Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-10
GAY LIFE ON THE SEA.
Che Sort Of Existence That q Young
Bachelor In the Navy Leads.

n8cnciOr In the Navy Leads.
Brass BUTTONS A SESAME TO TIE sEsr SOCIETY
oPPoRrUSrTrEs FOR SECURING RICH wIvEs-THE
CAPTAIN An NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ABOARD
sHIP-KrIQUEITx ON REACHING Port.
For Q married man the navy is not an alto
gether enjoyable profession" said a young
lieutenant in the service yesterday to q repre-
sentative Of THE STAR The notion Of leaving
ones wife grass widow for three years out of
every six is not pleasant one-though, to tell
the truth, some fellows seem to endure the
forced absence with fortitude, disporting them
selves in foreign chimes with gaiety unsubdued
BY the pangs of torn domestic ties But SO long as
you remain a bachelor no life that know of is
so agreeable ours. We have large share of
all the pleasures that are given humanity to
partake OF. The advantages OF travel all over
the world are At our command. OF work in q
serious way we have comparatively little and
We are not afflicted with anxiety as to the fu-
lure such as assal- ordinary people who toll for
their subsistence, inasmuch we are provided
by Uncle Sam with a guaranteed and steadily
increasing income for our lives. until finally we
are retired from active duty and permitted to
spend the autumn of existence in gathering the
fruits Of elegant leisure ON half pay. SO long
as We behave ourselves with \ fair degree of
Proprlety aud obey the rules of discipline we
unmarried officers have indefinite fun offered
US and he best OF everything at our disposal"
SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
Particularly in the social way. presume
Decidedly. There is not port We visit that
does not extend the best of ito Inequalities to
US. Our visit to this stopping place or that is
always q round Of festivities, nothing being
700 sood TO ofer young sailors Of the brine like
ourselves All, que Jaime les militairesr the
pretty girl In the opera sings; but tell you
what II Is, the navy men are the beaux par ex-
eellence through :he mere fact of their pro-
iession. The bare Circumstance of being a
naval officer means socia! position in itself
and anywhere abroad it implies as a matter OF
course invitations to whatever is going on. We
nave our pick OF the most charming young
women TO dance and firt with, and the only
wonder IL that SO many of us escape entangle-
ments matrimonial for SO long o time as we
do But who Is it that carry off the rich
grs! Why, the navy men. you bet. How
ever. the good times we have while on our
voyages depend somewhat upon the sort Of
captain that ID In command of The ship"
THE CAPTAINS POWER.
What does he have to do with it?"
"A great deal. Ii he chooses he can throw a
wet blanket over all the jollifcation Fortu-
nately, dlsagreeable commander is a rare
thing In the service. but have known one such
10 ruin all the pleasure of the ward room mess
Tor months together simply by rigidiy enforc-
ing the rules OF discipline. For instance On
one occasion he broke up party which the
oheers OF the ship were giving by ordering all
lights out when 10 pm. arrived Now this Ia
the literal regulation, but il is the custom on
occasions o. tn SORT for the captain. as a mat
ter OF courtesy. to grant an extension of the
time during which the lights may continue to
purn- Ii was simply an arbitrary exercise OF
power and 1t resulted indirectly in his subse-
Quent dismissal from the service for the officers
were his enemies from that time forward, and
they revenged themselves by bringing charges
on other grounds. which precipitated action on
the part of
COURT OF NAVAL INQUIRY.
Under ordinary circumstances, however, the
relations between the commander and his Off
GERS are Of character entirely agreeable. OF
course the captain has his mess-in other
words bis meals-in his private cabin apart
from the ward room officers, who mess to-
gether. But the captain from day to day sends
Invitations to the ward room asking the pleas
ure OF the company of certain members of the
ward room mess, and, reciprocally, the ward
room officers invite the captain very frequently
to seat at their board and q share in their
grub On such occasions, necessarily. the cap
tam dining IN the ward room sits at the right
hand OF the executive officer, who presides
invitations sent from the ship are usually
written AZ coming from the captain and officers.
III the captain does not choose to ioin in the
orheers simply do the inviting. But it is a cold
day for the boys il the commanding officer of
the vessel chooses to be disagreeable"
POINTS on NAVAL ETIQUETTE.
what Is the etiquette incidental to ships
visiting foreign port!'
Upon dropping anchor the ship runs up the
flag Of the country visited and fires a polite
salute OF twenty-one guns. IL the town is the
resiuence OF United States consul message
is sent ashore to convey TO that official potifica-
non OF the vessels arrival, with an invitation
10 come aboard at a certain hour when the
message says. boat will be in readiness at a
certain place for the consuls convenience In
case nlted states minister makes the place
his headquarters message is sent to the effect
mat the captain OF the ship will do himself the
honor OF calling upon the diplomatic parsonage
at an hour mentioned Invitations to the cap
tain and officers of the ship from citizens public
and private follow, which are returned by re-
ciproeal invitations to festivities on the vessel
Inese festivities are chiefly dinner parties and
dancing parties. the former being usually
strictly stag. The dancing is very well man
$50 oy showing tne guns out OF the way for
WARD and waxing the deck In this way we go
from port to port received everywhere with
the most dattering attentions"
PUTTING A BEAR IN COVENTRY.
where men have to live for so long together
on terms of such close and enforced intimacy
one would think that a disagreeable fellow
would spoil everything"
such a man can undoubtedly do much To
annoy his fellow officers In the ward room. bnt
fellows who are not good companions are rare
u the service, and against them we always
take certain very effective measures of a de-
tenslye nature. person who manifests a dis
position OF the sort Is very quickly found out
and put IN coventry by the mess He is abso-
lutely ignored. no more notice being taken of
him by his brother officers than if he had no
existence at all and his seat at table was unoc-
cupIed so. all hands being against him. he is
apt to getvery much the worst Of it. We see
some queer things on our voyages some
times"
FREAKS OF ROYALTY.
such as what, for instance!H
We'll. L have seen the king of Hayti re-
:eived as a foreign potcntate on the starboard
(which is the formaD side of the ship, with the
Yards all manned and the booming of guns:
and then. after his reception BY the captain
And ofhcers with all the ceremony due to his
exalted rank. he climbed down into his boat
again and went around to the port side of the
vessel 70 collect the wash, which he took
ashore with him
On another occasion saw savage oueen
come on board clothed in very little else be-
sides an expansive smile and accompanied by
several OF her maids of honor similarly attired
The ward room officers got one of these gentle
maids down below and rugged her up mncb 10
her own delight, with full suit of white dnck
coat waistcoat and pantaloons Likewise
abe was given a straw hat with a bright ribbon
and the sensation she created upon reioininy
her royal mistress was astonishing But the