Arizona republican., 1898-04-28
PAST AND PRESENT.

The American man-o'-war's Of today is as different in personal char acter from his predecessor of a few decades ago as is the steel-clad, tur- reted, mastless battle ship of 1898 from the graceful, wooden frigate of past generations. The new weapons, motive power and other equipment of latter-day war vessels necessitate diff ferent and often higher qualities in the men that handle them. To this is due the fact that the modern man o'-war'sman is more of a mechanic and a soldier than a sailor pure and simple.
 character of Uncle Sam's blue-jacket has undergone change since the de- velopment of the new navy, as radi- cal as his professional training. Such familiar phrases as Like drunken sailor," and Spending money like a sailor" no longer apply, for Jack is today steadier, more self-respecting and better behaved than the average man in his own walk of life on shore
 Where in former days but few would return on board ship on time clean and sober," from days liberty 1t is now the exception for liberty to be broken A party of liberty men on shore from an American cruiser is an orderly, respectable body of men. Several causes have cOntribut- ed to this change for the better. One is the apprentice system, which has been in successful operation now for about twenty-five years, period long enough to give predominance to the American-born seamen graduated from the apprentice training ships This system has given to the service large number of respectable, young Americans, who have displaced a like number of irresponsible foreigners, waifs of fortune, whose only interest in our navy was the pay and the food, both decidedly better than they could get in the navieS or merchant marines of their own countries.
 Another potent cause of the good quality of the American man-o'-war's- men of the present day is more intel ligent treatment. In the days of the ''Old" navy the men were allowed to draw but a small fraction of their pay each month, the remainder accumu- lating until the end of the period Of enlistment. The final balance due was paid in full at the time of dis charge. The men, unaccustomed to handling much money at a time, did not know the value of what they had received, SO they squandered their money. Quite likely they became the prey of sharpers. In either event they were compelled to re-enlist soon, and in dismal spirits.
 When liberty" was given in the old days it was a custom to let a whole "watch"-half the ships company go ashore at once, and then only at long intervals. Knowing that 1t would be a long time before they would get on land again, the men thus freed would endeavor to concentrate as much revelry as possible in the short period given, and were usually regardless of consequences.
 All that has been changed. The crew of man-of-war is now divided into three conduct grades, according to behavior. Those in the third or lowest grade are permitted ashore at long intervals, in the discretion of the commanding officer; those of the sec ond may have liberty once a month, and those of the first once a week, while there is what is known as the special first-class," the men in which are given almost as much shore leave as the officers.