The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-28

it mildly. are not remarkable for their
knowledge of scripture. also shows 1t
self in connection with the paper upon
which good words are printed. 1t
is an unheard of misdemeanor on
board ship to destroy or put to com
mon use such paper. The man guilty
of such an action would be looked up
on with horror by his shipmates, al
though their current speech is usually
vile and blasphemous beyond Deilet.
And herein is to be found a curious
distinction between seamen of Teutonlc
and Latin race. excluding Frenchmen.
Despite the superstitious reverence the
former pay to the written word, none OF
them would in time of peril dream OF
rushing to the opposite extreme, ana
after madly abusing their bibles throw
them overheard. But the excitable
Latins, after beseeching their patron
saint to aid them in the most agoniz-
ing tones, repeating with frenzied
haste such prayers as they can remem-
Der. and promising the most costly
gifts in the event of their safely reach
ing port again, often turn furiously
upon all they have previously -been
worshiping, and with the most horrid
blasphemies vent their rage upon the
whilom objects of their alteration.
Nothing is too sacred for insult, no
name too reverend for abuse, and
should there be, as there often Is. an
ably be cast into the sea-
Powers Credited to Firms.
But one of the most incomprehensi-
BILE forms of sea superstition is that
which has for it's object the most pro-
sale of all seagoing people. the Firms:
Russian Firms, seamen always call
them, although there is far more of the
Swede than the Russian about them,
and their tongue is Swedish also. All
things that appertain to a ship seem to
come easily to their doing. from the
time of first laying the vessels
keel until, with every spar, sail and
item of running gear in it's place, she
strips her ''kellick' and leaves the har-
Dor behind her for the other side of
the world. And even then the Finn
will be found to yield to none in his
knowledge of navigation. Although his
hands may be gnarled and split with
toll and his square. expressionless face
looks as if ''unskilled laborer' were i'm
printed upon it, much difficulty would
be found in the search of a keener or
more correct hand at trigonometrical
problems or a better keeper of that
most useful document, a ships log
book.
Yet to these men by common consent
supernatural status has been assign
ed. Whether among the Latins the
same idea holds is somewhat doubtful.
but certainly in British, American and
Scandinavian vessels Films are always
credited with characteristics which a
century ago would have involved them
in many unpleasantnesses Chiefly
harmless, no doubt, these weird pow
ers, yet when your stolid shipmate is
firmly believed to control the winds so
masterfuly as to supply his favored
friends with a quartering breeze while
all the rest of the surrounding vessels
have a dead mueller" any affection
you may have had for him is seriously
liable to degenerate into fear. 1t is per-
haps hardly necessary to say that from
whatever the original idea of Finnish
necromancy originally arose, a whole
host of legends have grown up, many
of them too trivial to print, some de-
lightfully quaint, others not less orig
inal than lewd, but all evidently CRAFTS
OF fancy upon some parent stock.
Some Curious Beliefs.
Thus, while there is rat in the ship
no Finn was ever known to lose any
thing because it is we'll known that
any rat in the full possession of his
faculties would be only too glad to
wait upon the humblest Finn And
the reason why Firms are always fat
is because they have only to go and