The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

the navy exacts of every man. He is given a hammock and taught how to sling it, how to lash it neatly and how to handle it. His hammock is his bed and unlashing his hammock is making his bed for the night. All this takes place in well-heated and well-ventilated bar- racks. The dormitories on the upper floors are furnished with hammock hooks just as they are one board ship. When these early,-lessons are learned the re- 'cruit is taught to, swim. There is a fine swimming pool at the station and petty officers are detailed to teach each appren- tice seaman, with the aid of rope and tackle, to look out for himself in the water. It does not take long to make a good swimmer out of the average healthy boy. He is taught how to make knots, how to splice ropes, to make hitches and bow lines, to coil down gear and to make himself a handy man about -the decks. In the summer time he is taught how to handle boats both under sail and under oars. : Having been assigned to a_ battalion other drills begin at once. He is in- structed in the use of. the semaphore (signalling with arms), is given the "wigwag" (signalling with flags), and is taught the use of lights, rockets and cther night signals. He is given a rifle and is taught how to handle it and how to fire it. He is .taught the manual of arms and target practice in a way that cannot: fail to attract him. Many of the movements of the drills are timed to the music of well-known marches and two- steps played by the naval band. After four o'clock in the afternoon the time of the apprentice seaman is his own. This course of instruction lasts four months. At the end of that time the apprentice seaman is examined ard if he qualifies he gets a rating and goes aboard a man ~ of war- with an advance in pay. 'It is to the petty officer that the ap- prentice seaman must look for advice and counsel, as all the petty officers have been "through the mill" themselves. There is no swearing or rough language pesmitted on the part of these petty of- ficers and a petty officer or any. other officer who should raise his hand against, or strike a recruit, would be immediately courtmartialed and dismissed from the navy. The discipline of a seaman's life is the best thing in the world for a boy. Reveille bugle call, is sounded at 5:30 o'clock every morning when alj hands are expected to turn out promptly, ex- cepting men who have been_on watch durirg the night. There is no such thing as taking an extra nap, as the decks must be cleared in fifteen minutes. Then follows early. coffee or cocoa with bread and hard tack, if wanted, with ' smoking for half an hour. Then follows the washing of clothes, each man being "per month. "TAE MARINE REVIEW required to wash his own clothes. At 6:30 o'clock all hands commence to clean the ship. The crew is divided into di- visions, and to each division is assigned a certain portion to clean. This clean- ing is not arduous, as it must be cotn- pleted in time for the men to wash and prepare themselves for breakfast at 7:30. Breakfast lasts from 7:30 to 8:15, dur- ing which time the men may smoke. At 8:30 the sick call is sounded and those who do rot feel well must consult the. medical officer of the ship. From 9:30 to 11:30 the time is devoted to drills with fifteen minute intermissions for rest. These drills consist of great gun drill, infantry ard light artillery, boats under.oag, or sails, signats, collision and general" abandon ship, fire quarters, quarters, clear ship for action and coal- ing ship. "Not all of these drills are done each: day. < From (11:50) to 128i M16 recon hour with dinner and another smoke. At 1:30 afternoon drill com- mences, usually consisting of short talks on. instruction in small arms and great guns. This after- roon drill finishes about 3 P. M., after which the bluejacket's time is his own until the crew is assembled for the cal- isthenic drill which lasts about twenty minutes. This drill consists of certain movements of the arms, legs, and body, designed to develop and harden every muscle. Supper is served at 5:30 o'clock after which the men are free up to 9 o'clock, except at 7:30, when they are required to sling their hammocks. At 9 o'clock the bluejacket must retire unless there is a concert, minstrel-show or some other function in progress. As to emoluments and the opportuni- ties for achieving independent fortune they are certainly superior to those on land. To begin with after four months at the training station © the apprentice seaman is appointed an ordinary seaman on board ship with pay at $19 per month. After one year as ordinary seaman he is advanced to seaman at $24 per month. After reaching. this position he is imme- 'diately eligible as third class petty officer with pay at $30 per month. After one year as third class officer he is eligible to the grade of second class petty officer with pay at $35 and $40 per month. After a year as second class petty officer he is qualified to be promoted as first class petty officer with pay at, $45 or $50 After a year as first class petty officer he is in line for promotion to chief petty officer who, after serving one year creditably, is eligible to perma- nent assignment at $70 per month. This permanent appointment is issued by the navy department and is irrevocable ex- cept by courtmartial. A chief petty off- cer who has been in the navy seven years is qualified to advance to the rank _ moted through the vdrious setting and firing oe ADRS of warrant offiese at $1,200 to 82, 100 per annum. From warrant aie bess may be pro- ranks of commissioned officer, but it should be stated that commissioned officers are usually graduates of Annapolis - and while many enlisted men have succeeded in becoming commissioned officers after diligent application, the department does not wish to convey the impression that an enlisted man can rise with ease from an apprentice seaman to commissioned rank. There are many chances of pro-_ -motion, however, to the grades of petty ard warrant officer. In fact a man is not compelled to wait untjl there is a _ petty officer vacancy on a ship. If he is qualified to be a petty officer he will be promoted and transferred to some other ship where there is a vacancy. It might be stated that there are always vacancies in -the petty officer and warrant grades. Not since the Spanish war have all the 'offices in these grades been filled. No man can enter the navy and° remain a. seaman. No man can stay in the navy more than three years or, at the outside six years, without being promoted to petty officer. Of the 33,000 men in the 'navy over 9,000 of them are petty of- ficers. After twenty years' service ad man o' fe 'i . . . ' warsman, if physically disqualified, may retire on one-half the pay and allow- ances he is receiving at the time he. re- tires, and after thirty years' may retire.on three-fourths of the pay and allowances he is receiving at the time he retires. It is not necessary that the service be continuous. Time served during a period of war is counted as double time. There is a government savings bank on each ship where the men may deposit their money and receive 4 per cent interest on it. Consider, therefore, the financial ad- vantages. A boy entering at eighteen reaches the rank of petty officer in four years, and chief petty officer in eight years. Anyone can reach this rank. Suppose he saves only half his pay and at the end of his thirtieth year wants to retire. He would then be only forty- eight years of age. He would have for tle balance of his life a fixed pension of $96.94 per month or $1,163.28 per year. In addition to this 'there would be on deposit in his favor $23,923 in the gov- ernment savings bank, which he can readily invest at 4% per. cent to bring him an income of over $1,000 per annum. He is thus assured for the balance of his days of a fixed income of over $2,000 a year. And to do this he only needs to save one-half his pay during his period of service. Men in business may have dreams of greater success, but they are only dreams. The percentage of men who at the age of forty-eight have ac- service he ~ =N. tY