Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-12

across the Atlantic ocean. and from one
end OF the Mediterranean sea 10 the other,
the objective point of the ship being Al
exandria. Egypt. Friends Of the passen-
gers. crowded the ship until Just before
leaving time and then lined the dock to
catch a last look And so, amid the flut-
tering OF Innumerable handkerchiefs on
ship and on shore. and the reiteration
of "Good-by. good-by, good-by, good-by,"
uEtfl Il sounded like a double battery of
rapid fire gatling guns all turned loose
at the same time, the ship swung out
from the dock. turned her nose seaward
and we were on.
SAILING DAY.
About the same time-some of them at
the same moment-a number of other
ships left their docks and started across
the Atlantic. Among these were the Ger
man ships. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria and
Princess Irene, the Italian ship Duca
d'Aosta, and others, ten altogether, in
Guiding our own good ship. an English
vessel, the Carmania. of the Cunard line.
J. c. Barr. captain. 1t was sailing day
In New York. as some one said: Now
YOU see a procession of all nations" a
sailor remarked 20 me. as the ships came
trailing out of the harbor. one behind
the other-English, German. Italian, etc.
But where was the American? THE
Americans have no merchant marine" I
was told. But why haven't they, or rather
we? For I am still an American. IL I
m on an English vessel. bound for Por-
auguese. Italian and Turkish ports.
There are two answers TO the question.
[. II takes money to build ships. and
while our government has plenty of mon.
y. our congressman are opposed TO vot-
ng subsidies to ships. 2. We do not need
ships especially. We are big enough to
get along without them. Our internal re-
Ill N,,-k-
should be blockaded, we should be able
D exist indefinitely on the products OF
lur own soil. Not so with England. Lo-
.sted on an island, or islands, which are
mall in territory. with only very limit
a extent of cultivatable soil, and much
that is occupied with deer parks and
shooting grounds for the rich, leaving
m amount Of cultivatable land utterly in
.deouate for the needs of her 4O,00O,00
population. surrounded by water on all
sides. she realizes that she must build
ships. not only in the shape of men-of-
war. 10 protect her shores from foreign
invasion, but merchant vessels to bring
food from all parts Of the world to her
citizens. and also the raw products to
her factories. and consequent wealth to
her people.
But with her new possessions, In Ha-
wall. the Philippine islands and Porto
lea should be building ships also to enable
her to communicate commercially and
otherwise with these new possessions
without having to employ foreign vessels
TO do so? IL she has expanded her ter
ritory so as to have become world
power politically. should she not become
a world power commercially? III she can
raise at home more than her people can
eat and wear should she not share the
world.
ueizhbors-for a consideration. of course?
We Americans don't usually do anything
except for some sort OF consideration
And the consideration will help us TO live
a little better at home. and then help
US TO go abroad more and see some>
thing OF our neighbours and how they
are getting along. OF course, they are
not as good as we are. But some OF
them are worth seeing. anyhow. And. be-
sides. II might enable US to expand our
notions a little while we are expanding
our nation.
But we have not yet got out of New
York harbor
CROSSING THE BAR.
steaming slowly out and leaving Cas-
tie Garden. the Statue Of Liberty, the
quarantine station and Fort Hamilton on
our right-I beg pardon. must now
learn TO speak ship language, on our
starboard side, or still more accurately
"abeam" and Brooklyn, Coney Island, on
our port side, about ? p m. we crossed
the bar, discharged our pilot, put ola
full steam, and stood out to sea.
Speaking of crossing the bar, you
have. of course, read Tennyson's swan
song:
Sunset and evening star
And one clear call for me.
And may there be no moaning of the
bar.
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the
boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that, the dark.
And may there be no sadness OF fare
we'll
When ] embark.
For though from out this bourne of
time and place
The tide shall bear me far.
I hope to meet my Pilot face to face,
When / have crossed the bar.
Now that Is livery pretty, lnueeo, pedu-
tiful. But as a matter Of cold fact, you
do not meet your pilot face to face"
or any other way. when you put out to
sea-" but when you come in from sea.
You discharge him when you put out 10
sea- / presume that Tennyson, being an
Englishman. and with his love of the sea,
as evidenced in his poems. must certainly
have known this. Nor do L think that
the expression was a figure OF speech"
or poetic license" ] believe that what
he had in mind was that when he cross
ed the bar of death, he was going 10
sail an unknown sea, the sea of eterni-
ty. that he wanted a pilot on such a
sea TO go with all the way, and hoped
TO meet him face to face at the cross
ing of the bar instead OF seeing him
darkly as heretofore. I think the figure
not only a correct, but a beautiful one
For my part, l feel the need of a pilot
much more out on the open sea than
when in sight of land.
OUR SHIP.
And now that we are on the open sea,
and have left America. and with its
friends and kindred behind us, ii is time
to look around and ind out something
Of the ship which is to bear US across the
ocean, and who are our companions on
the voyage.
Our ship is the Carmania OF the Cunard
line. which, with her sister ship, the