The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-05

, rooms. For when the sailors Of New
York's shipping come ashore they come
from all the ports OF all the Seven
Seas"-the Swede. Finn, Dane and Nor
wegian. all differing from each other in
politics (for they talk international
politics, these sailors), but all agree In
their hatred of the Russian-men of
swarthy face and bearded lip from Ge-
noa or Oporto; perhaps a swart West
Indian or 1.-THE and wiry Malay or
Kanaka; sailors from Spain or Buenos
Ayres or man from Rio longing for
sight of the sugar loaf and to see
again the palm trees touch the skies
all these. and more. too, make up the
twenty thousand sailors who rest from
the sea every month in the greatest
port IN the New World.
There is, of course, a large number
of Irish English and Scotch: nor is the
Yankee sailor as extinct as is common
ly supposed.
This Swell Yankee Sailor.
One type of your Yankee sailor comes
in, say from Maine, being engaged in
the heavenly trade of coasting." The
captain is person of the first impor-
lance in his own town and his crew is
largely made up of his sons and neph-
ews. or the sons Of his neighbors. When
this sort of sailor comes ashore he
seldom frequents the places where
other sailors congregate. 1.-The boys"
put on their store clothes''-sone of
them have patent leather shoes which
they bought the last time they was
down to Bawston''-and pay a visit to
some theater where. II they keep their
huge rough hands out of sight. thew
may be mistaken for golf PLAYERS or
yachtmen returned from a cruise. ex
cept that their clothes are not exactly
OF the latest cut and are badly in need
OF pressing. There are many other
American sailors. too. not in the
heavenly trade of coasting" among
the monthly twenty thousand. and
these like their brothers. may be seen
IN force In the reading rooms
"A good sample sailors reading room,
is the one at 399 West street. This
place, which opens early and closes
late, seldom has less than 100 sailors
OF all nationalities in II, and the man
'ager says. in talking with a man. IL
Is no uncommon thing to find that h,
Is a member of the Young Mems Chris
nan Association. Fancy that. We whose
Jack ashore" is of the oId-tiy,e ,,arle-
IT,.
Not all sailors ashore patronize the
reading rooms, of course. These are
those who prefer to go to a concert
hall, where they can hear some music
and drink a few glasses of beer or m
VISIT some cheap theater Then thew
return TO their ships, seldom the worse
Tor liquor. Stand in Furman street
brooklyn, some night with the tower
lIls GIFTS OF Columbia Heights above
you and see Jack ashore returning In re-
to his floating home from an outing Of
this sort. The steamers to which thev
are pound are laden with the products
OF Brazil. the shores of the Spanisb
Main, and the lands where the flashing
snrges break upon the coral reefs Of
the Antilles.
The air is heavy with the odor cf raw
sugar and green coffee and a thousand
otner tropical scents. Hardly a sound
Is neard In the long. dim street but the
Iootlalls OF the returning sailors. Now
ana tnen you might see a man whose
walk IS unsteady. and who talks ex-
citeoiy' out there are not many OF them
AS rule they walk quietly in groups
hurrylng aboard, apparently none the
worse for the nights pleasure. The
increased pay which the sailor rats
nowadays has done much to change his
character for the better. He is now
able with economy to send a little
money each time he is paid of 20 a Ut
tie nome across the waves or to start
a little bank account against the Time
When the lass that loves a sailor"
shau be his. Following the sea is not
the old dogs life that 1t was.
Jack, the Slave.
Jack paid off, and living ashore in
ms clearinghouse, used to be the alb
Ject slave of the boarding master who
would keep him until his money was
gone, when he sent him to sea again
twas the old song, Get up, Jack: let
John sit down" Conditions now are
vastly improved, and Jack waits in
ms clearinghouse for a ship as any
other skilled workman would wait for
a job. The boarding master tried to
encourage Jack to drink up his MON
ey as fast as he could and then take
what he had trusted him for ont of
his advance wages when he got a shin.
To-day there are no advanced wages
allowed, and Jack, instead of drink
ing up his money in hurry is rather
inclined to be careful of his currency
While he is without a ship. He likes
10 be able to pick and choose when he
takes to the sea once more, so that
he need not take the first ship the
boarding master told him to.
Boarding masters are not all as per-
feet as they should be to-day, and the
modern Jackey sometimes will forget
his shrewdness. But with the close
supervision which is kept over sailors
boarding houses now, and the many
societies which stand ready to aid the
sailor, the toiler of the sea is ION EASY
street" compared with those of his kind
who lived before him. One society even
will furnish him with free legal advice
If he thinks he is being wronged So
Jack ashore to-day is not the Jack
ashore of tradition, though in all his
essential characteristics he is still a
different being from the man whose
home is on the shore-a being for whom
the oceans were Established
That those who have no pleasure to
serve the Lord by measure
May enter into galleons and serve him
on the sea-