Show i i PEN PICTURE OF THE I I I i I BY BT MORGAN MORG ROBERTSON Author Autor of at Spun Yarn Yar Where An Angels A Angels I gels Fear to Tread Trad Etc Copyright 1900 19 by Morgan orn Robertson Roberton The American shipmaster is invariably bly an American a good go fellow on onshore onshore onshore shore wit with a magnetic personality that thatis tat wins him admiration and respect He HeIs Heis is usually of splendid physique with a humorous twinkle in his eye a vibrant voice that he uses ues habitually alb and a good Rood stock of yarns ars which he e re retails r retails tails for the te benefit of ot envious and milder mannered landsmen ladsen He pos possesses possesses os a confidence in himself he is I a seaman a navigator sufficient unto his hi needs and is cred ered c I I I w f F The Te Captain Capt with wit courage cour e a and d determination to overawe the tle most discontented and ad rebellious of sailors He is a force fore for civilization as it is isnow a now non progressing and a necessary ad adjunct adjunct adjunct I to the advancement of American commerce Yet Yet aside from the tem tern temporary of this thi commee the loss to his family fan and the te injury iju P to his feelings no great gat harm har would be done the world if i a large lar majority of him were withdrawn from it at the end of a a rope and if i the te other end of the rone rD could attach to his own yard yardarm yardarm arm much good would come of the spectacle ce in the deterrent effect on the te first rt mate mate who would observe and eventually succeed him And Ad if from the opposite yard a arm could also de depend depend depend pend this first frt mate the te moral morl lesson on the fully as a brutal but less finished skillful magnetic confident second mate would be doubled A second s cond mate taken in time and intelligently treated may be saved saved It I is the older dogs dog who can cn not learn lear new neW tricks But But let no reasoning reader assume from these tese strictures that tat the te Amen Ameri American can shipmaster the man ma who habit habitually habitually robs and maltreats maltat and occasion occasionally occasionally ally aly starves ste and murders murder the unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate nate men committed to his hi care ce by bythe b bythe the law is personally blamable for his moral morl condition He is a a slave to an training which has ha super SUDer superseded superseded his Instincts and ad allied aled him closely to the te noble Apache who is best when he is dead dea but hut is i unable to appreciate it it He is a product of his environment as a completely as a are ae a certain certin well wel known kown reforming clergy clergyman clen clergyman man and ind a a late police board president both bot of whom once made themselves exceedingly troublesome to the te citizens of New York York But who will wl say sy that these thee two were not honest and con conscientious conscientious The Shipmasters Ethics Etc And Ad the te American shipmaster is con conscientious conscientious Leaving aside aide his dishon dishonest est extortion in hi i his slop chest sales and his robbery of sailors pay pay by driving driving ing them to desert in foreign ports port he heis heIs heis is fairly fairy faithful to a code of ethics From the time of his hi first frt promotion he has la afflicted his hi inferiors inferior not be because because because cause he is fundamentally a savage but because having been thus brutal brutalized brutalized himself he thinks think it i necessary and right because he has been ben thor thoroughly tor thoroughly steeped in a system of disc discipline pline which though he does not know how howit it it it degrades de de him in the eyes of observing ing ins fellowmen which h would not be tol tolerated tolerated in any army anh navy na or work workshop workshop workshop shop in the world and is rarely practiced practiced in the merchant ships of mon monarchical monarchical nations whose laws i permit ermit greater geater license to captains than tan do the laws of America But the laws of America against as assault a assault sault sult torture and ad manslaughter are not enforced as a they should be when it happens that a sailor is the complain complainant ant or prosecuting witness They are not enforced because back of the te de decision decision decision of juries jurie consuls and commissioners commissi there here is a strong strong pub public lie lic lc sentiment not negative but positive five tive which is I nothing noting more than a be belief belef belief lief lef that the sailor is an ignorant ag aggressive