OCR Text |
Show OUR g'allant taks. A CUSTOM THAT WILL ENDURE A3 LONG AS THE NAVY ENDURES. Drinking; the Toant to "Sweethearts and Wives" Every Saturday Night It Makes the Men In the Navy Betr, Truer, Nobler No-bler and Braver. The people of this country are very fond of their naval officers, so far as they know them. It would be a good deal better for the country if they were better known, for among them are to be found as large a percentage of fine, brainy, lovable and well bred men as in any of the familiar professions. There is not much sentimentality in the navy, but there is a deal of sentiment, senti-ment, which is a vastly different thing. Certain cynical young women who have met officers and who have noticed how attentive they are sometimes think that this is merely a "dainty, sham devotion," bestowed upon young women whom they meet at every port they touch. But this is not true. There ia more genuine chivalry chiv-alry among the officers of t-ie United States navy than is to be found among any class of men on shore. It is one of the conventions of the navy to place women upon a pedestal, and there is no finer convention in the world. It may be because that for so CLQch of their time they are denied the delight of seeing women. But they never nev-er forget them. Every Saturday night in every United States warship afloat there takes place a ceremony so beautiful, so exquisite, that it seems to have escaped from the land of chivalry and wandered into American life. There, flattered and amazed at its welcome, it has remained ever since and made the men in the navy better, tr-v, nobler and braver, for it muit be confessed con-fessed that the officers are, first of all, splendidly American. I When a ship is under way, tthere is no woman aboard her. Sha-i no place there. Maybe each man creeta- an image of one in his thoughts durii . - a batches on deck. Of these thig8 does not speak. But ohed eac weekyae come8 Jforth boldly with iftisfUr j d rr-ently rr-ently senda greeting fronrC. , se the seas to her. From the China sea. tr J)m stormy Cape Horn, from the peac2u Mediterranean Mediter-ranean comes the message.n' Jl "Sweethearts and wivesjji'hat was aver and always will be thesapor'8 toast. And when it is given aboard Uncle Sam's Bhips it is a tribute to the sweetness, the purity, the beauty of American womanhood. woman-hood. There are men who have drunk that toai:t every Saturday night for more than 40 years. It ia never old to them. The officers would aa soon think of passing pass-ing unnoticed an important disciplinary regulation as passing Saturday night without this ceremony. It does not matter mat-ter whether the ship is on the high seas, or anchored in a foreign port, or lying at the dock in the Brooklyn navy yard, so long as her men are aboard they drink the toast. It is a custom as old as the navy. It will endure as long as the navy endures. "When the supply of wine is running short during a long cruise, the officers deny themselves during the week that they may have it for this toast on Saturday Satur-day nights. The servants are well trained. They have the champagne nicely chilled and open it almost without orders. After the dinner is finished the executive officer offi-cer arises. Very likely there is gray in his hair. His face is reddened by weather weath-er and seamed by years, for men who reach position cannot be young. But his heart is Btill young. They have dined well, and the content of well filled stomachs stom-achs shines on their faces. But when the lieutenant commander rises they are still, He stands straight with his hand upraised, up-raised, the champagne bubbling deliriously. deli-riously. "Gentlemen, are your glasses charged?" There is not one which is empty. The officers rise and bow their heads m answer. an-swer. "I give you" (the lieutenant commander command-er speaks earnfstly, and there is a soft glimmer in his eyes) "I give you sweethearts sweet-hearts and wives. G'd bless theml" "Sweethearts and wives God bless them!" comes inchous from the officers. Then they drink, and if there runs down their spinal cords a little thrill, and if their eyes grow moist and their hands shake a bit it is a tribute to tLemselves and to American womanhood to whom this toast is drunk. With something in their breasts throbbing like the great engines, en-gines, and the swish an1 gurgle of tne waters dulling their es. there is conjured con-jured before them, like the azure nimbus nim-bus of a dream, a home with a soft yoiced woiaan and the prattle of a child, or a sienuei, gifiisu ngureoenaing net head to hide tha love light in her eyes. On Saturday night the officer at sea feels that he is very near home Every one knows that naval officers are famous for the attractions which they have for the fair. This may show that it isn't the uniform alone which, is the magnet. New York World. I |