The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-05-15

why. the one YOU carried under
! our arm when YOU was a boy going
onto the ship To- be- sailor"
Did you ever hear me say anything
about mine or any other scaman's
! Biblc?" asked the Gapn with forced
I oalmnc~s.
"N o." replied the luhber. slowly,
"hut I've been led To- think that all the
| boy, who went to sea took one along
At least. they did IN the Sunday-school
| book, | used to read The boys moth
cr was usually widow, and he had to
60 to -ct 20 support her, and he always
! took Bible with her name on the ily-
| leaf. | have often wondered since why
the hoy didn't get n Job ashore. but |
suppose work was scarce that summer,
and hc wa, stuck on the sea anyhow.
Another thing that bothered me some
was the flct that he was generally
gone three wears while his pennilr,s
ma was waiting for him to come back
and support her,
And hc always shipped n Bibla
with the rest of his dunnage eh?"
vcntucd the Cap'n, with the evident
intention of drawing the lubber out.
"Ics, the bow generally had a Bible
! tucked under hi, arm with n book.
mark sticking ont of the back end Of Il,
| in the picture where hc i, bidding his
mother good 10y before going 10 sea
! She has her hands over her face and IL
! weeping bitterly, poor woman, while
! he ga2eS manfully up at her from under
| his glazed cap-hrim. And they al
WAYS have his clothcs-chcSt showing IN
| the picture. This is a small, square
/ box with rope handle in each end,
| and contains besides his clothe, q mum.
Der Of hcalthiul tracts for the sailors.
1T has been 80 long ,incc | read one
! of the books that I've forgotten Just
! how the story goes. But there is an
o. her picture whore the bov j. march.
ing mp the gangrlauk into the ship
! with his Bible, Will" a sailor follows
! him at a respectful distance, carrying
! the chest o. his back. On the VOYAGE
the boy refuse, to drink grog or chew
! long green tobacco, which the sailors
kindly offer him. And every night in
! the forcca,tlc he reads chapter
from III, Bible and then kacels
down beside his bunk To pray,
while the sailors hcavc rubber boots
at hi, head But the noble boy
prr,"yorcs, and after awhile manages
to steer the sailors into religious
tram Of thought He then passes
among them with his tlart, and leans
on the taiirail moonlight nights telling
the rude hut large hearted sailors of a
better and puler home be- oud tho
skies. When the voyage i over he
come, homo with curly whi,kcrs and a
big hagiul Of gold just in time to save
his mother from the cruel landlord,
who i about to foreclose the mortgage
and throw the unhappy lady ont Of the
like TO be Il sailor myself" concluded
the lubbcr, "but I'm afraid I'm not re-
ligiou- enough, am ! Z"
Hardy" replied the Cap'n, serious
lv. But then it isn't necessary for a
boy to be ordained for the ministry in
order to ship before the mast in an
American man.of-war or any other YES
sci | know Of except Cap'n Bundy's
Gospel Tidings, which was launched
here last summer The Suuday.school
sailor is all right in the book, but he
has never showed mp on shlpboard tC
my knowledge. I've seen hundreds o
boys come over the gang-ylank, and i
any of them had Bibles they took pains
to conceal them. They all had a han
kermg for government rations instea,
= of Spiritual food, and as for missionar,
, work, why, they could give pirate
pointers on profanity. ! have Otter
wondered myself why sailors pay 81
little need to their spiritual welfare
They probably feel that the worst dea
they can get in future state will be
, soft berth compared to their natura
, lives.
"But we once had religious cha
aboard, one Cyru, Bilger Of Ohio
e Cyrus brought no Bible along, ha' in
/. absorbed the good book all but tn