Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-01-31

"No hoe Az early tll1eS bne
chosen spot, In remote ages there
were certain places which no man who
was passing them for the first time was
suffered to sail out of view of without
paying the penalty of what was called
baptism: that is to say, he was coolly
swayed away up to the yard-arm and
then dropped into the sea with run.
These spots took character of conse-
Grafton in the eyes of the crews. It
was no joke in those days; the practice
had not yet assumed the form OF tarr-
ing and shaving; it Was custom based |
on religious sentiment. Even il ship |
was making the passage OF one OF these
places for the first time she was dealt
with as though she had an immortal |
soul to be saved. II the master hest |
tated to redeem his craft by paying
money To his men, the men fell to mu-
tiiaing the vessel, either by cutting off |
her "beak," as the projection on the |
caolead was then termed, or by dis
iiguring or destroying some other part |
of her. The old narratives of voyages /,
abound in descriptions oil this sort OF
procedure. The missionary monks
who came to the wide circle of the
horizon astoun3ed from the narrow
sphere of the clolsters are particularly
graphic and full in their accounts of
these ancient sports, They describe
marine court. formed of a president and
two or three Judges, all of them fore
castle hands. Ttley could summon any
man On board the vessel to appear be-
lore them, and he was forced I'd obey,
though he were the captain himself,
After catechising they fined him, and
if he refused 10 pay they ran him up in
a bovine to tha yard-arm and ducked
him till re was nearly drowned. On
some Of the ships OF Spain or Portugal
the money thus exacted formed sum
considerable enough to support u con-
vent
Aubin who compiled his nautical die
tionary in 1902, tells us that in French
ships during the middle of the seven
teenth century 1t was customary to
range tubs full Of sea-water along both
sides of the upper deck, where stood
the sailors, every man with a bucket
in his hand, The chief steward came
to the foot Of the mainmast with a
great beard hanging from his chin and
his body draped with ropes lends,
hanging down. Five or six seamen
similarly equipped attended upon him.
He held book in his hand, any volume
to represent MS Aubin puts it, "the
gospels of the evangelists." The fell
low who was to be baptized knelt be-
fore this steward, who, thrusting the
book into his hand, made him solemnly
swear "that whenever an occasion pre-
sented itself of baptizing others he
would serve them in the same way as
he was about to be served" On the
oath being administered the man got
up and walked between the rows Of
buckets, every sailor saluting him
with flood as he advanced, until he
had gained the forecastle head. This
was what the French sailors called bap-
tizing o shipmate
Neptune apparently appears about
this time. but | do not know that the
creation of this point Of the joke is to
be given to the French. A portrait of
: the ocean god as he was made to APP
pear during these passages of horse
play is preserved. 1t was second
mate, whose theories of how the di-
whites at the bottom of the sea dress
were illustrated by long cap on his
head and collar of trucks and blocks
his beard and hair were of oalum and
decorated with shells, and his face was
blackened. He presented himself hold
J ing chart book in his hand, the vol.
ume lying open at the chart which
showed the position of the ship. The
whole of the crew passed before him
epery man knccling and swearing by
bread and salt that he had previously
, passed the line. Those who were
crossing the equator for the first time
> Neptune hit over the head with 6
wooden sword, and the crew continued
: to duck them until they had paid {
penalty OF wine or money. In Dutch
. vessels about this period it was custom
, airy for functionary termed the clerf
of the ship to muster the crew wher
5 passing certain places, and to inquire
| of each man if he had ever sailed thi'
c wav before. II he had not he wa:
a obliged to pay fifteen soils, failing
3 which he was hoisted to the yardarn
I and dipped three times. Captains ant
mates we're fined thirty soils, and /
! there were passengers on board tn
n sailors took from them all they coult
: force them to pay.
2 There was an order of knighthoo'
5 instituted by the French for these oc
q casions mere burlesque titles, n
$ doubt. The knights were calle'
$ ..Chevaliers de la Mer." The novice
: on passing the sacred points OF land
t was hit on the shoulder. but by whom
+ | do not gather, and ordered to arise
Q knight, after which the sailors sat dow
9 to a feast. Boards in those day
Il wagged more merrily at sea than the
g do in ours. Until we come to the yard
Q arm and the lather of tar the merry
:, making is very easy and gentle, an
It even gracious; but as we advance W
/ meet with the inspiration of drink; tn
e rum fend rudy from Jamaica step
It aboard. makes himself master of cert
r monies, and the tomfoolery grow
: savage.
n In the middle ages we hear OF shiT
with sails of silk, banners OF exquisit
/? devices streaming very gloriously
n the masthead. lovely ladies in daint
st robes looking over the side, gallaI
4 mariners in sparkling armor. and dsri