Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-27

The most convincing lecture OF ieS-
son on morals is the one delivered py
an immoral, or immoral, person.
learned this early in life, when, with
a crowd Of other youngsters, was
trying to drown a half-grown puppy.
We would have succeeded; but along
came a tramp-a ragged, dirty, black
bearded derelict-who watched us
moment, then gave utterance to VII
famous flood of billingsgate. can
not write down the names he called
us, nor the adjectives with which he
qualified the names; but his conclud-
ing speech, expurgated, ran something
like this: ANY man or boy who will
illtreat a dumb and defenseless ami
NAL that can't talk back and explain
matters, is mean, that's ADJUST
mean. He's mean enough to steal the
cross off the donkey's back"
Then, still storming at us, he reeled
on his way, while we rescued the half
dead creature and nursed it back to
life. Later, we found 1t a home, and
became an unorganized, unofficial
Humane Society. We lied, stole,
tickled the devil and played truant as
before, but were a menace to other
BOYS who, with the savagery OF chill
dren, found pleasure in cruelty. The
tramp's anger and disgust had done
more for us than the behests Of faith
er, mother or Sunday school teach
er.
With pity for dumb brutes my one
moral quality, grew UP and went to
sea, where morals are not taught
where nothing is taught or acquired
but seamanship, navigation, and an
iron clad stamina and endurance.
These attributes came to me in time,
as well as a mates certificate; but In
all else 1 remained at standstill, or
went backward. Sailors are children,
II is said, and like all sailors, even
when I breathed aft, I grumbled,
quarreled, swore and drank, with no
restraining influence or principle to
curb me, until received my second
lesson in morals-or ethics, If you
like and this time from man l
despised as heartily as I might have
despised the tramp had he not i'm
pressed me. Afterward ! received
other tutelage, and finally became the
civilized commander Of a passenger
steamship; but my later development
has no place in this story, which Is
concerned only with that second lee
ture and the events which followed
events that made me a teetotaler for
life.
This lecture came from Bill Ed
wards who, as second mate or my
first ship, had kicked me off the poop
and hazed me for the whole voyage
because had dared raise my voice in
boyish protest at his "spritsail-yard-
ing" of a shark that he had caught
with q line and pulled aboard. l
lacked the vocabulary and the super
iority in size and strength possessed by
the tramp, so my protest was ignor-
ed, and the shark, alive and unin-
jured, went overheard with small
spar lashed athwart is mouth, to die
of starvation. Later, however, nav
ing attained my growth, strength and
chest measurement, met EDWARDS
in a Rangoon boarding house, and
thrashed him within an inch OF his
life. Then we had gone our sepa. dte
ways-he to the hospital, to jail
not to meet again until Frisco Frank,
a Honolulu boarding master, having
taken my last cent for bed, board and
bar, turned me out without my dun
mage, without another boarding house
to take me in, and without a ship In
port to sign me. 1t was then, sitting
on a strange piece Of the wharf, star
ing at the water with aching eyes
while I nursed an aching head, that
Edwards approached from behind me
and, STOPPING over my shoulder, peer
ed into my face.
Its you, Jack" he said. not un-
kindly. Heard you were in port;
but what's the matter? Lost your
mother?"
ION the beach," I answered, bit
terly. 1 did not welcome his pres
ence, but in my extremity 1 would
have talked with a coolie. Fired
out when I'd blown my last cent; and
his bill was big enough to give him
an excuse to hold my clothes"
Frisco Frank, hey! He can't hold
a sailors clothes. Don't you know
that?"
Yes, but 1 don't care TO fall back
on sailors rights. I've had papers too
long," 1 sneered ill-natured.
"You came in first mate Of the
Century, hear. Discharged"
Quit, If it's any Of your business,
I answered, savagely. Didn't like
her."
ooh, don't get wrathy! I'm not
looking for scraps, for I know you
can lick me. But I'm older than you
and never having held any grudge,
feel like telling you something. You
didn't quit that big ship because you
didn't like her. You had good
berth, a good skipper, and good pros
pects What you quit for was a run
ashore, and big drunk. You've had
them, and now you are paying"
You're a fine preacher" I rejoin'
ed.
I'm not preaching-that is, about
right and wrong. It's the damn foolish
ness of it. I've been called all kinds
of a scoundrel; but no man ever
called me a fool, even though I car
just write my name and can't read II
in print. No man ever saw me drunk
In all my life 1 never spent as much
as a dollar over a bar. I know the
taste of the stuff and don't like 1t
Do you like it?"
NO" I answered, obviously. Can
say that I do. It's the stimulation
like"
Dutch courage that lasts about
fifteen minutes, then needs replen'
ishing. Then you're sleepy or quar-
relsome, according to your liver-ir
ot.La. oo.o In 5appar of rOhhery M