Evening star., 1918-08-11

VERY SHIP HAS ITS PIANO. AND T.
connected with the druggists of the
country.
After his plans for organizing
these schools had been approved at
Washington he concluded to enlist
a trade organization. to which many
of the druggists belong, to recruit
students for them. In connection with
Mr. Louis X. Liggett. another dollar
a-year man. he persuaded the drug
gists all over the United States to
make their stores Individual recruit
ing offices for the merchant marine
The matter was submitted to the drug
to act and have been enrolled in the
employ Of the government for this
purpose at 81 per year. These drug
gists have stores in forty-eight diff
ferent states. including more than
$500 cities and towns. The number
all told. Is three times as many as
that of the recruiting stations of the
Army and Navy. and every station is
given to the government rent free and
with clerk hire for nothing. The drug
gist distributes the posters and litera-
ture of the service to the young men
as they come in with their sweet
hearts for soda water, and he almost
might be said to enlist them while
they wait. Each druggist knows his
own community and tries to get the
most likely boys for the places. After
enrolment he has them examined by
man. and then starts them off to one
Of the government sea training
schools. The men have to pay their
passage way from their homes to the
school, but If they are accepted the
money Ia returned, and il the physical.
examinations shows that they are un-
Mt, they are sent back and the fares
and expenses both ways are paid.
! have just returned from East Bos-
ton, where l visited one of the 1arg-
est of these sea training stations.
There are four ships now at anchor
In that part of the harbor and bum
dreds of the young sailors Of the fu-
ture are living upon them and doing
all sorts of work. The training ships
are coasters of from 5000 to 5000 or
more tons, which have been running
to Portland and Halifax. During my
stay / went from vessel to vessel,
watching the sailors at school and
at work, and talking with the cap
tain-teachers and men concerning
their jobs. The students are fine look
ing rosy-checked, clear-eyed fellows.
They are mostly American born, and
many of them have come from the
families of fishermen along the coast.
X
saw some painting the hulls,
others working at the engines and
others learning to splice ropes and tie
the many knots which the sailor must
know. This training also extends to
working in wire rope. which is now
so largely used on our ships. The
boys have to learn to box the compass
and all about its points and direc-
tions; also the names of the spars.
sails and rigging and all parts of the
ship. Each branch of the work has
it's own special course, which is given
by able seamen who have the ability
to teach and command. Every ten
men have an instructor. Each of the
ships has an old sea captain at its
head, and the boys learn, not only
from the Manual of Sea Training"
little book which has been prepared
for the schools of the merchant ma
rine, but by actual work Of every kind
on the ship. The most of the school
ships go out to sea for Ave days of
each week. and single ship will
often take 500 boys on cruise.
Here, for instance, Is a sample days
work of the men in the ship deck de-
partment:
6 a.m.-All hands tidy room.