Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-25
HYPNOTIZING SAILORS

ri doesn't feel 90 badly over the way he
was shredded OF his gilt buttons. The
duke Is naval officer. and he certainly
must know that to, have his shiny gear
swiped by the shfp-visiting young women
on big occasions of ceremony is part OF the
game. American naval officers certainly
do not expect to have much OF anything
in the way OF personal possessions left
after their ships have been swooped upon
by the girls. They give up easily and read
lily. and take their frisking like little men.
Al q matter Of fact. neither officers nor
men OF an American man-o'-war expect
to have much left In the way of small
gear after the girls have been over the
ship. The girls don't come right out and
ask for things. OF course, but they have
their little ways Of tipping II OF that
they'd like certain souvenirs. and they
rarely fall to go ashore with enough stun
to stock q bumboat.
board an American man-o'-war and likes
she gets. II she could carry away six-inch
rifles, the Officers aft would probably give
them TO her and take their chances on
ment property. The bluetackets Of our
ships are just as generous. Every warship
IN commission, for instance, carries about
nfty times the number OF cap ribbons
changing crews. These extra cap ribbons
are frankly meant for the visiting girls.
They are not ofhcially made for the girls.
put 1t Is quite an understood thing that the
cost the officer OF. bluejacket who draws
them from the paymaster's stores Is cents
each. but II they cost the officer or blue
jacket $lb apiece the girls would very like
~ get them all the same.
Petty officers in our navy are always
shy on rating badges for their watch arms
after their ship has been invaded by the
girls The girl innocently remarks that
guns, or exploding shell. or silver wheel on
the petty oficer's arm is cute or cunnin'
or pretty. She doesn't have to go any
further than that. The petty officer makes
cuts the rating badge of his uniform be-
fore the girls eyes. She gets it, and then
ne has to draw upon the paymaster's stores
for another badge.
buttoned uniforms. often go buttonless for
day or so after ship-visiting day. They
Top the buttons of their blouses for the
girls, and then have to stand by for more
buttons at the paymaster's Office. The
blueJackets will give the girls anything
they happen to possess, or don't happen.
to possess, for that matter.
There was an equipment yeoman on
BOARD q ship that visited the San Diego
flower fiesta a few years ago, who fitted
out the girls he escorted around the ship
with peculiar souvenirs. In his store room
ne had a couple OF hundred old-fashioned
wristirons that had done a lot of duty In
cooling out the Righteousness OF brigged
sailormen. A board Of survey had been
held on these handcufs, which were out OF
date. and they had been condemned It
was the yeoman's business to turn them in
at navy yard store room for junk at the
first opportunity. But he made better use
OF them by giving them to highly apprecia-
tive young women who honored him with
their company on visits about the ship The
girls. of course, tied little ribbons to the
wristirons and valued them highly as i'm
Elements that had been used for the SUBJ
DUNG Of poor sailormen. The skipper OF
the ship had the nervy yeoman at the mast
about his way of distributing government
property. but the man was not punished for
his ofense. extenuated as 1t was by such
generous gallantry.
The officers of American men-o'-war hang
on to the anchors and other ornaments at
tached to the collars of their blouses as
long as possible, but most OF them have to
sooner or later rip them of and hand them
over to the ship-visiting girls who like the
workmanship of the ornaments
The cleverness of American girls in fact
in hypnotizing the sailors of any nation Is
worthy of note. Russian fleet visited New
York harbOr a few years ago, and the New
York girls went aboard the ships of the
czar In droyes. Part of the uniform equip
ment of every Russian naval officer is a
fine dagger. These daggers are beautifully
heavily wrought In gold! There wasn't q
dagger in the whole Russian feet two days
after the New York girls began to visit the
czar's warships. but there were many scores
Of Russian naval daggers hanging from
chains in the rooms of New York girls.
On ship-visiting day In. an American port
barrel of hard tack, standing preached in
man-o'-war alleyway. IL a sight the
navy hard tack is circular in shape, about
four inches in diameter. The girls all get
handful each Of the ships biscuit and
take them ashore to paint ships and sea-
scapes and such like on their corrugated
surfaces.
Another article Of uniform that the blue
Jackets of our navy can't hang on to when
the girls get aboard their ships Is the
neckerchief. The United States bluejacket's
neckerchief is Handsomely woven affair
bluejackets close to $1.50. as drawn from
the paymaster. Nevertheless, there Is q
general loosening of neckerchiefs when the
young women are aboard. and the skipper,
when he inspects his neckerchiefess crew
at quarters on the following morning. be-
fore the men have had time to draw new
neckerchiefs from the paymaster. doesn't
punish the men for being out Of uniform,
but mutters- something to the executive off,
Ger about the power Of beauty.
The bluejackets resign their big knives to
the visiting girls time after time in the
course OF a cruise. They likewise surrender
tfio AiliIc ldHy dTQS "A DlueJdCkcC JUST ABOUT
finishes a fine knife lanyard for himself,
that he has been plating and weaving for
several months to wear with his mastering
uniform for shore visiting, when a girl
from the beach comes along and looks it
away" from him. That's the way the blue
jackets express it-"looks it away from
me-" the idea being that when girl gets
her eyes on any article In the makeup of
man-o'-war's man sheaconverts it to her
own use and enjoyment by that simple
process. When bluejacket hasn't much
left in the way of small gear to dish out to
the young women visitors. he races aft and
gets pound of navy plug tobacco for her.
The girls like to get hold of these big plugs
of tobacco. which they beribbon and pre-
serve, for the navy plug, of rock-line hard
ness. Is an enduring souvenir.
Pruning Trees.
From the Outing Magazine.
II pruning was not done early in the sea-
son. attend to it at once. Do not allow
your trees to waste a large amount of their
energy on the development OF unnecessary
branches. Throw their vitality into those
which are to remain. But do not go at the
work OF pruning until you have looked the
tree over from MI sides and satisfied your-