Ripley County democrat., 1918-01-18
]. S. NAVY OPENS
: WAY To CAREER IN
MERCHANT MARINE
TREMENDOUS REVIVAL IN SHIP
PING AFTER WAR MEANS
FORTUNE FOR CAPABLE,
TRAINED YOUNG MEN.
Indications Point to an Era Of oppor-
tunIty Like That Of Golden
cIipper-ship Days--chancs
for Ambitious youths.

Nobody any longer believes the pres
ent war will be a short one, and II
therefore behooves young men who
may be called upon to give their time
to their country for the next few years
to consider the peculiar advantages
the navy offers them as a career. eth
er In the private or public carrying
trade that is coming.
Regardless OF when or where the
war ends, the navy must continue to
be manned. 1t will be bigger and
better navy at the end Of hostilities
than 1t was at the beginning. but II
the safety of every principle for which
we are fighting must be guaranteed It
will have to grow still bigger In the
ensuing years. America has at last
taken her proper place as a great
world power and her ability to hold
that place will depend almost entirely
upon the navy.
But even II one does not expect to
be a naval man all his life he will find
his wartime experience direct step
pingstone to commercial career in
which energetic and capable men will
be In tremendous demand. For vast
field OF opportunity is opening in the
new mercantile marine.
The youth of the present generation
has forgotten the time when the
American flag was actually known In
every port Of the world. That was in
the days Of the old clipper-built sailing
ships which were so superior In speed
and carrying power to the vessels OF
any other country that our commercial
fleet was fairly entitled to be called
Mistress Of the Seas.
Wien Commerce Declined.
The Civil War and the fact that we
weren't ready 10 compete with Europe
in the baldlng OF iron and steel ves-
sells caused US to lose that supremacy.
Our own internal development. was so
RAPID and the demands Of the great
railroad building era tor rlen were SO
great that we didn't care -hluch II We
did lose it. So II came about that up
to three years ago We rahAed below
even small countries In the blue-water
carrying trade.
Now revolutionary situation con-
fronts US. Our internal Development
has been so great that II Is bound to
slow up. We SHALL never again know
such a building boom as that OF the
last halfN century. Europe wlll know
one. for hail Of Europe VIII have tovue
rebuilt. Bat. at &he same time, Europe
will have lost its domination OF the
carrying trade because OF the tremen-
dous wartime destruction OF shipping
and the extraordinary demand Tor la
lor Of all kinds that will bo necessary
to reorganization Of all European in
dustries.
II Is therefore the logical time for
America to seize Its unprecedented op'
portunity. Already every hulk that
can be got to sea is'being snapped up.
Every private yard that can build q
freight-carrying ship is working to full
capacity, new yards are -springing up
everywhere. whole forests and mines
are being drained for material The
next few years will see thousands
upon thousands Of new American ships
put into commission as rapidly as they
can be manned. f
Chance for Navy Men.
BY whom will they be manpedf
Sailors and navigators and captains
and mates cannot be made In day.
and for more than 30 years America
has not been training them In any
thing like adequate force.
But II must be remembered that the
United States navy has the reputation
of producing seamen who are without
superiors In all the world. To what
other source than the navy win pro
vate shipowners look for the men they
viii SO urgently need?
The road to success will be ready
made in this new business for bright.
capable young men from the navy. Al
most any one Of them who Is industri-
GUS. capable and ambitious can expect
to become an officer in the mercantile
marine. Furthermore. It was to the
fact that our ship officers were ex.
pected to be business men and were
permitted to become part owners OF
their own vessels that the old clipper
ship trade was able 10 grab the
worlds business. Those conditions will
come again In the near future.
The future Is therefore secure to
any man who will cast In his lot with
the navy now in its time of greatest
need. II he-wishes to remain in the
service he will have an honorable and
remunerative career open to him. yitn
the certainty that he will be taken
care OF in his old age. whatever mis-
fortunes may occur. II he wishes to
get into the commercial service his
chances to rise In the world win be
unsurpassed
Y Think it over. young man.
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