aggressive scoundrel who should be kept in check at any cost cost This belief bele is not based upon knowledge of the truth as 2 given ghen in newspaper reports report of fric friction fricton friction tion ton at sea for the newspapers newspaper give little but the bare ba facts fact and facts fats alone are a not convincing It I is based upon a a stronger educational influence popular literature Marryat Ma t and Cooper dealt deal with con conditions conditions of o the eighteenth and ad first frt half haf of the te nineteenth centuries and ad they the painted the sailor truthfully a strong strongman strongman man ma able to care for himself W V Clark Russel succeeded in the field feld and for years he held his hi field to himself He has ha been ben read rea widely in England and America erica He began when hen men now active in publiC life lie were young men forming foring opinions when old men still active were dropping the te conceptions of the sailor given gien them by Marryat Maat and Cooper and were re receptive receptive to new ones W Clark Clark Russel Ruel supplied them Wt With slight technical knowledge knowledg of or the sea and seamen but gifted with wih an erratic imagination and wonderful power of poetic description this this man produced novel after ater novel whose heroes were chivalric officers and passengers passenger and nd whose villains were sailors mutinous devils devil only kept from murder and ad piracy piry by brute force and the te acts at of at Providence W Clark Russel has ha done more to damn the merchant sailor than has ha any other oter influence of modern times and ad even should shoud he devote the re remainder remaInder of his life Ufe to active ate positive positive tive te effort efort in behalf of the te sailor he will 11 not have time to undo the te wrong he has ha done done But his hs books have sold and because they have sold and influenced public opinion hundreds of ot American captains have escaped the te penitentiary and nd hundreds of seamen s men have ae endured and nd must endure endur for years year wrong ng and ad Injustice that tat would absolve landsmen from the te charge ch e of murder The Te Production of cf f the te Brute rt So o much for W TV Clark Clr Russel Bussel the Ie apologist apolo st for a brute who would be behage hanged hage or at imprisoned d for life lie were he called by another name nae than tan captain Let Lt us get back to t the te causes which have bave produced r this brute br te The Ameri Amori American Amer can c captain as a rule does not arise arIe front from the te forecastle from the te class dass cas of 4 men me over oer whom hom he tyrannizes He r comes from the te boys bs room rOI Every Ever t P i American ship carries as boys bOs cries many a may I j loosely speaking as she carries mates t a Cie mets It of I Is 1 these safe se to say sy that tat two out of Qt three t f t 1 I te boys os quit the te sea se after ater a a voy 1 f i S age or two because they will not sub mit to the te rigors of at the tey life lie wil Some can c t t I not work bear ber the te hardships incidental to t the I i alone others oter can c not reconcile themselves to the insult the cruelty te Insult cel r I dealt deat out to theta them tem by the officers But t one out of three remains ocer He is tr strong t 1 i and ana ad hardy hay he be has ha a a thick tIck skin and ad t can c not be b Insulted unless the insult unes te Is I physical a a smash on the te head bea i t with a belaying bela pin hurts hu his feelings f i f but milder rebuke affects him not and t he thrives and progresses pr ess h not ad t 1 After a few lea voyages he Is i promoted to boatswains third or second mates mita berth bert according to the size and per j S of toe the te ship But sie he ai spends Jer but little time in the forecastle I among I men whom he Is i taught to believe bel eve are a I j Inferior creatures and ad when he obtains i power over them tem he maltreats matra them themas tem f i t as a he has ha been maltreated himself and i ad thinks thin that it Is i right right If I his h educe f I r tion ton comprises a knowledge of the i te i three tre Rs Its R he can c easily learn lea enough h t tot of ot navigation to obtain first mats mates frt metes berth ber and later laer he becomes a can c cs J tain tama a pet net of the law and ad public I opi ion but as a little fitted by nd t t training to appreciate the r trig f of his te V tf t position as a is a negro neg i r overseer on a a plantation He is ia an i t exponent of ot brute force forc and ad the fer i i i i sensibilities are ar denied him hm He is 1 not net superior in humanity humay