The Van Buren press., 1898-10-01
STOOD FOR THEIR PRIVILEGE.
The Clever Way In Which n Bunch
of Naval Apprentices Got Ahead
of Capt. Philip.

A newspaper editor of Philadelphia.
who has become one of the best in
formed men on Pennsylvania politics
since he left off going to sea, was once
an apprentice in the United States
navy. He served in the various rates as
third. second and frst-elass boy. or
dinary seaman and seaman apprentice,
and was further rated long before he
reached the term of his indenture as
captain of the starboard watch of after
guard and coxswain of the captain S
gig. These adyaneements were, Of
course. within the limits of his ap-
premiership. and he was all the while
subject to the special rules and regula-
tions of the service for that condition,
and among them was one forbidding
apprentices TO smoke. He was sery-
ing on the Richmond al that time with
some dozen or more boys, who, like
himself, had long been away from the
scholarships, and were doing able sea-
mems duty, and, of course, smoking
whenever the ships corporal hung out
the lamp to light pipe by, and that is
at prescribed hours, because sailors are
not supposed TO carry matches. The
first lieutenant of the ship was Jack
Philip, now captain commanding the
battleship Texas, the man whose pic
ture has become 50 well known since
the war began by the cooked hat of the
full-dress uniform with which he is
photographed. He was. like many 9TH
er good fellows, jump-up-iH-the-
morning ng-and-make-things-moye First
Luff. and one day after dinner he saw
an apprentice take light for his pipe
at the lamp. whats that, corporal of
the guard? Take those pipes away
from all the apprentices, whatever
their rate is" \ moment later the
young men found themselves deprived
of their pipes and ordered to the mast,
when the first lieutenant faced them.
"Do you not know it is a specific regula-
tion that apprentices are not to
smoke?"
why, yes. SIR" replied one; "but
we are rated for mems work, we are
doing it, and we have been smoking
ever since we left the schoolship."
''Well, you won't smoke any more on
board this ship. Go forward"
Perhaps the qualities which made a
political writer out jackie were
also those which made the jackie some
thing of a sea lawyer, and he studied
the way of getting the smoke back.
At last he hit it off, and summoning
his fellows in council, he secured their
pledges to stand by him. Then he
went 10 the mast to see the first lieu
tenant. Sir" he said, I'VE who are APP
prentieed demand school in the terms
of our indentures. 1t is provided in the
regulations that we shall have daily
instruction and be taught navigation.
There is a schoolmaster aboard. al
though he is doing duty as chief boat
swain's mate"
The officer cooked his eye at the ap-
prentice, and, after a pause, said:
'Nery well, coXswain, you shall have
school," The ship, however, did not
rate a chief boatswain's mate, and the
man who held that was not fit for a
schoolmaster. and there was not on
board the ship a man who knew as
much as the apprentices, except, of
course, the officers, and to detail them
for that duty would be unpleasant
enough for them at least, and other
wise disturb the comfort of the ship.
Philip tried every other sort of school
master in vain, and then sent for the
sea lawyer eoXswain.
why do you fellows want to go to
school?" he demanded.
Because, sir, replied the Unabashed,
I'VE must occupy the time we lost when
you took away our smoking"
$50 forward, you sea lawyer, and
smoke, and be hanged to the lot of
you" And after that there was no
school.-Philadelp Times.