Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24
CHRISTENING OF NEW BATILESEIP MICHIGAN
RECALLS SIGNIFICANCE OF ANCIENT CUSTOM

are hung upon the masts-the latter to
propitiate the gales. When all is ready,
the captain drinks from jar of wine,
after which he pours the remainder upon
the ships deck, upon the conclusion OF
which formality the sh p is sped into the
water Among the Venetians it was the
practice to we'd their ships TO the Adr.-
attic by casting into the sea a votNe
ring and even recently as 1903. at
the time OF the launching of the SUBJ
marine Glauco at Venice. this ancient
practice was revived. and that vessel was
named without the usual breaking of
bottle of wine upon her bow.
In England the ceremony attending the
cialy prescribed. and clergyman o. the
Church of England off1ciates There is a
choral service. which includes the chant
ing Of verses 23 to 30 of Psalm evil be-
ginning with They that go down to the
sea in ships. occupy their business in
great waters" After this follows a brief
and beautiful prayer comm ting the ship
and all who shall sail in her to the spe-
cial protection of the Almighty. The
naming ceremony. which follows. and
of wine upon the vessels bow, Is of a
strictly sectarian nature. In the case O.
the battleship Hibernia. which was
launched three years ago. the Marchion-
ing ceremony. broke a bottle Of Irish
whisky upon the Hibernia's bow. In this
particular. the Marchioness Of Ormonde
was really reviving an old Scotch and
Irish practice.
Entertaining the Guests.
In those countries 1t used to be the Gus
tom to entertain the chosen guests with
a feast of bread and cheese. after which,
everything being in readiness. the vessel
was named. bottle of whisky was brok-
en- over her bows, and then she was
launched. BY way of added potent a
charm was cast upon the craft by the fol-
lowing verse;
.'Frae rocks and sands
An barren lands
An III mems hands
Keeps free,
Weel DOT. weel in,
WI guede shot"
OF the two ships in the history Of the
American navy that seem to stand for
their respective periods out and above
their sister craft the old Constitution
and the Hartford are most conSpicu-
Gus. The baptism Of the Constitution.
when after two unsuccessful efforts, she
was finally launched. was performed by
Commodore James Sever who broke upon
the ships bow bottle of choice old Ma
deira from the cellar of one Of Bostons
leading merchants When the Hartford
was launched. sixty-one years later, in
1853. her sponsors were three in number.
the third was a naval officer Upon the
Hartford's bow were broken a bottle of
Connecticut river water. bottle OF
water from what was then known as the
Hartford spring, in the city Of Hartford.
and finally bottle of sea water. There
was absolutely no religious significance
in the triple use of water on that oc-
casion. 1t was a compliment to the state
capital, to the gre atest river in the state
and to the element upon which the ship
cases of both of these ships the cere-
mony was merely a tribute to sailor su-
persition. and both the wine and the
water were equally potent in bidding for
fortunes grace.
Temperance Innovation.
In 1898 when the Kentucky ives launched,
an effort was made to give a temperance
significance to the naming ceremony at
purpose the water used was taken from
a spring upon the birthplace OF Abraham
Lincoln. The spirits of Kentuckys de-
parted "colonels." however, found ex.
preston through the gathered multitude.
which chose to protest and to participate in
the old style. Out of that crowd. like
bats from an old barn. were speeded
hundreds of small TASKS of whisky
more or less good old bourbon-and prob
ably no ship was ever launched with
more liberal libations of liquor than was
that particular craft. the battleship Ken
lucky.
Ages ago. when mans bark was Of the
frailest sort his appeal to a higher power
was all the more profound and stricter in
observance But now that ships are
floating towns and no longer dependent
upon the tickle winds or afraid of the
raging sea man seems to have grown
away from the religious spirit Of the
baptismal ceremony of the centuries
passed He seems to deem his handi-
work self sufficient and apart from that
faith which has helped him In their max.
ing Whatever may be the spirit of the
time it must be remembered that
whether he uses wine water he is but
doing so in remembrance of the days
when their presence at the launching of
craft stood for the elements of the
sacrament.