morals lor or com corn common common cornmon J mon decency to the te meanest ot of l his crew only excelling them in i j er elements element of at character which A gained him his hi advantage In acquired attributes ot technique he is often Inferior to The he t best est men of his hi crew can ca ship goes to sea sea without a D few fe i able seamen forward for Who tent to instruct the te captain ship for this broad d r c fisted ruffian rma is i sometimes rma t too soon The title tte able st m t 1 one to be proud of of It I can c cannot not in the space of time tinis te wh will l 1 give a man ma mastery mater of a mm trade on share se i i E or win him a post graduates gutes d i college A man ma needs four fou years ya of ot 1 service at least leat before he can ca be i I at the wheel with ih a following B r rand and sea and and to learn lea the te smaller more tor t mechanical details of his calling t ting tn serving wire Ir splicing n i etc etche he reQuires etche nearly nealY double this t time An A able ble seaman seama Is a skilled la is laborer l borer In technical knowledge kowle to toa t toa j t a machinist carpenter or other crafts craftsman cat man on shore and for his hi skilled sled labor lab t i t he receives o the munificent salary of 18 S I i ia a month out of Atlantic and 21 out oit ot of k i Pacific ports port most of which he loses loea to i I f the te captain or the crimps crt f The Te Able Seaman Se c 1 j A few words snore more as a to this thi able ale j seaman sean and the te reason ren why there ere are areso areso areso so many mn of r him willing to give suet such f work for such pay py He is I initially a t weakling of feAr fair fA physical courage curge per p haps but bt of little education will wUI willpower willpower power ambition abiton and ad aggressiveness otherwise he would woul not remain rei at the a te trade He may DY have ve started ste as a boy by byad and ad lived in the he boys bys room r drift d Ing into info the te forecastle under pressure of events He may my have been shang hae haleda a green geen hand and forced forc to t i learn lern to escape the te mates abuse aus He may have hope been a fisherman fhern deck dek hand handor hn I or longshoreman going to sea a for forthe or orthe the love of the te sea but bu whatever his hi origin his toeing being ting before the te mast ma comes cm only of his bis helplessness in the ony th struggle gle for fo existence on o shore shor So S be lie re ms remains r I mains in an environment that th kills k him hi In Ia twelve years e 4 but ut develops dee la In in him a a strength of character along ang certain c m landsmen tain tin tam lines beyond b nd the te comprehension of ot o He becomes beme a malt mam ma to o be b pitied pite re respected and protected for in the prete Ie na ns nature D tune ture tu of things he can do d none n of these t for himself He can not nt pity pit himself for he is equal to the drafts d t upon un him J Jad t tand and ad survives surI sunny se them te He can c not nt respect himself except In his own ow peculiar wa way fj which his oan oa c r Jf not understand He knows w that tt lie be h t I Ican can cn endure a a stress of weather and a i work under which an an ordinary man m j l would die but hut it 1 does dos not nt conduce to t assertiveness and his attitude toward f wrong and injustice might be b stamped j jas as cowardly by toy those th e who do d not nt n know kw I him He can not nt protect himself hl for fec to he has not known kown treatment or or reward for generous energetic effort m and ad does not nt always realize realise that he is Imposed Imp upon He is denied dee the te love lve of ot women omen and ane children he h is i an a in ia outcast a wanderer upon the te face fae of the te earth erh because bus of the wan wanderlust w wanderlust in his soul sul and the he possession I of qualities which would wouW make me him Aim es esteemed e esteemed teemed among ag men me did dh they ey apply to a a trade or profession profen on shore And Ad this skilled laborer the hardest ht worked and ad lowest paid pd to the world od who under the law is denied denie the ti of while at sea who is I hopeless of a o advancement or change be because because cause deficient in inherent brutality brt physique and the groundings of education eu tion this man so s necessary ne to t the te t worlds commerce can cn rarely obtain obia o justice in the courts of free a coun country c try because a blind public sentiment sent et has him a potential mu mutineer mutineer pirate and murderer Out upon such public sentiment And shame upon novelist who has kas created and fostered it r |