The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-01
AN APPEAL FOR SAILORS
REV. DIR. ALEXANDER M'KENzIE'S
ADDRESS LAST EVENING.

Meeting Under Auspices of Seamen's Aid
society-Dr. Mckenzie Describes the
True Sailor and What We Should Do for
Him-The Only Indispensable Man in
the World.
Rev. Alexander Mckenzie, D. D., OF
Cambridge, Mass, spoke in behalf Of
the Ladies Seamen's Friend society in
the United church last evening. Every
seat in the church was filled with peo-
pie desirous of hearing the popular and
eloquent preacher A report of the Sea-
mems home in this city was read before
DR.. Mckenzie began his remarks. DR..
Mckenzie said:
II was born by the sea. My father
was a sailor, and my two brothers were
also sailors We have probably 100000
sailors in this country. They appeal
very strongly to us. The sailor is
the only man in the world whom
1t would be impossible for us to do
without. Take off of your table what
the sailor has brought to you, and, al
though you would have many things
left, yet you would also be deprived Of
many things Take away the sailor
from us and we should change our hab-
it's of life We should lose our interest
in other countries Of the world.
''The history of our country would
have been entirely different had there
been no sailors to carry the Pilgrims
from England to Holland, then back
again to England and then in the May
flower to America in 1920. l don't see
what you could do or what America
would have been without sailors. 1t
would have been only a heather land,
With only the modest kind of litera
ture.
1--WE could get along without minis
ters, doctors and lawyers, but we could
not get along without the sailor We
often look toward the sea to see what
it can give US Let us look also to see
what we can give to it. The sailor is
much like other men, with reason, will
and feeling.
"A popularity about him is that he
is a foreigner generally, and this is Civ
en- as a reason by some why we should
not aid him. but it is a reason no sem
sible man would think of giving. In
this country of ours your next-door
neighbor is likely enough a foreigner.
No one makes difference in treating
a man because he is a foreigner.
''The sailor is usually a young man,
the average life of sailor being twen-
ty-eight years and his sea life eleven
years Their life on the sea makes
them usually trustful and simple.
have talked to many audiences, from
Yale students down. and have found
none so responsive and so sympathetic
as the sailor.
''The strict discipline on board ship
accustoms him to being commanded.
When he is freed from restraint after
a voyage and has plenty of money, he
does not know what to do with it. He
is easily attracted into the saloon and
other bad places | have no respect for
the men who pay much attention to the
temptations of the saloon. 1t is dis
grace to our civilization if we cannot
provide places for them equally and
more attractive. 1t is just this we are
trying to do in providing seamen's
homes for sailors
1--WE must make these houses COM
Portable, beautiful and attractive, and
put them in charge of good men. Leg
islation has also done much to improve
the condition of sailors, and there is
much more that still might be done. :"
DrA> Mckenzie in closing gave some
features of the work among sailors in
Boston, and told several incidents il
Illustrating the generous, self-sacrificing
and noble natures of the true sailor.
contribution was taken UP at the
close to aid in the work among seamen
here.