Show play Is quite as characteristic a fellow as when back of a 12 inch gun sending a little pleasantry to a hostila foe bisot that he takes his pleasure seriously quite the contrary but he does put the same vim into it whether in the memorable words of fighting bob evans it s a frolic or a fight whatever he docs the fleet athletic officer aleut S C hooper remarks in summing up the situation he does right it Is athla determination to be satisfied with nothing short ot the best that makes the amer lean sailor such a power to be reckoned with whether afloat or ashore at work or at play in athletics alono the american sailor Is an eipert though many are not aware of the act and a football team made up of jackles Is quite the equal in physique and prowess of the average col lege outfit 0 o nation in the world has deval aped athletics in the navy to the extent we have done and so important does uncle sam consider the development of sports among the enlisted men that now every ship has its specially ap pointed athletic officer to direct amusement to encourage it there Is no need in lh sailors of other nations in foreign ports whether on the china station in the philippines pr elsewhere tho american sailor e m e r g e a arlum but jack has to have the equipment to begin with he must have the spike mil shoes tor baseball and the up to date outfit that with each sport but given that ho is then ready to bestow his whole at on getting there and that lie succeeds beautiful ly every athlete officer aboard ship will you with great pride they will tell ou how the pen un der their command compare probes nally with col lego not only in football but in wrestling rowing boxing or any other sport so to further this specialty there la in the navy a regularly organized fleet athletic commit tee composed of five officers aleut S C hooper of the flagship connecticut la at the head of it this committee exercises a general oversight oer all sports and arranges datha tor regattas and sporting events outside the dally lion in sports there are four distinct seasons ahen jack Is put on his mettle so tar as athletics go they are when the games are pulled off at guantanamo newport bar harbor and boston when the fleet Is together at such times interest ashore Is quite as great as aboard ship if rooters for college games think themselves the acme of infectious enthusiasm it Is because they aaben t seen a navy contest it takes a bunch of jackies effervescing with the excitement of an contest to give the former cards and spades in emotional pyrotechnics for the games are always vigorously contested the various ship s crews being represented on the encouragement their own peculiar fashion As a rule competition in the events Is ellmina alve ahe ships first contesting byl visions in championships placing each other for fleet for the last two years the connecticut team has won the football trophy a wooden football glided it la when the fleet Is in southern waters for aerial target practice that baseball Is particularly enjoyed then says lieutenant hooper baseball par bics tics are landed each day and the games aro as hotly contested as those of the major leagues the men are as rabid tins as those ashore and keep as sharp tabs on the official scores as any landsman each evening about 8 0 clock the scores of the various games in the national and american leagues are sent from the flagship by radio aben it comes to the boat races says the chief athletic officer the sailor Is naturally in his element the races are highly spectacular the course Is usually between the line of ships and as the boats skim over the waters all the men man the rills and cheer their favorite team to the echo for this competition the regular avelie anred service cutter of the navy Is used that Is unless aa happens the men of a special ship get together and buy one of their own such a craft Is generally termed a tailor made boat because of its superior astle and finish the cup pre ended by prince louis for the crew races is most desired and all efforts are bent at winning it A large number of other cups have at various times been put up for corn petition among them one by august belmont money prizes aro offered too and a ship will sometimes win as much as 5 in purses one year the indiana won that sum and the maine 2800 in a event a three mile race which was pulled off in 26 minutes on the came occasion the marines on the indiana won a purse of 3 besides the dutch challenge cup in guantanamo also occurs the final bouts to determine the fleet championships in boxing for this the men train as industriously as though bayr were really the white hopes r of the pro ess lonal class and in spite of the fact that their training facilities aro limited the nivy has turned out some of the best men in the boxing world today I 1 or ex amile there are sailor burka and tom sharkey graduates ot the navy prize flent ers and simmy lightweight champion of the navy who la considered one of the best lightweights in the country either in or out 0 the navy ahe constant change in the personnel of the men says paymaster bowne not only means constant work on tho part ot the officers to mold them into