The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-15

washington, january If, 19Oo.-In ne discussion of measures for the revival of the American merchant marine has incidentally revealed the fact that the American boy has not lost the spirit of adventure and the love for calling which would take him to distant parts of the world and give him a chance to show his courage and enterprise. Men who are familiar with shipping matters have recently received letters from all eparts of the country asking how young Americans may fit themselves for ser vice in the merchant marine. but just now 1t is impossible to give the wri- ters of these letters much encouraging advice. for American ships today car ry less than nine per cent, of the coun- try's foreign commerce, a proportion in striking contrast to that which obtain ed during the first three quarters of the last century. With the disappear ance of American ships from the seas there has been lost the opportunity for merly enjoyed by young Americans to enter upon an honorable and lucrative career, and this is a matter which Is likely to receive a good deal of atten- tion. during the discussion of the gen. eral subject.
 Tn the palmy days of the clipper ships, the merchants marine was lar gely managed by young men. Vessels were explained by youths who had scarce attained their majority but they carried the flag to all parts of the world. It was then the ambition or boys born in the coast town to walk the quarter deck and in their estima- tion at least the captain of an Ameri- can deep water vessel was as great mower as an Admiral of the Blue. Tn those early days to every captain there was open the prospect of retiring from the sea with a competence sufficient to establish trading house of his own. The successful sailor of 30 was often the wealthy merchant of 50 and even IT he remained at sea he was usually able to leave his family a comfortable sum when he died. At the beginning of the 18th century William Sturgis shipped al IT before the mast; two years later he was captain and manager in the China trade and at 20 he had left the sea to establish his great firm which con- trolled half the trade with China Captains in those days were something more than the pilots of deep sea fer ryboat. Where there were no tele- graph lines, no cables, no railroads and but few letters. the master of trading vessel was as much of a merchant as ne was of a sailor and to him the finan- ciai fortunes of the owner were en- trusted as well as the ship and the lives of his crew.
 A good captain" said William Gray, a Boston merchant who owned fleet of sixty ships. twill sail with load of fish to the West Indies, hang ing up his stocking in the cabin on arriving, putting therein dollars as he sells fish and paying out when he buys rum, moiasses, and hand in the stocking on his return in full of all accounts" With such a system it was necessary to trust the captain and to provide liberally for his welfare. It was na- tural outgrowth of these / conditions that on every voyage the captain had either a portion of the hold given to him in which to store his own goods or else received a share in the owners profits. These were great. The trade was growing, the demand for men con- tinually increasing and promotion rap- i'd. New England boys went to sea in their teens and when 21 were often masters and part owners Of valuable ships. Nathaniel Silsbee, who was afterwards United States senator from Massacusetts, was master of an East Indiaman before he was 20.
 Under such conditions the merchant marine was to New England in the lat ter part of the 18th and the earller years of the 18th century what Wall Street Is to New York today The sons of the great shipping merchants began life on their fathers ships. some- times as supercargoes and not infre- quently as common seamen. In gen. eral, however, they served as appren- tices, known in the slang of those days as ships cousins and were re- garded as brevet officers Naturally they were spared some of the ordinary drudgery of the sailors life. but their training In seamanshfp was as thorough and practical as that of the toughest sailor before the mast The Puritan ism of New England was not infre- quentIy carried on board ship. Nath- aniel Ames, a Harvard graduate, has recorded the fact that on the fist ves- sel on which he served. every fo'castle hand was obliged to bring certificate of good moral character from the cler- gyman whose church he had attended last.
 With the establishment of fast pack ct lines and the growth of the rich trade with China there was developed new aristocracy of the sea which rapidly supplanted the old-time mer- chant captain. The master of the packet or the China clipper was now the highest dignitary of the marine service and his ship was the wonder of all other nations. It was not uncom- mon for a first-class packet to reach
  to fifteen days and on the China ser vice equal speed and efficiency were maintained. The Yankee skipper was feared and worshipped by his crew and admired by European seamen for his ship and for his seamanship. F. T. Bullen has drawn a vivid picture of this despot of the sea, striding up and down his quarterback in spouess white flannels ruling his ship with rod of Iron and possessed by perfect rage for discipline and cleanliness. Bullen records an instance of one cap tain who made a practice of taking down a saucepan from the cooks gal ley and wipIng 1t out with a, white handkerchief. If the handkerchief bore any traces of dust or grease the cook heard from the skipper in nh mild way Another captain was ac- customed to put his handkerchief on the end of stick and then poke the stick into every corner or crevice of the carved wood work of the saloon. Dust upon the end of the stick meant a stormy day for the saloon steward
 While in America, the deep sea trade no longer offers opportunity for the ex- ercise of the talents of ambitious young men, the great maritime nations are adopting new means for training of-