And then there is no achievement so arduous, no conflict so desperate in which his actions will not shed glory upon his country. And when the final struggle comes, as soon as it will come, for the empire of the seas, you may rest with entire satisfaction in the persuasion that victory will be yours. " I can fully endorse the sentiments of the gallant Stockton with regard to the noble bearing of the genuine Tar. But when I speak of the sailor, I don't mean every one who wears a blue jacket and goes swaggering through our streets; these perhaps may belong to some wood coaster and too often come under the denomination of sailors. Notwithstanding so much has been said about punishment, it is not often that the real sailor gets into difficulty after all, for he is seldom found guilty of any of the crimes that merit punishment; nevertheless he is exposed to the lash and does sometimes catch it.
All who know anything of the nature of a man-of-war and of the absolute necessity of a rigid code of laws — such as are expressed in the articles of Avar — the internal rules and regulations of the ship, know, also, that there must be a penalty, and that the police regulations of the ship must be undeviatingly adhered to, for a ship-of-war, without complete subordination, would be entirely useless and inefficient in battle; and the characteristic of a sailor is such as that he must be made at all times, and under all circumstances to toe the mark, never mind whether he be one of the crew of six who ply to the West Indies, or of the line of battle ship who number seven hundred; and now what is the penalty?
I nnswer, 'tis the colt, the cat, the irons and confinement, and finally the yard-arm. Can the dignity and discipline of the Navy be sustained under any other penalty ') without attempting even the suggestive legislator, I leave the question, with an earnest entreaty to abolish the whip* It may answer very well for boys when properly applied, but should never be put upon the back of a man; at the same time, I know that strong arguments can be brought forward in support of the present law; for, here are a crew of four hundred, men and boys, and some from every quarter of the Earth, from the Chinaman to the Laplander, and this heterogeneous mass must be brought under the homogeneous Government, and every officer is" responsible for the punctual performance of every item of the law from all those who come legitimately under his charge.
Speaking of the sailor, I have witnessed many an instance of his undaunted bravery and ingenuousness, besides having been told very many noble acts, by those who have been the recipients. 1 remember,. some years ago a ship got ashore near Rockaway, New York; it was in the dead of winter; the ship lay entirely under water, with only the head of her maintop-mast out; nearly all had been swept off and drowned — upon this top-mast head were a sailor and a gentleman passenger; the sailor had lashed himself and the passenger to the rigging to prevent being washed away. The night was dreadful cold — no boat dared come off until morning. The passenger said to the sailor, that his hands were so numb he must let go; he could hold on no longer and must run the risk of being washed off; the noble sailor replied, " here, sir, shove your hands into my bosom and I will hold on to you, ' he did so, and the passenger, when telling the story, the tears gushed from his eyes; for said he, "when my frozen hands touched the warm, beating bosom of the noble fellow, I felt relief in a moment; my left hand was directly over his heart, and thought I, here is a heart worth having, and may God bless the owner of it.
" What would our country be good for without seamen? How many doctors, ministers and lawyers would it take to reef a top-sail on a dark, stormy night? How many of that mass of nothings, which we daily come in contact with in the street, would it take to get a ship's anchor up? The ladies well know how to appreciate the sailor. They show their magnanimity by their generous donations in establishing Bethels, Homes, and the various institutions for the benefit of seamen, who are now properly cared for and respected; are no longer left as a prey to the merciless land-shark, many of whom, after keeping a sailor-boarding house for a few years, come out from poverty, to what are called rich men.