The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-04-15
NAUTICAL APPRENTICES.
Plenty of Good Material for SeameN, but
system Is Necessary.

! system Is Necessary.
Although seamen'S wages and foot
were never better than they are st press at
our youngsters do not take kindly to tn,
sea, and most of those who do 80, after &
voyage or two, leave it in disgust said
Captain Duncan Mclean The restraint
of discipline is irksome and often offensive
| Young America is too accustomed To hay
ing his own way ashore to bend to the way
of another Rfoat
Every ship must be despotiSm, and nc
matter how kindly it may be admins
tered, the young, who have imbibed the
iea that Jack is rs good as his master,
do not relish the idea Of inferiorty The
work at sea is not hard--not near as bard
as most mechanical labor-and il a sailor
is economical he can save more money than
he could as mechanic.
"A single man in our coaSting trade can
save at least $50 q year An able seaman
in the navy can do even better than this,
and have a good time for the work is
not hard, and even If taken sick he does not
lose any pay, but has the best of medical
attendance free
Most OF our deep water business is in
the California and European grain trade
Our East India and China trade is carried
on by British steamers, manned of course
by British seamen, who must follow the
sea or starve, for they have no other occu
patton. On the other hand. most American
seamen are jacks of all trades, and If one
thing fails, they can turn their hand to
another
"Our merchant shipowners, as a rule, do
not wish to be bothered with the care OF
apprentices. most of whom, by the time
they have acquired the use Of their sea
legs leave the sea
TO man our navy we must enlarge our
apprenticeship system, for we cannot rely
on the mercantile marine in time Of peace.
In a popular war volunteers would come
forward faster than they would be required
In a very short time our navy will be
manned 10y men who have been trained in
our scholarships, and who regard the navy
as their home for life.
The men employed in our coasting trade
are steady and hardy, aud most Of them
have families, the responsibility of which
keeps them on their good behavior. Many
Of our fishermen, who in very short time
make excellent sailors, belong to the British
provinces of North America and become
citizens and settle among us
"We have plenty of good material ont Of
which to make seamen; all we require is to
systematic it. The more scholarships we
can have the better.
"When the advantage of a seafaring life is
better understood there will be no difficulty
in procuring an ample supply Of poor,
healthy boys to train for it. The 1ogging
and starving of other days have ceased
afoat, and if men or boys will discharge
their duty faithfully they will find life at
sea pleasant and profitable.
"Most of the talk about the hardships Of
life at sea is nonsense. Many an able me.
chanic suffers more hardship and privation
looking for work than seaman endures in
whole life, The cowardly fear Of being
drowned ought never be permitted to enter
the mind. Besides, drowning is the easiest
death man can die.
"a boy who has no higher ambition than
to be laborer through life cannot do bet
ter than enter the navy and never leave it,
In old age he will have a pension, and in
the event of accident will be taken care OF
literally.
"a law might be passed for the encour
agement of the ambitious to present them
selves for examination for officers at Ger
tain periods, but it is we'll known that the
navy must train its own officers for much
of their education at present is scientific
and unknown to merchant officers. The
old yarn that most Of our officers were
trained in the merchant service before they
entered the navy will not apply in this age
of dynamite, electricity and steam. ."-Bos
ton Herald