St. Paul daily globe., 1895-06-03
THE NAVAL OFFICER.
His Life Made Up of Idlcness and
Pleasure-Seeking.


Pleasure-Seeking.
New York Sun.
Although a naval officer must hold,
himself in readiness to start on twen-
ty-four hours notice to any part of
the world, and must expect to pass at
least half his time at sea and a large
part of the other half at various unin-
teresting places ashore, he pities the
man that must go to an Office six times
a week the year round. Life in the
navy is largely matter of somewhat
dull routine. but the routine of an or
dinary business or professional life
the naval officer regards with a dis
taste that approaches horror. This
state of feeling arises not because the
naval officer is unconscious OF the
limitations that gird him round In
whatever direction he turns he meets
with rules, regulations authority and
red tape, but his life has the compensa-
ton that respites come and vacations
are long.
1t seldom happens that the watch
officers of a ship are so few that they
cannot arrange the work among them
selves so as to secure for each at least
one day off duty out of three. Engineer
officers, too, apportion the work so
that there shall be respites of at least
dozen hours for each. If a vessel is
lying in foreign port almost any one
can obtain a dozen hours leave for a
run ashore, and leave to be absent
over night, or even for few days in
the interior. is possible. When ships
are lying at the home navy yards, the
mi
officers habitually dine ashore Others
are ito be met in all parts of town dur
ing the day. The modern man-of war
is seldom more than two or three
weeks at sea. and many a cruise never
keeps a ship more than ten days at
sea between ports. That means for
nearly all concerned some changes
from the daily routine of the ship
under way.
naval officer may, if he will, have
a full tour of shore duty at the end of
three years cruise. and he usually
has a period of ldleness between. He
may reasonably hope, after several
full cruises. for leave of six months
or more. One meets naval officers in
all sorts of odd inland villages en-
joying these periods of idleness. Tbs
naval officer visiting the home of his
childhood is an object of interest and
distinction, but one realizes the es-
sential democracy of the plan on which
the navy obtains its officers when one
sees them thus at home in citizens
attire on familiar terms with all sorts
of people, and no longer hedged about
with the artificial barriers raised to
support the dignity of the officer on
duty. The man who knows how to
save at sea can enjoy life at ease
ashore with gusto that seldom comes
to the hard-worked citizen even in va
cation. The prudent officer may then
indulge in seeming extravagances that
would fairly appall civilian of equal
salary, for the civilian has had long
season of enforced economy. and
usually manages to squeeze out $3.50
for his vacation.
The naval officers nearest approach
to office work is that which falls to
him when he has a shore appointment,
with regular hours, and does not live
at a navy yard. In that case he may
become commuter. a somewhat
whimsical role for a man-of-war's man
to play. Hours are not long, however,
at the navy yards, and short leaves
are always possible. When a ship is
undergoing repairs without going out
of commission, officers are usually able
to obtain leaves of from twenty-four
hours to week, and as a ship some
times lies two months In this condi-
tion an officer may reasonably expect
several such leaves. Officers serving
on the ships which have been turned
over to a few of the states for educa-
tional purposes are sometimes able to
arrange their work so as to absent
from the ship threesdays a week.
The navy department keeps a careful
account of all favors granted and
checks the man who is too eager for
leave. You may read the record of
leave for each officer in the aggregate
in the Navy Register. The record va
ries greatly in individual cg5es. Some
times it indicates a period of suspen-
sion from duty under sentence of court
martial. An officer with a large excess
of shore duty over sea duty to his
credit usually has comparatively
short unemployed period, and vice
versa. Some officers of the highest
rank have had very little idle time.
Admiral Ramsay, now nearly forty
five years in the service. has been un-
employed less than two years.