Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-20
WITHOUT NAVAL FORM
Surrenders Characteristic of
America, England, France.
TRADITIONS THAT DIE HARD
How the Admiral Came to Command a
Press Bureau.
USEFULNESS OF MARINE CORPS
No Talk Since Spanish War of Abol-
ishing Department That Ante
dates the Navy.
TRADITIONS THAT DIE HARD
USEFULNESS OF MARINE CORPS
Written for The Star.

Written for The Star.
Some one started the after-dinner talk
around the wardroom table this night by
a remark concerning the conservatism of
the naval service and the persistence of
customs. names and traditions therein, at
which remark thus discoursed the first
lieutenant:
oh. yes; traditions and customs die hard
| In the navy. Why pike drill only went out
with the building of the new fleet. Twenty
years ago and less the wooden ships we
always had pike drill. and the pikes-regu-
lar old-fashioned pixies with iron shod
| heads, such as the infantry at Agincourt
bore, only shorter-stood in rack on the
gun deck.
Certain OF our petty officers are still Of
| ficially known as yeomen, as they were YER
liable yeomen IN the days of Drake, and it
| is only few years ago that what are now
| junior Heutenants were known as masters,
| that title -being, as l take it., a survival
| from the days when soldiers and politicians
| and even clergymen were sent to sea as
officers and had to have sailing master on
board-a master mariner-to supply the sea-
manship.
1.-The ships policeman is still known as
| master-at-arms, as he was in the days of
! old. His rank may have been created as a
| grade below that of knight-at-arms, and
| the sailors call him Jimmy Legs just as
| they have since he first put leg irons on
| an unruly mariner.
| Then there is the 'Jack-o -the-Dust' a
regular official title to this day for the
| lowest of the paymaster's staff, and a title
| which has attached to that position in the
| English and American navies from time i'm
| memorial. We still play The Roast Beef of
Old England and The Muffin Man is IA
| vorite tattoo.
"All this and more we have inherited
| from the British navy. We kept up the
| pike drill after the British had abandoned
1t, and. altogether, think we are the more
conservative of the two services, and cling
| harder to the old things
Respect for Flag.
yet there is one English CUSTOM" spoke
| up a lieutenant, which I wish we had
| preserved in our. navy and which we have
| not, and that is the manner of treating the
| flag when 1t is lowered. When the white
ensign on board British man-of-war
! comes down at night four flag boys stand
ready to receive it and fold 1t up-it is never
| allowed to touch the deck. This custom is
| much more impressive than ours. of letting
the flag fall to the deck to be rolled up and
put in the locker in a matter-of-fact way"
| "Oh, well" remarked the paymaster,
| have a kindly feeling for the British navy,
| but British navai writer's make me rather
weary picked up little volume of naval
| anecdotes-a British publica tion-the other
day and found in it the following astound-
ing yarn:
Boston. in America, walking the streets on
| Sunday, was taken up by the saints there
| and put in the stocks. This 1ndignity he
| submitted to without any apparent uneasi-
| ness; but on the day he meant to sail for
| England he sent cards to the mayor and
aldermen to dine On board his majestys
| ship; and after dinner he called all hands
| and ordered the boatswain to give them
| (the mayor and aldermen) a dozen a piece
| Of lashes, which they submitted to, re-
| sistance would have been vain. Now, gen.
/ tlemen," said the noble admiral. ''adieu.
could not resist the inclination to give you
my Rowland for your Oliver
| Now, what do you think of that for his
| tory? This book is a modern publication ap-
parently, but the date of the remarkable
occurrence referred to is not given. 1t would
| be interesting to know just when this fog
| ging of the mayor and aldermen of the good
town of Boston, on board British man-of-
war, took place."
| British Officers Fair.
| WELL" said the doctor. that yarn is not
| more surprising than some of the state
| ments made by. James in his history of the
| British navy when he discusses the defeat
Of the kings ships by the Yankee men-of-
| war. British naval officers are fairer than
British writer's. There is something In the
handling of those ships. said Nelson,
watching the sailing of fleet Of American
| men-of-war in the Mediterranean, that has
| in 1t a nucleus Of trouble for the navy of
| Britain And does not Michael Scot, who,
as British naval officer had some expert
ence of the fighting powers of the American
| sailors say In his Tom Cringle's Log 1 do
| not like Americans do not want to talk
| with them nor eat with them butt say it
| frankly-neither do l want to fight with
] Them and he emphasizes the fact that he
4 makes fatal mistake who undertakes the
prowess Of the Americans on the sea-
| Speaking of writers and officers inter-
| jected the navigator. "a man may be both
| like our own Mahan."
| Yes" retorted the first lieutenant. "but
did you ever hear the story of Mahan's last
| cruise as captain of Admiral Erbens flag
ship?
You can imagine how the scholarly Ma
| hand and the bluff old sea-dog Erben would
| hit 1t off together. They got along of course,
| but reckon they did not very thoroughly
| understand each other. They say that, one
| day, when the flagship was lying in the
| Thames and the admiral was taking his
constitutional on the quarterback, a boat
| load Of Oxford dons, bespectacled and be-
hooded, came alongside bearing some degree
| or other to Capt. Mahan. The old man
watched the bullying -browed ones come over
| the side and file solemny into the captains
| cabin. Then he summoned the officer to the
| deck.
What sort of a crowd is that? de-
manded he; who are they?
50 Professors from Oxford to see Capt.
| Mahan,' replied the officer of the deck.
The admiral grew apoplectic.
Professors from Oxford, hey"
Yes, SIR rejoined the officer, and some
| very distinguished authors
''This is too much the admiral explod-
| ed. Professors. authors. Here 1 am, been
| at sea, man and boy, for forty-hve years.
and now in my old age. in command Of a
| blank-blanked press bureau!'"
Spoke Slightingly.
"Ahem," said the first lieutenant, II was
| about to remark when you sent the con-
| versation about on another tack, that my
! grandfather was an officer of the old line
| of battleship Ohio In the early 40's when
| she was carrying the flag of Commodore
| Hull the hero of the Constitution-Guer-
| riere fight
| while the Constitution was lying in the
| harbor of Libson one of her officers a lieu
| tenant, attended a dinner board the
| British flagship which was also lying there.
| Some remark being made about Hull and
| his great victory over the Guerrero. this
| lieutenant belittled the victory and spoke
| slightingly of Hull. Several of the British
| officers at once declared that they were