The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-25
TO DEPART
More Americans in Our Navy.

| During the fifteen years which have
elapsed since the rehabilitation of the
American navy was inaugurated there
| has been as marked change in the
| character of the Yankee man-of-wars-
man as in the character of the ships
he mans. From the tar of the eighties
| to him of the new century there is as
| long a step in advance as from the
obsolete wooden warship of the former
period to the steel fighters of Manila
| Bay and Santiago.
OF the several factors in this change
| of personnel, foremost in Importance
| is the strong Americanism of the pres
ent crews of our warships. Twenty
years ago hardly 20 per cent of our
man of-warsmen We're native born,
and not so per cent, even, naturalized
citizens. Today fully 80 per cent are
American citizens, and nearly 40 per
cent are American born. The enormous
number of aliens in the old navy was
the source of many a gibe, and the
multiplicity of foreign languages and
strong accents heard in the forecastles
of our ships was the cause of frequent
modification to the American officers
and their civilian visitors. Scandlna-
vians were, perhaps, the most numer-
Gus class of aliens followed by Rus
slams, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Span
| iards, Greeks, Italians, Hollanders, and
even kanakas and Malays.
These have steadily given way before
the influx of bright young Americans
who, attracted by the growing popular
] ity of the new navy and solicited by
! the wise efforts of the later recruiting
| officers, have been entering the service
! for some years past. The apprentice
| system, which is limited to American
| T1ol1oh in this 1iTpP-
ton, but, aided by the glorious adver-
| tisement given to the navy by the
! Spanish war, and the chances for eX-
| citing active service offered by the last
! three years the recruiting officers
have recently adopted two new plans
for securing Americans for the navy.
! One of these is the opening of recruit
ing offices in the interior States, and
thus reaching the thousands of young
men who, although having taste for
| seafaring, had not hitherto had an
opportunity for enlisting, owing to
their remoteness from the seaboard
and the receiving ships. The other
plan, somewhat resembling the appren-
tice system, but open to those of more
mature years, is the maintenance OF
number of training ships for lands
men. These ships, with nucleus OF
experienced seamen, are schools for
those who have never been to sea, and
owing not only to the fine facilities
they offer, but to the intelligence oil
the average American and the rapidly
with which he learns, these vessels
have proved highly successful in turn
, ing out periodically large numbers OF
trained recruits for the regular cruis
ing vessels.
AS a result, the forecastles of oul
men now ring with clear Eng
lish language, and the hours of leisur;
: off duty are enlivened by the lates
, forms of American mirth and humor
: ''rag-time" songs, and national melo
= dies generally. Every ship now has it
, baseball and football teams, and tn
: allotments of their pay sent by the mel
, through the paymaster go to Ameri
= can addresses, instead of to Norway
: Finland, Greece, and other foreign
lands.
! With this Americanizing of the crew
f have come many other decided i'm
I provements. The man-of-warsman to
DAY is more respectable, respected an
r self-respecting than twenty years age
? Liberty-breaking is rarer, drunkenness
. is decidedly less, and good behavio
: on shore is now the rule rather tha
the exception. Where, formerly tn
;. greater number of liberty men, the mo
@ ment they left their ship, thronge
: pellmell into the nearest dives, the
now go to the better districts of tn
cities, attending the good theaters. Wis
iting their families and friends-fo
q Jack is not often nowadays the friend
q less waif of the past-and returnin
aboard ship clean, sober, and ready 70
= work.
h Another innovation is the genera
youth of our man of-warsnen. TIL
t average age is not over thirty. Will
, gray heads are now very rare in tn
: service. In the old days. 100, the petit
ofFicers-boatswain mates, coxswain:
quartermasters. gunners mates, etc
were nearly all elderly men, ofte
seemingly chosen for length of servic
rather than for fitness This is not s
: now. The majority of the present pet
ty officers are alert, active, intelligen
y young men, men of mental capacit
/; and zeal. as well as physical activit
and endurance. It is very common {