The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-05-31

near the water front, in San
francisco, will be interesting.
With the great expansion of the United
States navy there is an increasing de-
mand for sailor boys.
San Franciscos recruiting rendezvous
is Typical of many stations along our At
iantlc and Pacific coats. While the
academy at Annapolis and the war col
lege at Newport train American youths
Tor naval order givers, the recruiting sta
tions procure the Drawn heart and cour-
age that are the nations reliance In DAYS
of struggle. The man behind the gun in
these days of scientific warfare is a per-
son to be reekoned with. =.
ZOO While there is endless red tape about
entering the Offices of the higher authori-
ties of the navy department, the door of
the recruiting office swings wide open.
One goes up unkempt stairs, past paper
signs on the walls: Wanted, Men for
the Navy Of the United States" etc, into
a room in which there are few chairs,
bench and a table Uttered, with papers
and writing material. Very likely there
may be a half-dozen men in the ocffie
sitting about. and always an officer of
the navy, dressed scrupulously in bright
Uniform, There are little rooms leading
off from those for use in examining appli-
cants for Uncle Sans service. ..~.. .
Oh, it is.a very easy thing to get into
the navy, providing you have a good con-
stit:tion, hard muscles and average char
actnr. E.
However, If one has any thinking to do
concerning enlistment in the navy, he
should do it. all before he goes into the
recruiting officers office and signs his
name in any of the blank books. The
moment the recruit puts his sigma ure
there Uncle Samuel does all the thinking
for him. You will do we'll to think as
siduously, my patriotic friend, before you
apply at a naval rendezvous-that is,
while you walk the streets penniless,
while you dig in the ground, work at the
forge, carry brick and mortar or idle at
home on the farm-but when you have
signed Uncle Sans naval rolls, that EN-
ble'natic old gentleman starts your pay
at few cents a day, will feed and house
you and will do all your bordering for
you. -
Among the sturdy young men who came
to enlist in the navy one morning, was a
chap whom we shall call Job Budd-a
happy bright-eyed, short but wel1-built
man of twenty-three years. There were
several applicants for enlistment in the
offices when Joe arrived. He was told to
be seated. Three Of the applicants had
not come up to the physical requirements
Of the service, and with curt, You're
not wanted, SIR by the lieutenant, each
man snatched his hat and went out and
AT length the lieutenant approached Joe
Budd. What do you want to enlist for?"
said the officer.
ITO be seaman; I've served some at
sea-" o..
Where were you born?" 49,.
I'm New York, but I've lived most of
my life in Los Angeles" .-,-EE4&
Can you prove it?" said the officer,
while he looked the lad over and over
Very easily" ~.
Go in=there and take eur--exarnina
ton said, the lieutenant, after a mo-
ment's elaboration. r. .".,s ,s-. ~
Then Joe went into an adjoining depart
ment, where he stripped to the skin, was
weighed, measured, thumped, made to
show his teeth, read letters across, the
room, name colors and let the surgeon
record every identifying mark and certify
that he was up to the unrelenting stand
ard of almost perfect physical manhood
that measures every last man that rides
the sea In man of-War.
When Joe came out another man asked
him rapidly lot Of questions to test his
knowledge Of primary things aboard ship.
whats topgallant m'st?" whats the
opposite of east by south?'A minute of
such questioning and Joe sat down and
reeved purchase and tied strange knots
that bind where the salt spray flies and
then he picked up marlin spike and
that backed up his account of his sea
experiences. s.
A clerk came In from another room with
a bundle Of papers. They were the en-
listmenG papers of the eight men who had
applied for admission to the navy that
morning. Joe Budd's was among them
The lieutenant called out, '"All hands
come to the table" and the eight men
IN the bench went meekly forward, hat
Il hand. In a monotone the clerk per-
lunctorily read aloud the long detailed ar
ticles of agreement between the United
States and the enlisted man in the naval
service. Each NAH listened as seriously
as If to his death sentence. When the
reading finished. the clerk said: "Joseph
,uuu VIII sign nrst. lit your name there.
The lad signed laboriously. ~
Now sign here in this book, and also
IN this book" a. .- vi ar
II didn't get that quite on the line"
rays Budd, alphabetically, as the job end
ed IN the register so full Of ruled coll
lmns. a. 81 IA ~. ~. u.s.
That's all right, .Budd You belong to
Uncle Sam now, and you've got a day's
pay coming to you," says the clerk BE
here at 3 o'clock to go to Mare Island.
And so bunch Of eight defenders were
added to our naval force and so rapid de-
cisive routine of acceptance and reject
nent Of men went on throughout the day.
Seamen and coal passers are quickly
examined and accepted or rejected at the
rendezvous. The navy wants skilled Ia
Dor these days. 1t wants machintsts,
boi1c: makers, blacksrniths, ETC., for the
fighting machine of to-day is big ma
chine shop, supplied with everything but
big shop, machinery. And it wants engi-
neers and firemen as well as seanen and
coal beavers. r. &
An engineer is at the rendezvous to ex-
anime skilled laborers, and when they
pass this and the rigid medical exan:ina-
tions they are sent to Inc shops at Mare
Island for another examination by fore
wants none not masters of trades. OF
course the skilled labor enlisted is all for
ships. The men in the navy yard shops
are merely hired as civilians. &.
The government steamer left for Mars
Island at 4 p. M, and twenty men were
marched from the rendezvous to- board
her, some within an hour after passing
an examination. AT the wharf a middle,
aged little woman had a chance to give
Joe Budd fearful hug. Eighteen hours
later Joe was. trigged out in his uniform
on the, receiving ship at the navy yard
and lined up with a squad of recruits in
front of the drill sergeant.
The next morning Joe was given a suit
of blue clothes, consisting of a shirt Of
jumper, and trousers, two suits Of white
duck oyeralls. two suits OF Hght-blue UNI
.derWear. one knitted cap fer common
wear and a typical, fat-topped sailor car
for shore wear, socks. shoes. q black silk
,necktie, white tape for laeing up the
shirt, a knife, brown canvas leggings for
dress wear, q hammock to sleep in, two
blankets, mattress cover and q clothes
bag. s
For three months Joseph Budd was
drilled thrice day in a thousand and one
movements for developing the seaman e
muscles. his dexterity with cutlass and
birearm. It became tedious after while,
land the other recruits murmured, but
that did no good. The drill master had
heard similar comp aints for years. FL
nally. zoe Budd was transferred to q bats