shape but it also means that tancle sam Is just so much richer by every man who leaves the navy after serving his apprenticeship he has just eo many more to call on in case 0 necessity for a man never forgets the A D C of the war game once he learns it so for this reason as well as because it contributes to the health and pleasure of the men nothing they can get in the way of training Is thrown away on them and too the sailor a alte la a pleasant one there Is lots of laird work to ba sure but there Is i lenty to eat a clean to sleep aud a good share of recreation in the matter at athletic as well as in other ways the government does more for its gallois than any other country where will you find it a matter for active aduca alon and concern it la with certainly not in the british navy the superiority ot the american sailors in has been demonstrated often our men are satisfied with but the best they want lo 10 be expert in whatever they underage unde rake therefore they train and are fur nashed with every facility in the way of equipment thy need this Is provided for from the canteen it Is afian ged that the profits of the ships stores can be Ils posed of for this purpose BO ho men lack nothing in the way 0 paraphernalia that will conduce to their success in athletes As an 11 atlon of tha aptness of the amor lean bailor an athletics an ulcer tells this ekpo expo alence of ua when on the china station the llla was stationed at and one day a group of american tailors tried to indaco boma british to join them ift a football game the latter pe erred soccer finally however the Britis hers agreed they play football if our men learn soccer fals was accord own game one of the newest amusements provided for the sailors Is tha moving picture show and this they enjoy hugely the films are rented tor the most part though the navy recently bought a set which air edison took depicting the life 0 the sailor this Is very popular how often exhibitions are given depends on the weather and where the ship happens to be it in port where the men can get ashore there la little need of special recreation but it on a cruise or the weather Is bad then the movies are given two or three exhibitions a week apropos ot this feature capt H B wilson 0 the north dakota Is considering a plan to introduce the pictures soon another innovation which captain allson Is albo responsible for according to paymaster bowne la the setting aside of one of the gun compartments on the ship as a reading and writing room tor the sailors though small it is a great boon to them tor now they can write comfortably at a desk in stead of on their ditty boxes moreover there are provided between thirty and forty magazines with two or three copies each of the dally i apers so the sailors when at leisure can pass tho time reading it they so elect the sailors like dancing adds paymaster bowne and though they may not always taka advantage of the band concerts given every noon and night it a popular air like great big beautiful doll or something teat especially appeals strikes up them to take a turn the impulse around the deck personally jarnas a love of gambling amounts to a passion with mm and at tho big athletic events a considerable sum ot money la apt to change hands but jack confine himself to big events for as one bailor says he beta at the drop of a hat he carries his propensity for wagering to the possible destination of the alp whether ho will have sail or fresh water in which to wash his hammock and a thousand and one things be side you see one of jacks duties Is to give his hammock a thorough scrubbing once a fortnight and sometimes when the that turn salt water into fresh tall to work he bus to use aalt water for the purpose every of jacks day has a correspond ing occupation for him and from reveille when the bugles I 1 cant get em up penetrates to every part of the big battleship until tips la bounded the sailors life Is a busy one first of all jack arises at 6 30 ills first duty Is to turn to and wash down decks and slick up things gen brilly mess gear comes at 7 15 which interpreted means letting down ahe tables tor breakfast then comes pipe down for mess this Is a long drawn note on the boons whistle mess lasts half an hour usually and then fol lows the call for colors quarters prayer and drill and before he knows it jacks morning la gone and it la a quarter to twelve when dinner time has arrived stand by scrub and wash clothes Is the next order from the bo s n and this comes at ten past one this arduous duty over there Is drill until 4 30 when the bosn calls alpo down clothes it dry for meanwhile jacks clothes aro swinging on the line now tho smoking lamp Is lit and for a while jack Is lost in contemplation of the delicious weed lighting the smoking lamp Is one of the picturesque tur esque customs that have come down from the old navy and at this time the men aro privileged to enjoy their pipes and cigars in earlier years the smoking lamp an ordinary copper affair was brought up from below decks at stated intervals during the day and it was the signal to smoke up but while in more recent years the actual operation has been abandoned the term remains |