Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-03-23
Parsons Mt Sea.

Church Gazette: have observed that
liant shippers. almost without excep-
ton, have u great dislike to having par
sons aboard. Navy men. owing,sto their
respect for the queens regulations, do not
care TO talk ON the subject. The COM
about discussing the subject. I once
wished one a pleasant voyage. Pleasant
Noyage!" he retorted saNagely. That's
likely, ain't it, when there's three parsons .
shipped and one OF them bishop2" Here
his feelings became too much for him and
he called to the steward to refill the
glasses. ! was not surprised 70 hear that
a cylinder cover blew off in the bay Sit
ting in my club one night a skippergcamo
in. shook him by the hand and hoped
he had had u good voyage. Voyage!
call it that. I've never had such dogs
time in my life. Got two parsons aboard
at Sydney and another at King Georges
did not join at Colombo! Sooner than sail
with five parsons again I'll break an arm
or a leg and put ashore.
But to see the prejudice in all Its glory
one must talk to the masters of ocean
tramps. I have known of one case In
which a skipper feigned serious illness
sooner than take command when ne FOUND
sengers, and two of them ladies' AS it
happened the ship had particularly bad
voyage. and the unlucky missionaries had
more than one very near squeak for their
lives. Once case was quoted to me as
showing great presence OF mind and sea-
manship on the part of the skipper Tho
ship had couple of parsons aboard. and,
as the crew expected, the voyage was dis
astrous.. The msfortunes illuminated In
the decks being J., swept ana ID. three .. r men
who ought to have been below. After this
the weather suddenly abated and the ship
came safe to land. 1 remarked that the
matches '.Ah, replied the old seadog who
told me, "Cap'n S. is a good man. He
talked it over with the mates, and there
seemed nothing else to be done. 80 they
got him up on purpose. Better one man
than a whole company, and the parson
ought to have been prepared, while 1t
warnt in reason that the whole crew
should be-
officers of boats trading to the West
African coast that the prejudice against
on a ship down this coast, and one night.
when chatting with the skipper, he said
that his vessel had never had serious
'7rhe Ship is a beauty" he said, land as
soon as She was launched I foresaw the
necessity of her getting "a: q bad name ,,,n,s
sionary shipped All the other passengers
left at the Canaries. OF course; we had
bad weather and we had a bad voyage.
tipped a wink to the steward who, l
fancy. said a word to the cook. When we
put him ashore he was as thin as her
ring and he made a lot of complaints and
threatened to write to the owners. All
said was that j hoped he would do his
duty to the poor heather as we'll as HAD
done mine to my owners. But. he talked
ashore, and he wrote to his society. and
my ships been avoided like the plague by
parsons ever since, and that's how 1t Is
| have been so lucky.
| On the return voyage, however, as II
| happened, at one port he had to take on
| board lady missionary whose health had
| broken down. The weather. was erynasty
| Thames without any serious disaster.
| Oddly enough, he was compelled to take
| out a couple of parsons the very next
| voyage, and the ship got ashore and be-
\ came a total wreck, no lives, however, be-
| ing lost.
Shippers have told me that, danger.
| apart, parsons are not desirable passen-
| gers. They interfere so much. One told
| me that the wife of one clerical gentle
man insisted on holding little religious
4 conversations with the stewards and the
| crew and giving them tracts till they
| her trying to improve the moral condition
| of the steersman. when he threatened that
if he caught her abaft the funnel again
| he would put her in irons. after which she
stories of parson.c interference told me.
| one man gravely demonstrated with the
skipper for working en- Sunday and
| wanted him TO send all the men aft for a
service. The skipper told him he was
| quite welcome to hold the service, and
hunks or otherwise engaged might go.
Ibid thew I asked. I'D liked to have
seen them he replied griniy. II kept
them too laundering. busy. The parson
waited an hour and half, and as no one
went he gave it up and never.tried again."