The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-20

to Melbourne by her sec
ond officer, who was little more than
boy. But perhaps the most mem
orable example of boys heroism is
that of young Shotten. He was an
apprentice on board vessel called
Trafalgar, which left Batavia fever
striker, with the result that the SUI
perior officers persisted, and young
Shotten was left alone with the re-
mains of a wicked ships company to
navigate the vessel. He carried her
to Sydney in safety. His story is
true romance of the deep. This fine
young fellow had not only to fight
the ocean and it's tremendous perils,
he had also to handle set of desper-
ate, reckless men who refused to rec
ognize his authority, and, charged
with the dreadful spirit of mutiny
and murder, scarcely suffered the boy
commander to save their lives. Stories
of this sort need the pen of Defoe;
they should be submitted to the
world by the hand of genius, that,
being in all senses things Of beauty,
they might be immortal as inspira-
lions in such hours of conflict as
young Shotten passed through. 1t is
to be regretted that writers for boys
do not uniformly invent with some
perception of the good taste, sound
Judgment, and high aspirations and
feelings of the young public they ad
dress. The typical boy hero of the
boys book is for the most part, i'm
possible, the lad as he reads grows
disdainf ul, he may even detect blum
ders in seamanship or in the employ
ment of nautical words, and his con-
fidence is gravelY shaken. No i'm
preston is left, no animating and
lofty influence exerted, because the
tale is trash; it is not true; the boy
knows it never could have been true.
i was once boy myself, though /
find this hard to believe, and | re-
member that the sea stories which in
fluenced me and which did me most
good were tales founded on the facts
of the ocean, plain and sincere nara
tives of the stern realities of the deep,
such as this of Shotten. A young
apprentice in Shotten's situation
might, after reading his story, take
courage from it, find an example in
it, and achieve an end not less heroic
than the model he initiated.
Can it be imagined that any one of
M. Jules Verne's boy heroes could
animate lad by his impossible, al
belt ingenious adventures, into the
rendering of such splendid services
as the whole English-speaking world
was praising in young Shotten in
1895? 1t is truth that boys at sea
have done daring and glorious things,
and their stories should be told by
able hands for the boys to read, be-
cause there is no calling that makes,
in times of disaster, such demands
upon the stout heart and all that is
manly in the human qualities as the
ocean life. One of the pluckiest boys
that ever rose to rank in the British
royal navy, and to the achievement of
great reputation for prudence, fore
sight and gallantry scarcely inferior
to Nelson's, was Admiral Hopson,
who was born in the Isle of Wight,
left an orphan when child, and APP
prenticed by the parish to a tailor.
The tailor's board, however, soon
grew hateful to the little fellow; he
yearned for quite another sort of
board,-I mean shipboard. And be-
ing one day alone in the shop, looking
across the sea, he spied squadron
of memo war floating around Dun
nose.
Acting upon the impulse of the in
slant, he rushed from the shop,
sprang into boat, cast her painter
loose, and contrived by sculling with
all his might, to reach the Admiral's
ship. He was received and entered as
volunteer. Early next morning the
British squadron fell in with a num-
Der of Frenchmen, and a hot action
began. Little Hopson obeyed orders
with wonderful alacrity and fearless
ness; but when the fight had pro.
ceeded for two hours he grew impa-
tient, and, turning to seaman, asked
why the ships were firing at one an
other. Jack answered that the action
must continue till the white rag at
the enemy's masthead was struck.
The ships were then engaged yard
arm to yard-arm The air was thick
with smoke of gunpowder. Hopson
sprang into the shrouds, ran out to
the main-yard arm, gained the
French Admirals yard arm. and run
ming aloft, cut away the French flag,
and brOu0hf ~ SafaIu On boarJ -.