The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-19

pare favorably with that of the Off
GERS, who were once protected boys
and whose duties and ethics now re-
quire that they be a little more bru-
tai, cynical and prOfane than are the
men IN the forecastle. Another, and a
very excellent and honest reason for
giving the boys a room by themselves.
is that a tradition of seafaring, dat
ing from antiquity, and similar to the
Tag system of English schools, makes
1t incumbent on the WeakIingS in the
forecastle to do the mental work
IN the watch-below. This is customary
in the ships of all nations, where a
boy or ordinary seaman is in the fore
castle; he cleans up, fills the lamp,
brings the meals from the galley, and
often washes clothes for others when
he ought to be asleep. 1t does him no
good, and English shipowners were the
hrst TO recognize it-American owners
1olloWlng suit IN the construction of the
crews quarters, but without adopting
the excellent apprentice system which
makes it possible for an English gen
tleman's SON. to become a ships Off
Ger and remain gentleman.
But, though a boy in an American
snip is immune from i'll treatment in
the watch below-eXcept from the in
eYltable bully of the boys rOOm-he re-
work he is usually of an adventurous
disposition or he would not be on board
ship-and has obtained the berth
through the influence of family friends
or relatives. He is very often a close
student of the cheap nautical literature
which tells of 1.-The Boy Captain - THE
Boy MutineerS,' 1.-The Boy Private"
and such heroes, and goes on board
with great many things to unlearn
| before his mind will be in condition to
receive and assimilate facts. He NAV
know in a general way the names of
the maSts, some of the sails and ropes.
and few of the ships appurtenances.
but he finds the knowledge of little
availsagainst his colossal ignorance of
what is required of him, and until he
learns, through cursings and bitter OBJ
Jurgations, how to keep out of his own
and the officers way, his life on deck is
| miserable. He is not even available for
! running errands, for he does not recog-
nize the names of things he is sent for.
even when properly enunciated. How
/ can he, when no nautical dictionary
/ contains a half. of the nouns and
/ phrases in common use at sea? What
/ can he make of this, roared at him at
! six feet distant: Hare, you, bo-o-y.
4 GWan down to the lazer-hat n over m
/ the wing ye'll find an caring. Bring it
/ up" The order is ineligible only to a
! sailor-who knows that the lazerette is
down aft abaft the cabin truck; that
over n the wing" is over toward the
ships side, and that an caring" is a
4 fathom or two of strong rope with an
eye spliced in one end. used for reef
ing and for 'gill-guys."
But the boy starts off for some in
/ definite place. with a hazy idea of ear
/ x4-ir, haf 4
| by the officers pronunciation and must
come back, tremblingly for instruction.
And what must he bring, when sent for
''bumpStone," TO assist in securing
] patchwork, until he has learned that
pumice-stone is wanted.
While he is learning names and
/ nouns, he is also learning to work
/ properly to place his hands on a rope
! in pulling; how to hold slack when the
men do all the pulling; to scour brass
work; to strike the bell without risk of
| being called sexton, and-this of the
| first and last importance-to answer
quickly when spoken to. Unless the
officers are unusually considerate of his
beWilderment he is sent aloft with the
men when sail is ShOrtened-nOt to help
for he. is uselesS-tO learn the fell of
swaying foOt-rOpe, and the method Of
furling and reefng. Later, about the
time the trades are reached, he is
earnestly and forcifully instructed in
advance and sent up 70 loose and furl
the mizzen royal. and this becomes his
special task
Since much of the repair and con-
structive work aboard ship can only be
done in fine weather, all hands are kept
at work in the afternoon, while the ship
is in trade-wind waters, setting up
rafting down and tarring rigging
scraping and painting masts and
blocks. and doing other work at which
boy is nearly useless; so he is now
taugt to steer. An intelligent boy, in
telligently tutored, may learn the COM
pass in a few lessons; but steering a
big ship with a wheel higher than his
head is hard work for him, and many a
dressing down does he receive before
he can keep the lubbers' point on the