with freedom of
notion exciting travels, and sea air. must be
better than to sit cooped up for hours In q
small. furnaos-heated, gas-lit Office. where
the mind alone Is called upon to exert itself.
Tastes differ. and our friends taste may lead
him to such preference. But under ordi-
nary conditions we should advise him to stay