The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1893-11-24
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
Faultiness of the Present System
of Organization.
An OId-SchooI Admiral who Thinks That
Ur,,wny Farmer Boys Would Make
the Best Material to Re
cruit From.

There is an old English sea song
which saws: "Our ships are British
oak. and hearts of oak our men, and
no matter what powerful cruisers
country may build, the greatest de
pendeuce has always been placed on
the men who form their crews, and
on their training and character.
The number of seamcn allowed in
the United States by the law is seven
thousand two hundred and fifty, and
in addition there are fifteen hundred
apprentice boys.
When the apprentice system was cs-
tablished in the early seventies, says
Golden Days, it was supposed it would
furnish n sufficient number Of trained
scamcn for the navy, and make the en-
listmcnt of all others unnecessary.
Iiut the records show that not more
than four per cent. of the lads
that are graduated from the train
ing system continue in the serv-
ice. and further, that of the
seven thousand two hundred and
fifty seamen allowed by law in the
navy less than one-half of those who
enlist at the receiving ships are ma
tive-born Americans: all this, too, IN
inducements in the way of greater pay
and better rations than are given in
any other navy in the world.
Rear Admiral Erben, the present
commander in chief of United States
forces in European waters, is an officer
of the old school, and one who has seen
war service. He was recently asked
To give his opinion as to the cause of
the present un-American condition in
the navy's organization, and, if posi-
ble. to point ont the remedy, and what
he said is valuable and suggestive.
While the admiral admitted the cN-
ccllence of the training received by
boys under the apprentice system, he
pointed out that the number of appren-
tccs remaining in the navy is each
year less as the system of training
reaches a higher standard of educa-
tion.
When the apprentice, who has been
taken in at the age Of fourteen. grows
to be eighteen or nineteen, ne fancie,
himself a man. He has obtained a
good, common school education on the
traiuing-ship, and he is anxious to put
that training to application in civil
life.
When he reaches twcnty-onc years
of a"e-the very time at which he i
expected to rccnlist-he usually takes
advantage of his discharge to leave
the service.
Whether or not naval apprentices
succeed in civil life is another matter
What the navy needs is men who viii
make the service their life calling.
Admiral Erbcn guaranteed that if
the secretary Of the navy would giv,
him y. SSel of the Essex or Entcruri-,
type ne would fill 1t up with three
hundred, brainy, brawny. muscular
farm lads. and with no more than forty
scamen he would be willing to take
that unframed crew on IL long foreign.
cruise At the end of two years H.
would defy the most rigid board of in
spection to find his crew inferior t.
that ON any I nitcd states vessel.
There are to-day many American
youths. twcHty-onc years of age and rf
American parcntage. who know wha.
il il to wrcstle with life For wears
they have been knocking around from
one farm to another. uncertain of the
future, and toiliug for precarious
living; and the thought Of TWENTY-FIVE.
''ilH'' a hi'itI pay, Win IopJ, ana ::
De nSion after . certain length Of serv-
ice, would be To them a strong induce
ment to enter the navy.
Their life on board ship. as the ad-
miral says, would be q new one. Thcy
would see many foreign ports. ana
when they went ashore i'm their matt,
uniforms they would feel that they
were of some consequence.
1t is doubtful if. after having pulled
an oar in the admiral's barge or HAY
ing been one of crack guns crew
the new man .of-war'S man would find
an attraction in carrying the milk pal
or getting up at four o'clock in the
morning to DO chores
ON the other hand, it is very certain
that he would ,bc regarded by hi
former companions as superior fcl
low, and that his experience would at |
tract them to the navy. Who know, |
but that there is some boy whistIiper |
at the plow to-day who may yet be a
rear admiral?