The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-28
A CHRISTIAN NAVY.
Says Hobson of the Merrimac,


 Captain Hobson last evening at the
 First Methodist church, where he de-
 livered short address at the night service The large auditorium was packed almost to suffocation, every inch of available space being filled as at the afternoon service. Then, however, all in the audience were men, while last night ladies were in the majority
 The building will seat comfortably about fifteen hundred, but there were not less than two thousand persons present last night The regular even ing service preceded the address by Captain Hobson.
 Captain Hobson arrived about eight o'clock, some time after the services had begun, He was accompanied by General J. c. J. Williams and Mrs. T. s. Webb, with whom he had dined last evening. He was recognized soon after he had entered the church, and as he advanced to the pulpit he was greeted with applause and the "Chautauqua sa- lute," the waving of white handker- chiefs, this being led by Rev. Charles M. Hall the pastor MT. Hall intro duced Captain Hobson almost immedi- ately, and he stepped to the front of the platform, speaking in part as fol- l lows:
 1 Tt seems rather a strange thing to me to take a text for any remarks that I may make, and I will merely say that tonight I will take as the words of scripture upon which I will base what I shall say, these: For they that go down to the sea in ships, see the won ders of the deep
 | You my friends, I take it, in com mon with all people who live far inland have an erroneous idea of the person. nel of the American navy. Many peo- pie, although they have been taught the fact, have also forgotten that over three-fourths of the surface of the earth is covered by water. On all this great eXpanse of lake, river and ocean, there is a system of life, distinct from that lived ashore, where men live, do their allotted daily tasks and make their life records. as you do ashore. l belohs to one branch of this great life, and I want to tell you this evening something about the men who compose the United States navy.
 First, I want to impress upon you the fact that the navy of our country is Christian navy. The impression that the average person has of the American sailor that of 9 swaggering tar, with oaths on his lips, whether ahoat or ashore. is entirely erroneous. The men of the American navy are nrIyt AI nNA patriotic just as are the highest type of citizens whom you know.
 T wish you could be present on any ship of the navy and hear the regu- lations read on the first Sunday in eve ry month, with all the men in full dress, The regulations provide that re- hsious services must be conducted ev- cry Sunday by the chaplain if there be one on board, if not by the captain or officer in command. There are only | twenty-four chaplains in the navy, 1 but there is one with every large ship, | and one more with every squadron, so that all the men are enabled to have | the services of regularly ordained | minister on almost any occasion.
 T wish you could visit with me the | lit tie chapel at the naval academy at | Annapolis There, on tablets, or on | memorial windows, are inscribed the | names of our immortal heroes, so that their names are associated in our minds | with the temple of worship.
 You should be in harbor at some | time when a naval squadron is there, and hear the bells slowly ringing for the gathering. of religious worship, and see the men assembling on the spar deck, if the weather is fine, or on the gun deck if stormy. Then you would see the flag slowly coming down from the peak and the white banner of the cross ascending in it's place, the na- tional emblem following 1t up the staff.
 The national flag has never waved that shall rest above the glorious stars and stripes, and no flag on earth shall | ever fly above it! (Applause) But | the white banner of the cross does fly above the stars and stripes on every ship of the navy while religious ser vices are in progress, and rightly so, for it is over all
 You have all read of Captain Philip of the Texas. I l1now who served with him as midshipmen and others who were with him later, and I had myself the honor of his friendship. I wish you could have been on the Texas that glo- rious day of July g. at Santiago, after the Spanish squadron had been sunk or destroyed and heard Captain Philip say, as his men began cheering for the victory, Don't cheer, boys! The poor 'ellows over there are dying And af- .er that, while the battle smoke still lung thickly in the air. the bells rung, the entire crew in rel- sious worship, and there with uncov- ,red heads, they listened to their cap ain giving praise and thanks to the 1od of battles for the victory that had )een won. That is sufficient proof of ny assertion that our navy is Chris ian navy. ."-Knoxville Journal and Tribune.
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