The Winslow mail., 1898-11-19
STOOD FOR THEIR PRIVILEGE.
The Clever WAY 3a which "a Bunch
OF Naval 4 centices Got Ahead
OF Capt. Philip.

\ newspaper editor of Philadelphia.
who has become one OF the best in
formed men on Pennsylvania politics
since he left eff going TO sea, was once
an apprentice in the United States
navy. He served in the various rates as
third, second and iirst-class boy, or-
dinary seaman and seaman apprentice,
and was further rated long before he
reached the term Of his irdenture as
captain Ct the star5oard watch CT after
guard and coXswain Of the captain s
gig. These adrnnccments were. OF
course, within the limits Of his ap-
premiership, and he was all the while
subject to the special rules ard regula-
ticns OF the service for that corditicn,
ard among them was one forbidding
apprentices to smoke. lie was serv-
ing Oh the Richmond at that time with
some dozen or more boys, who, like
himself, had long been away from the
schoolshiPs, and were doing able sea-
mems duty, and, of course. smoking
wherever the ships corporal hung cut
the lamp to light pipe by, and that is
at prescribed hours, because sailors are
not supposed to carry matches. The
first Lieutenant CT the ship waseJacl
Philip, now captain commanding the
battlezhip Texas, the man whose pic
ture has become so we'll known since
the war began by the cooked hat CT the
full-dress uniform with which he is
photographed. Ee was, like many eth
er good fellows, a jump-up-in-the-
morning e-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 A 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 specific regula
tion that apprentices are not to
smolle?"
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
political writer out a 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 eff, and summonirg
his fellows in council, he secured their
pledges to stand by him. Then he
, went to the mast to see the first lieu
tenant "Sir,' he said, "we who are ap-
prenticed 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
swains nate.'
The officer cooked his eye at the ap-
prentice, and, after q pause, said:
''Eery we'll, coxswain, you shall have
school" The ship, however, did not
rate a chief boatswains mate, and the
man who held that was not fit for
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 coxswain.
"Why do you fellows want to go to
schcol?" he demanded.
because, sir, replied the Unabashed,
''we must occupy the time we lost when
you took away cur smoking"
go forward you sea lawyer, and
smoke, and be hanged to the lot of
you" And after that there was no
school.-Philadelph Times.