The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
officers, and the necessary equipment of

officers, and the necessary equipment of
vessels and boats.
Warrant and petty officers from the
navy will instruct the youngsters in sea-
manship both ON shore and aboard of the
practice vessels. They will also be drilled
aloft among the sails. Notwithstanding
the new man-of-war is steamer and not
a sailer Uncle Sam makes his young tars
get out on the yards and wrestle with the
canvas the same as when Old lronsldes
spread her white pinions on the sea. On
shore they will be instructed in "book
learning" by schoolmasters, who are chief
petty officers in the regular service.
The boy must be enlisted between the
ages of IA and IL by his parents or guardian
TO serve till he is q years old. He must
pass medical examination so rigid that
only small percentage of the applicants
ever weather the DOCTOR" Then he is
given the following outfit:
One mattress and two mattress covers; one
pair large white blankets; two pairs cloth
trousers; two blue flannel oyershirts;
two blue flannel undershirts and drawers
two pairs shoes; one blue cap; two knit
one cap-ribbon with name of ship or station ;
one overcoat; three working suits; one pair
rubber boots; one rubber blanket; two pair
wooden socks; one knife lanyard; two silk
neckerchiefs; one pair leggins.
Of small stores he is given two bars of
soap, one scrubbing and one blacking
brush, one box of blacking, one whisk-
broom, one pair of scissors, one thimble
and needles and thread.
The boy'is then rated third-class naval
apprentice and receives SO per month and
a ration. His uniform is the same as that
of any enlisted man, except that he wears
6gure-of-eight knot in white cord sewed
on the front of his shirt His outfit is
presented to him, but should he leave the
service before the expiration of his term
=4e
Quoted from his pay. He is required to
keep his person, bedding and clothing per-
fectly clean, and punishment swiftly fol-
lows any neglect of this very wholesome
duty. he Is under strict military discip-
line and unquestioning obedience to every
order from a superior is a law that must
not be broken.
Then come the drills, and they go on
and on until his twenty y-first birthday cuts
them short. Besides the lessons in his
textbooks he is instructed in practice with
great guns, the manual of arms, sword and
pistol drill, gymnastics, calisthenics and
swimming. The boys are encouraged to
form themselves into baseball and foot
ball teams, and many hardly contested
games have been won by Uncle Sans
naval apprentices of the training stations.
1t is not the desire OF the Government to
coddle its future Sailors but to make them
strong and athletic and fit for the hardy
lie before them. Ii boy develops a
physical weakness during his Germ of ser
vice he is surveyed by medical board and
discharged. If Ifiniured in the line of duty
he is given pension.
Aboard the practice ship he is taught to
bend sail, loose, furl and reef and send up
and down masts and yards. He must
learn to strip and rig his ship, knot and
splice. steer, handle boat under-sail and
oars and hundreds of other tasks pertain
ing to the life OF a sailor He ocleara shin
for action" mans his guns and goes
through the pretense of battle In the
night he is suddenly aroused from his
slumbers by the violent ringing of the bell
and takes his station at fire quarters"
Occasionally he will hear the loud call