Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-25
NAVAL APPRENTICES.
THE BOYS ON OUR wARSHlPS AND
HOW THEY ARE TRAINED.
An Experience That Tends to Make Them
DieniGed, Self Controlled Men. Well
Qualified to Make Their Way Either
Ahoat or Ashore.


DisniHed, Self Controlled Men, Well T
Qualified to Make Their Way Either ;.
Afoat or Ashore. :,
Apprenticeship in the United States :
navy is capable of making either q man or I
> reprobate of n boy. He is given every
TO become good solid man, c
whether for continuation as Il member OF +
q man -of-yEar's ships company or for the l
earning of u livelihood ashore. The officers I
of the American navy give the apprentice :
boys considerably the better of it over the
bluejackets who ship as such in all that
concerns their interest and Advancement,
and the boy who during the period that he
wears the apprentices figure OF eight kiot
on his mastering shirt goes wrong and h''-
comes . rowdy aud IL sea lawyer has only
his innate cussedncss to blame for it.
The whole tendency of the apprentice
training aboard an American nan-of war
makes Tor the conversion Of the lad INTO
dignified, self controlled able man,
1nutchlcss seaman and u tip;op gunner, to
say nothing Of the substantial equipments
it furnishes him for lucrative employ
ment should he elect upon the conclusion !
of his apprenticeship to settle down ashore.
1t Is the old sailors. the men who have
spent about an equal number OF years IN
the merchant marine and in the lhitth
States navy, who possess the greatest pow
American naval apprentices. The officers
aft hold the lads with Il strong rem when
they have them under immediate lEstruc-
ton, but the boys live forward among the
men, and they form their characters IN the
forecAStle.
If the material is in them, it Is bound to
come out The old time naval sailors can
tell at n glance whether ~ just shipped boy
or q boy fresh aboard Il cruising lnnn OF
war from q training ship has the max
ings'' OF a finished sailor md y good ship
mate in his composition. If their careful
inspection Of such boy convinccs them
that the lad is worth their palms. they 90
to work" on him from the very outset Of
his cruising career season him With all of
the practical ship and gun Information
that they themselves have picked up after
years of experience. and thus supplement-
the technical education that the boy re
ceiyes from tho officers The sailors who
thus take II kindly interest in u boy who
looks promising do not treat him With
Partially, and he gets swnttcd about just
as much the apprentice who Is slug
gard.
But the interest they exhibit in drilling
sea lore into his mind and their pnlhs n
1nstructing him OH every little valuable
detail as tho occasion arises plainly SHOW
thnt they have ''got him in their minds,
and observation proves that the boys wh'
are thus picked out by the old timers III
forward as being worth these efforts M
sn0 1o - r,,,,i,uh;, l. ,v.,
49, onr ,r.rr,nt o,licer in me Unite,
ctta n,,.,- tn1,y ,hn,,t ,,c s,r,l,yol, II
~ ~ fnolIy attain the wearing of
.,.ars frn,, thn wearing Of a figaro ,
eight knot, and he will begin to sl'1hk u
fectionntoly OF two or three grumpy, s.
age old bosn's mates or qnhr'rrn'lS'n
~ 49, - =, ,'..,,nr ~ ,,ri,,,. Win II
ola +i,nars m .hus boost "a lad ,p the La
A..
E ~. ,,.r,, FIRST div ON hoard 9th
+-ain,n,, sh,nor n nuu.of-war prourr Il
ynte.tuci younuster is expected To Ii,
diScilSIint. is u,,it, 80 - '.'''i
mast for tlerclIr,;,,, -, 20 p"hai"!u i'r u
tour in the bris, IL, t,,,,l', go; 40 .i''''e
conduct as his older shinr,,, ~ 'n'
gnrd the ci,cu1nnnyi,,,,i,,,n &C. w., W u" n
bngatelle. '''' F'''''c
The boy who ut tho o,,t.,, 4,
AIe sheds Ia lonesome t,.r ar ~, i :, I:
hammock but who kro,. -, . , 81 ~
when in view Of III sli,,,, ~, q crave iron
who may hr always marked "a. =, w., ="
1t would he out Of n.,,,ir,. 49, :. " inner
OF amy sort of s,.,,siljli,irs ,yh.t ,. 7''
plunge into n,an-of wn, ~, 10y >'r U
Its apparent rightly nj frs, .i,,;, '.;, ~
being bit taken nb;,ck and n,,,,r, .'4,p ~
the rouHhness of IT. III M ni!'' 'oS'' pN
posed, as u whole far. ava -" Is com
masculine men and of ,Iccni,. su''''ll'
and unswervingly lovnl n,n ,,,', ''u' on y
tnelr esteem and confiGcnc. h,,y 49,
won, but In no environment iu ~ '''til
OF even tho slightest s,,suicinn ~ ' ''".'
mentality more quickly frovn,,,
than upon the forward ,I,, Wv ii'u upon
war. . man 'i-
From tho purely phvstco, n,;n,
apprenticeship In til. navy is :. H., N W."
Tor lad Nine ont of ion n,,,I ~, '''i''S
tees when they attain ,hri,. .'!'pseh-
strapping rugged, bra,vny mn ,,,,f, ,',o
OF 1870 sapphire