The Irish standard., 1897-01-09
All the Officers and rlen Must be
Gentlemen in Every Way
to Live in the Service.
The Baltimore's Chaplain Was a
Young Roman Cath
olic Priest.
The Young Priest Could Beat the
Captain Himself in
Navigation.

For the first time within the memory
of the oldest living naval officers the
high mass of the Roman Catholic
Church was celebrated aboard an Am
erican man-of-war early in January Of
this year, says a correspondent from
Washington. The two Roman Catholic
priests who serve as chaplians Of ships
in the United States navy recite the low
mass on their vessels every Sunday
morning, as we'll as on the holy days of
obligation. These masses are in gen.
eral pretty well attended by the enlisted
men of all manners of religious belief,
or perhaps, in some cases, of no relig-
ious belief at all. The officers not in
frequently attend the masses in body.
One of the first regulations of the navy
recommends in effect, that Officers and
men shall, whenever possible, partici-
pate in the worship of Almighty God"
aboard their ships. While this regula-
ton is not mandatory, being simply in
serted in the form Of a recommendation,
officers and men are much more sin
cere in their respect for and observance
of this clause, which is read out on the
quarterback by the executive officer at
every monthly muster, together with a
short abstract Of the navy regulations,
than if attendance at religious services
aboard ship were compulsory, as it is in
several of the worlds navies.
The high mass referred to was chant
ed on the cruiser Baltimore while the
ship was anchored in the harbor OF
Honolulu, on the second Sunday of the
first month Of the year. The Ba]ti-
more, on her way from China to the
United States. with her "homeWard
bound pennant streaming 200 feet in
her wake, steamed into a terrific ty-
phoon few days after leaving the
coast of Japan, and hove to and wal
lowing in the thick of it for eight days,
came near laundering. When she roun-
ded Pearl Harbor Point and crawled to
her anchorage in the harbor OF Hon
olulu she was a pretty rusty looking
boat, with her cutters stove in, her da-
Wits twisted and broken off, her chain
rails carried away, and her fighting
tops lowered to the spar deck to prevent
excessive rolling Officers and men
were glad to get into port. Two sea-
men had been carried away by green
Al,o ,oI %h1 i,r1 oto tNr
gallant forecastle, and these were lot
Of broken heads, ribs, legs and arms
among the men forward. The ships
carpenter, warrant officer, died of his
injuries the day the Baltimore steamed
into Honolulu harbor, and was buried
in the Nuuanu Valley Of the Honolulu,
under the shadow of the Punchbowl,
with naval honors.
The Baltimore's chaplain was young
Roman Catholic priest a scholar, an
athlete, and a finished man generally,
born and educated in Maryland. He
decided to have high mass as a special
Thanksgiving ceremony on the Sunday
following the Baltimore's casting her
anchor In the harbor of Honolulu. This
was as impressive a religious ceremony
as any ever seen or heard in a great
cathedral. It was celebrated on the
ships wide and long berth deck. The
carpenters gang built an altar especial
iy for the occasion. Some OF the men
got shore liberty and gathered the gor-
geous tropical wild flowers that bloom
in the woodlands round Honolulu.
They then decorated the altar, which,
when it's ornamentation was completed,
was wonderful blaze Of color. The
young apprentice boys served as acol-
ytes, habited in cassocks and surplices.
& The fact that these two chubby boys
,stroye to be consistent and cumulative
sYt1ffians under the ordinary conditions
Of man-of-war life did not initiate, In
the minds of the uniformed worship
pers, against the impressiveness of the
mass which they served. Nor did the
rafting of the double irons Of the half
dozen prisoners, confined up forward
\ In the brig, in full view of the congrega-
tion, have any disconcerting effect.
Nearly all the officers and men of
the ships company of four hundred and
odd crowded down the berth deck lad
ders to attend the mass. The mess
/ benches of the men were the seats. The
officers were In their full dress uni
4 forms, and Ithe men wore their muster
ing clothes. Besides the ships COM
pany, about 100 of Honolulu's society
folk, men and women, came off to the
ship In shore boats and steam cutters
tO attend the mass. Three Of the mem
Sberrs of the Hawaiian cabinet. with their
Fss and II daughters, were Of this
II her. These resident Hawaiians,
B |}fIs most q whom were Of American.
B and German nativity, FIJI ] n
& Id not able kanaka men and
s 19IIl 20 q;