The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-12

churned veil of silver fury, showing
still the calm grey abyss below; that
| has no fury and no voice, but is as a
| grave always open, which the green
signing mounds do but hide for an in
slant as they pass"
Leaning over the rail at the bows one
| can understand what a beautiful idea
was the old figurehead-now, alas! al
most departed from the ocean. 1t was
| the expression of true instinct-tEe
watchful spirit looking out and for
ward over the waters. All old figure
| heads have that eager outward curve
embodiment of the thought of the
| homecoming sailor, always SURPRISING
the speed of his ship. The figure
heads of the OLD sailing-ships were
completely in harmony with the tall
and tapering masts and the wing-like
spread of canvas. Tt is only in the
uncrowded spaces of the sea that the
beauty of sails can be properly under
stood, for then the curves of the sails
repeat and yet break the long line of
that horizon which is itself a curve.
No "star-pointing pyramid in the des-
ert can have the strange significance
of the solitary sail at sea. And be-
cause it grows more rare and more
solitary, because the smoke plumed
funnel and not the raking mast is be-
coming the commonplace of the ocean,
the sight of fuIl-rigged sailing vessel
today has not only an indispensable
grace, but all the pathos of a passing
thing-into the vanished years she is
sailing at such speed as the wind will
give her, beloved by the sea, moulded
slowly by generations of mans skill
and dear-bought knowledge, beautiful
exceedingly because in every line of her
attuned to wind and wave, because
she speaks in all her sturdy timbers of
the triumphant daring which first ven~
tured upon the trackless ocean-high- |
hearted in face of the unknown, VAL |
iantly adventuring in a cockleshell |
The ship IS a symbol and the great |
ciyilizer: she links land to land and |
brings men from far countries into
touch. Her keel follows the sun
around the world. Arctic night and |
tropic morning are alike to her, and |
the circumnavigation of the globe was |
one of the supreme events in the his |
tory of mankind
The ships that sail upon the sea have !
grown and altered from truck to keel |
son. Even the names have changed. |
creyer, or snake? But if ships pass
and change, the sea is unalterable and |
ageless. Nothing in Nature has so |
many moods. One day it is grey and |
lumpy with a sulky internal heave; |
another it is mysterious green, cross
ed by veinings and finger markings of |
foam: and again it will be a radiant |
blue with crests of white that toss a |
veil of flying spray all along the decks. |
Yet with what suddenness fog will dim |
this blue!-and fog is always lowering |
in certain ATTITUDES. 1t is one of the |
strangest things at sea to watch fog
slowly, stealthily closing in the ship,
While the circle of the horizon grows
smaller and the waves stand weirdly
upon the gray curtain
which gradually drops down in silent
sitting folds. Caught in fog, a ship
becomes curiously human; the melan-
choly howl of the fog-horn is like the
cry of a frightened Great ure feeling
her way through unknown though not
danger. The more sea-
men know Of fog the more they hate
it, for its blind helplessness sets all |
their skill at naught. But those who
are not responsible for the navigation
of the vessel may find a haIf-fearful |
satisfaction in leaning over the rail in
the strangest solitude known to man.
Then is the time to recall sea-legends
of Vanderdecken and the albatross
known to the Ancient Mariner. The
pallid white CLEAN of fog forebodes and |
menaces; it makes uncanny disasters
instant probabilities. Hands may not |
grasp it, yet it seems to turn all solid |
things to unrea1ity and ghostliness,-a
few hours of thick fog make one feel |
that fog is the only element, that in it |
man was born and walks his DAYS, and
that befogged he dies
But a fresh strong breeze will drive
away the oppressive presence and once
more bring back the wide horizon that |
sea-trained eyes SO ache for and "the |
sight of salt water unbounded" Once
more the great invigoration returns,
and it is surprisingly good at sea to |
remember that apostrophe of Joseph |
Conrad's: Glamour and the sea! The |
good, strong sea, the salt, bitter sea-