Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-10
How the
Navy Plays

extent Independent Of these things. /
This great and commcndable movement /
for keeping the recruit amused IS com /
paratively new, but the navy has long I
since solved the problem of how TO have !
good time no matter where u -.
For while the sailors days Of leisure i
NAV be spent in London or Paris or Hong |
kong. they as often occur when the ship !
is AT anchor off some coaliug station among /
population of natives, or IN q port /
that il auarantined Hence the navy
has formed the habit Of depending upon
its own resources for diversion. And the
new recruits have quickly caught the
idea.
An old tar looking over roomful OF
| naval reserves remarked Throw
bucketful Of salt water into that room,
and the whole bloc ming lot viii be sea
sick IN n lhfy
GETTING USED To THINGS
And he may have been right at tho
| time But these men not only got used
| TO the ways Of the sad sea waves. but
also TO those of the Jolly men that sail
| them For the navy has a tradition 81
chcerfulncss The happy grin ls ITS
| insignia Tho navy has been decorated
with smile for learning how 70 have
| fun under trying conditions
4 ff IufNfaHbflbdi fifUlifflf ~ iIf baFy
| method of amusing itself is that n ship
load of mon Will include. by the law of
| averages many different kinds nf talent
| This talent is sought ont with Systematic
cnrc developed, and used for all u IS
worth
4 bcllgcrcnt Irish recruit, when asked
| what nc could contribute toward tho
| general JOY fund. replied Il cant dance
and I cant sing. but ! can lick any
Il Il man in the crowd =
lie soon had number of chances r.
| prove his assertion. for boxing IL one of
the navva standard sports. and il has
developed some mon who would show
"a good advantage IN the professional
ring il they chose 10 enter Il
Baseball IS another game that stands
high in the estimation Of the sailor man.
st training station near Washington,
there are a dozen baseball diamonds laid
out side nv side, and all If them are
ept iusv most e the time Here the
naval recruit vith m aptitude for the
national game gets into trim 10 uphold
the honor of has ship against the teams
| from other vessels His athletic nstruc-
ton is as systematic and Thorough rs
that in his profession. for the navy is
ahundautly supplied with athletic d.
rnctors / he lack always knows what il
going on NJ home ~ the world u sport.
too for the wireless summary Of news
that goes ont from Washington every day
- ships and naval stations ~ all parts Of
the world Ineludes the baseball scores.
Rowing IS 2 naval sport which Is more
in inc with the professional duties Of the
participants, but which is nevcrt hcleSs
entered upon IN a sporting spirit When
races between The rival crews Of the big
! eel - q
enthusiasm and strong betting.
LEss STRENUOUS THINGS
Among less strenuous arursr7cnts.
singing holds first place in too navy.
Upon every man-of-war Their arc Il
number Of men who can sing. some who
can play Instruments, and few who do
not attempt one or the other And
amlsc IS an and to work Is well ~ y
means OF passing spare time. When a
ship IS beng coaled the band usually
plays. and the fuel goes oversize in a
!lffy TO the rhythm and swing OF some
tune that every man can sing
QuartetS ara As common in the avv
a. cornet players IN country town.
Wherever twenty-five sailors get together,
a quartet Is IRE 10 be evolved and new
recruits often foIm these important
organizations before they get TO the TAIN
ing stations Not long ago a group OF
naval officers Of high rank we're being
enter tanned and quartet from one of the
vessels formed a part of the program.
The skill OF these singers was surprising
After they had finished a gentleman went
TO the leader, explained that b. had been
in the show business, and wanted 70
know where these men had acquired such
unusual attalnments
w c were IN vaudeville for three years. "
the sailor admitted. we enlisted in a
body
Isn't that ineo" exclaimed the old
Snowman.
"Msvbe 50. said the minstrel-sailor.
but We never worked so hard before in
our lives Once the crew found out what
our business was. they started Us singing,
and We We been singing ever since.
soUSAs SUCCESS.
John Philip Sou,a has been especially
successful IN finding and developing
musical talent among the sailors At
the Great Lakes training station he or
ganIzed a band of three hundred pieces
that is praised by the knowing. and he
now has over thousand naval recruits
on the Lakes organized into bands
The Great Lakes recruits further els
tinguished themselves by staging sailor
! written and sailor-played musical com
edy, which achieved genuine popular
success IN the Chicago theatres, and even
Won words Of praise from the professional
. critics similar show was put on at
. the Century Theatre in New York by
. the men from the Pelham Bay station
II went over with bitf-bang which was
the name OF the play
The navy Seems to be rich in Jazz band
talent, and strangely enough, Boston
the mghbrow city, is especially prolih,
Of jazGers, Tor 1t recently sent out as
! recruiting stunt naval Jazz band that
; literally made the whole country vel
! With delight. 1t played four weeks IL
: vaudeville during the last Liberty Loan
| and wherever it appeared the money sim.
ply poured over the footlights. Its last
appearance was at keiths, in Washing.
ton, d g., during the final week Of the
drive, and il caused such excitement ant
! enthusiasm that this house was able /,
/ set the world high water mark for Libert,
/ | Loan subscriptions received in a theatre
( The value of music In the navy is full,
appreciated 10y its officers One captain
! when asked recently il he could use an,
! more men on his ship, replied .Yol
might send me couple Of ukele le play
! ers, second class.
: Miss Erickson to be Bride.
| NI;re R.,tb Ewinksor Ia,.wLk.- f r