The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-13

Men on the ships Linbered Up and In
Good Health Through Exercise - no
sssoldierins" IL Allowed In the Drill.
Good, kind Uncle Sam has provided
physital culture for Jack Folks ashore
pay money for a course of physical culture
that isn't any better, II 10 is SO good, and
vet Jack thinks he is hardly used In that
he has to so through il every day that
isn't rainy. lie calls it the monkey drill. y
The averape Jack Tar is apt 10 bo I'M
grateful wherein he differs little from the
rest OF mankind The point Of tho matter
A. that human beings object very decided
IA 70 having things that are for their
good thrust upon them willy niily.
Jack is undoniably picturesque, but
never is he more interesting 10 look upon
than at this Same monkey drill" He
looks well when he is swinging the big
guns: "Extreme range, forward Ex-
treme range, aftl Extreme eleyation Ex-
trerne depression" Then you sec him
putting his back to il and doing his best
60 swing the long, glossy steel tube OF
gun in the best possible time but tho gun
itself and the mechanism and the rest OF
the drill distract the mind from the con-
temptation OF Jack himself rs "a well put
up man. The monkey drill" accentu-
ates that
1t comes right after evening quarters, nc
8 O'Clock The marines and sailors have
all lined up on deck. The skipper has
come out of his cabin and stands OH the
starboard side little in front of the gang
way that goes down into the wardroom.
The executive officer stands little in
front of him and little TO the right. Both
xrytf a N
in the muscles of the back and legs which
says, .This is very important.
The ships writer is on the port side, as
stiff as wooden image and apparently
dead TO the world. The captain of marines
comes and stands before the executive
officer, salutes and conveys tho important
information that all are present or ac-
counted for. Then he salutes, rises on
his toes, pivots around and departs in
great solemnity. The engineer comes up
from the bowels of the ship and says the
boiler is all right, but there IL rust on tho
ashwhip There is less style about the
engineer. because he has been doing this
for many years. His salute is merely "A
reminiscence, not half so prim as the
young cadets, who was having collie when
the engineer had his commission. All tho
officers report, and then the executive
officer tells the captain as much as no
thinks fit.
Immensely solemn function it is, al
most pontifical in its ritual. The bugler
toots tune, and then begins the monkey
drill" The ranks separate and the space
between each man is increased, and squads
are formed. with Ia corporal or "A -hoSun,s
mate in command.
There are rs movements which have to
be gone through every evening. They are
like those that used to bo taught in the
public schools, only better. The men dou
BILE up their fists and shove out first one
arm and then the other with enough vio-
lence to get the good of it. They extend
the arms horizontally, then reach them
up, then drop them down. They reach
the arms out front and swing them back
as far as possible. They extend the arms
horizontally and wabble them so as
TO describe small circles In the air.
They bend the body forward as far
as possible, then bend back to the
same limit, stopping at straight up be
tween each motion, because Jacks brain
cannot stand being sloshed around vio-
1ontly any more than anybody else's. They
lean over sldewise SO as TO look up TO the
fighting tops with the right eye and then
with the left eye. This motion is almost
duplicated later on, when the samo thing
is gone through with, but in the later mo-
tion the arms are extended. That opens
the upper part of the lungs.
Then comes the hardest movement of
all The men stand stiff legged, heels to-
gether, and bend over till the knuckles of
the closed fist touch the deck. 1t looks
easy. Try it, III you are not in training
x.rft flt,1 scrtr tt,t l,c
together and swing for it, and If it doesn't
stretch the muscles of your legs and back
then Joe's dead, and Sal 5 widow.
There are other motions of stopping out
wids with one foot and then the other that
show of the muscles OF the upper leg to
the best advantage, though the squatting
motion perhaps does that best OF all.
The cadets are meanwhile watching the
men, and when they find some lazy lout
s'soldiering" and showing out limp arms
and squatting down with bowed instead
of stiff back bone they tell him about 10.
The skipper keeps an eye on such a man,
and II he thinks Jack is trying to dodge a
little health giving exercise the chances
are that there will be a little two hours
extra duty ready for him--not enough to
hurt him, but just to show that there is
balm In Gilead and a physician there.
In the army these setting up drills are
the perquisite of new recruit. They linz
Der him up, and he is kept at it till he IS
as sore as a boil all over. But in the navy
II Is an everyday thing. IL makes IA man
ashore wish there was somebody to make
him do the monkey drill every day. May
be then his stomach would behave better,
and he wouldn't dream about falling Oft
roofs and things like that.-New York
World
Solemn Occasion.