The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-07-16
wARDRooM LIFE ON wARsnIps

WARDR0ON LIFE ON wARSHlPS
e Il Vastly Changed froM what Il
Was In Uncle saa's Navy .
Few Years. Ago. s
Wardroom life aboard American
men-of-war has greatly changed With
the growth Of the new navy. The big
ger ships Of to-day carry more officers
than those of 90 years ago, and the
FASTENED promotion of the last five
years has changed somewhat the char
acter of the personnel in the ward
room. The officer who presides at the
head of the wardroom table is no long.
er grizzled veteran who has eaten
his heart out with 20 years of monot-
onous service in the grades below
lieutenant commander. Bearded en-
signs 80 years of age, and drawing pay
that barely enables them to live, no
longer haunt the ships of the United
States navy. Promotion and command
come earlier, and men who even ten
years ago would have been seated we'll
toward the foot of the wardroom table
now dine in the lone dignity of the
cabin. With the fuller table OF the
wardroom there is more variety OF
character and conversation. and with
greater activity everywhere through:
out the service men have livelier inter-
ests. Old stories are not heard 90 ire
quently. and men do not harden into
set peculiarities of views and manner
as they did when promotion was slow
and duty, from being the same for long
years together, was dull and insipid,
says the New York Times.
Some things remain, however, much
as they were, because tradition is pow
erful in the navy. Chaff? Yes, a good
deal of it as of yore. There is always
some man in the 20 or more who live
in the wardroom keen enough to pene-
trate the most secretive OF his fellows
and discover their lurking weakness.
Once discovered, that weakness is q
proper subject for chaff. The fresh.
ness of ''the young DOCTOR" the indo-
lence of the paymaster. the suscepti'
bility of the junior lieutenant, are SUBJ
jects that furnish unfailing amuse-
ment when conversation runs low. On
the whole the. chaff:of the new navy is
fresher and less monotonous thanthat
of the old, because there is q wider
range of Individual peculiarities. 'gL4ir
The old dicebox still rattles afterthe
wardroom dinner, and the United.
sttaes navy will be reduced to a sad
condition when this innocent source OF
amusement lis banished. 1t passes
from hand to hand as one after another
the occupants OF the table throw for
cigars, and after it has made the seq
ond round, somebody writesaa 'ehit,"
TO be paid at the end of the month,
when themes accounts are squared.
The dice are smooth and yellow with
age. A. dozen admirals have handled
them, and have found solace' in! the
game Of chance that delights the
youngsters of to-day. .iii,i'i ''..ios'' z
| Wardroom hospitality IL Of the old
favor, though perhaps the increased
variety of wardroom life makes the
Elandsman little less welcome as digs
peller Of monotony: It is . singularly
hearty and courteous reception, how
ever, that awhits theiguest In the bow
els of the great from pots In which
American naval officers now 90 to sea.
The presence Of guest always carries
withii it certain privileges. Thenit isi
b matter Of course that the executive;
officer at the head Of the table mods in,
the af1rmative when the request is
made that smoking begpermitted after
dinner Ordinarily the smoking is
done on deck above matches, but
landsman may be supposed to And IT
more agreeable not to leave his seat
at table when the time to smoke ar
rives. There is no hard liquor on the
table, but If the guest is in need Of the
stay that acocktail gives a man before
dinner, the surgeon, who keeps in his
medical stores articles contraband
elsewhere, may prescribe the cocktail,
and perhaps mix it for the visitor
The landsman's breeding Is put toa
pretty test when he becomes guest
aboard ship, and the officers are. quick
to detect the fact that the visitor has
failed to realize that the wardroom is
both drawing-room and dining-room.
and to comportl himself accordingly.
He may not feel any marked GOODNESS
in the attitude Of those with whom he
Is dining, but his individual host Is
likely to hear something, from HIS
messmates that will prevent the reap
pearance. Of the offensive guest. The
visitor who makes no mistakes and has
something to say worth hearing is sure
Of a welcome, and is made to feel that
he is the guest not only Of the officer
who brings him on board, but Of every
denizen Of the wardroom. To the
guest the talk Of the table is likely TO
be fresh and interesting, no matter
how trite it may be to some Of HIS
hosts. Nobody objects to an old story
so long as the guest;seems to relishit,
though after his departure ample re-
venge may be taken upon the offender.