The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-24
A STORY WITH A MORAL.

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get protection as well as certain advan-
tages touching free ports of entry. 1t
was incumbent on him. however, in his
new relations, to do business as cheapiy
as possible: to cut down his working
force. to pay smaller wages and to feel
lcarefuIiy along until he saw what the
business in its new form would stand
| Upon changing his flag and beginning
Ito look about, he observed a battleship
lnear by which was flying the same en-
lsien and had a crew hundred times
larger than his own and some fifty or
sixty officers in handsome uniforms.
Stricken with admiration at the sight,
the skipper of the schooner, who was
also its owner, concluded that he was
not living up to his opportunities. It
few men on deck and sacks of
p1ebeian sugar in the hold when his
schooner might carry the majesty of
empire and compel the awe of nations
TO be, in fact, as much like the battle |
ship as it's size would allow. Full of |
his scheme the skipper went ashore and |
observing a large number, of idle per-
sons on the wharf, whom he recognized |
as men of his new nationality, he
preached the subject which was so
close to his heart One and all COM
mended his plan. They told him that
he could not hope to be recognized as
an Earnest Patriot unless he made his
schooner equal to any battleship under
the flag. Full of enthusiasm and ardor,
the skipper proceeded to get a new set
of Organic Shipping Articles under
which he took on an admiral, a captain.
lieutenant commander, ten Heuten-
ants, a band, a company of marines,
board of admiralty and as large crew
as he could stow away in the hold
where he had formerly carried cargo.
heavy guns and bonded the schooner
for an amount largely in excess of what
it was worth. With this he hoisted sail
and proceeded on his voyage.
The cruise was a long one and much
less business could be done than for
merIy. A little merchandise was taken
aboard here and there but the salary
and wage roll and the extras kept get :
ting the vessel into debt. The board 6
of admiralty was good deal of bur- /
things at intervals and paying itself
whatever was left. Fortunately after
a ninety-day session with the board, q
in which it used up the remaining ]
funds and stole the anchor spare suit
of sails and the chronometer, the skip :
per was able to put it ashore and con- f
tinue on his voyage with the rest of his a
Trade got worse, even deck cargoes :
were scarce, carrying rates fell repairs r
had to. be made and the skipper found c
that Earnest Patriotism paid no bills. t
what to do he called in a
seaman whom he had some II
where picked up and asked for his adj r
vice. The seaman said, pulling his fore
lock politely, What you need is a
Simpler Organization. You had better a
get rid of your admiral, your marine
guard, your band and your admiralty
board and all those other luxuries and
get down to the schooner basis again" +
The skipper thought this might be a II
good idea, but when he consulted his 9
epauletted employees they We're aghast
at his want of Patriotism and accused :
him of trying to Centralize all the pow / =
in hi 20 o1in fI,o- Il
matter they told him he was disgrace S
ing the Flag. What had 1 better do?"
he asked hopelessly. "Do?" was the ),
reply, take on the admiralty board b
again and let them fix it, Cheered by o
the assurance that the board had turn
ed over a new leaf, the skipper steered
for the port where he had left it and
formally invited the members to return
and help him run the ship. They did
so, and although everything in the'lard-
err disappeared between meals the skip :
per was cheered by the thought that he
had decentralized the schooner and was /
at last True Patriot.
OF the rest of his experience little is u.
known. The submerged hull of the :
schooner was found some months after /
wards, floating in the doldrums and I
wild man with long hair and ragged
clothing, who somewhat resembled the
missing skipper, was seen on a lone
some island throwing cocoanuts at
band of apes, whom he persisted in call
ing an admiralty board. AS for the
real hoard tho SI1rviyino Y,,ar,I,are
some of whom reached shore in a jury ]
rugged raft, are reputed to have saved S
enough from the wreck to set them
selves up in a prosperous crap business
The Russians kindly inform the Jap