Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-01-15
(Continued.)
The Policy Of the Pollock


Concerning tie permanent and i'm.
mutable characteristics of ships, the
unhappy man who had never had his
limited range Of vision broadened by
, trip in a sailing ship must Of neces.
sity know little. He probably falls
into the fallacy, common even among
those who follow the sea, that q par.
tial or entire clearance OF her crowd
will quite alter her nature; whereas
sailors being sailors--that Is, people
OF certain fairly definite attributes
any given environment makes them
much the same as those who preceded
them.
But entire changes In the personnel
of q vessel rarely take place. The
officers change, but the crew remains;
the crew goes, but officers stay. Or
more frequently some few men are
favorites Of one or two Of the officers,
and they mingle with the new crew
like yeast, till the ancient fermenta-
ton Is visible once more.
Ships Ito speak thus of their com.
panies) talk Of the same subjects over
a million miles of changing seas; they
have a permanent stock of subjects.
These include all which are perennially
of interest to seafaring men, such as
homes versus boarding houses. but
they include also something more in.
dividual, something more intimately
connected with the essence Of that
particular vessel. And the one un.
ending topic Of interest on board the
Potluck was foreign politics.
How this came about no one knew
though many theories were set afloat
and sunk again every Sunday after
noon. Some said that the first cap
tain Of the Potluck was called Palmer
stone, and that he introduced the sub
ject of England versus the world as
soon as he came on board. Others
swore that they had been told by a
clerk in the employ Of the firm that
there had been discussion over her
very keel concerning the introduction
into her frame of foreign oaks.
This was the way of It," said Jack
Fart, who was the chief upholder of
this particular theory, and the son Of q
little shipbuilder-''the lot that built
her at Liverpool was the mixedest
crowd Of forsaken cranks as ever
handled timber. So the clerk said.
And one had hankerin' for teak and
another for hoax with odd leanin's
now and agin for Hafrican and Portu-
gee and French hoal). and another he
said Cuban Sabicu, and another's
word was 'Hackmatack' and Chestnut
hevery time. So they showed In bits
here and bits there till she was reg
lar junk shop O. samples. And that's
the reason she's q foreign talking
argument ship. And mighty good
reason, too"
The crowd listened In silence.
IF you knew as much about arguin'
as you know (seeminly) about tim
bers as no man ever heerd Of. your
argument might stand" said Macken-
zie, a withered old foc'sle man. But
it amt to reason as the natur' OF the
woods in a ship should make us talk
this way or that. If SO be ship was
built o. teak, dye think we'd talk the
.jildy jow.' you black son Of gun
Mngo?"
Hart shook his head.
mo ship amt never built all Of teak
as ever heerd of, and SO your eyes
out, Mac. But a man with 'arf an
eye could see the knowledge of her
bein' so built might lead right hup to
talk about the stren'ths Of the coun.
tries as well of the vally Of tueir tim.
oers." VII.
"Ss they might" said the almost
convinced crowd. Nov Jack Hart
as the gift, SO to speak. Of seem
through things"
"And once started, who'd stop IT."
asked Jack triumphantly. II knowed
ship as 'ad fresh crowd after fresh