| Show LITE liff E IN INT A WARDROOM THE OFFICERS QUARTERS ON BOARD A MAN OF WAR where all except the commander eat live and have their social heine NAVA t etiquette isolates Ii the man whom all other others on board slut blust oby obey the wardroom on a man of war is the living place of all tho the older officers of tho the ship with one exception the commanding officer he lives by himself has his own cabins his own mess his own servants naval etiquette and ens cus torn have established this habit of isolation for the man on the chip ship who has command of all the rest the reason is undoubtedly to bo be found in tho the very fact that he represents extraordinary power under these circumstances any attempt to forget the superiority of his I 1 rank by means of a 9 common cabin or for him and his subordinates would only result in embarrassment on both sides This does not mean that he may not bo sociable for much depends upon tho the man betit but it is safe to say that any show of effusiveness among those who live abaft the mast must come from his side sido if ho he wishes it to be general the situation is a delicate one in the freer air of the wardroom we I 1 find from 10 to 80 20 officers living together the number varying with the size of the ship their ages may range from 25 to 50 and they are of all ranks above that of naval cadet and of all corps engineer officers line officers medical officers marine officers one pay officer and ono chaplain may all bo included in the ward wardroom of a large ship these men live in staterooms state rooms arranged about a common space which is known as the wardroom country tills this assumption of a space of prairie liko dimensions is comparatively truthful in the cramped quarters of a ship in this country exists the social life of the wardroom here these men of varied callings yet all of the seas following livo live and have their social being A day spent in a wardroom by a landlubber would reveal many interesting differences be between naval officers and their brethren on shora to begin with they are more cosmopolitan in their speech the men in our wardrooms are gathered together from all parts of tho the union LOW discussions find but an uninterested audience or even a derisive one so that a naval officer gets accustomed to speak and think of all the 43 45 states as belonging equally to him outside of his own country lio lie is so great a traveler that very few civilians can keep up with the way he skips in conversation from china to peru pem or to tasmania other characteristics that are quickly noticeable are h his is simplicity his cheerfulness and his heartiness the wardroom is constantly resounding with la laughter righter the men in it are healthier than men who live in houses they get up earlier in the morning and go to bed earlier at night most of our wardrooms wardroom are bustling with oft officers loers at 7 in the morning A glance at tho the breakfast table sh egowa the senior line officer presiding and the other officers placed near him win according to rank at the other end of the table is the man who has been elected by his messmates mess mates s to direct the catering of the mess between this early meal and the breakfast proper which comes wines at halt past 11 or 12 there ia is not much life in the wardroom for the daily military it try routine is full of at drills and exercises which keep inest most of tho officers on oil deck there are drills with great gun guns and with small arme drills in clearing 9 ship tor for action drills in handling ammunition and many others all of them thela rooted in the one idea that you must preserve your own life by destroying that of your enemy As soon as an officer returns to tho the wardroom from one drill and begins a conversation or perhaps hums a song he is interrupted by the bugles on deck anil and must buckle on his sword and return to another drill at every call to quarters all officers must report themselves ready tor for duty the chaplain and paymaster having much less to do with drills than the other officers are aro usually the first to be back in the wardroom where there 19 is other work for them tho the medical officer bag has gone forward to the sick nick b bay ay to look after his patients when tha midday breakfast comes there is the first breathing space tor for a little leisure aud and relaxation but the drills for the clay are not yet over and at I 1 tho the bustle in Is resumed L i I 1 11 1 1 1 11 throughout the snip ship A sudden call may come for collision drill or fire drill or battalion drill if at sa sea a floating target may bo be dropped overboard and for an hour the ship bo be shaken from stem to stem stern by the discharge of guns from 8 to 5 in tho the afternoon there is generally a respite from work and the wardroom begins to show signs of being inga a homo home some in it aro reading or writing others are smoking or playing games or loafing still others are in their rooms taking the seamans afternoon nap but at 5 the drills and exercises come again by there is a feeling that ono one can sit down and dine without fear of interruption the mess as a whole is now gathered together and the meal is generally a thoroughly enjoyable and delightful affair after it is avei over there aro are cigars games music or the right to withdraw within oneself without exciting remark by 10 most I 1 of these sailors are in bed but even now the drills may not be over at midnight the bugles may sound and in two minutes all tho the ships company be rapidly making ready for on an enem enemy new york post it is strange to notice howmann how many old classical expressions still survive I 1 la tuscany the people still swear by Bacchu sl and by deanal just as we do by jove I 1 but when they talk of tom dick and harry harryl 0 t they hey say ti cains chins and onins |
