Besides, This Course
Works A Peculiar Hardship In The Case Of The Sailor.
For if
poverty is the point in question, the sailor is the poorer of the
two; and if there is a man on earth who depends upon whole limbs
and an unbroken spirit for support, it is the sailor.
He, too,
has friends to whom his hard earnings may be a relief, and whose
hearts will bleed at any cruelty or indignity practised upon him.
Yet I never knew this side of the case to be once adverted to in
these arguments addressed to the leniency of the court, which are
now so much in vogue; and certainly they are never allowed a moment's
consideration when a sailor is on trial for revolt, or for an injury
done to an officer. Notwithstanding the many difficulties which
lie in a seaman's way in a court of justice, presuming that they
will be modified in time, there would be little to complain of,
were it not for these two appeals.
It is no cause of complaint that the testimony of seamen against
their officers is viewed with suspicion, and that great allowance is
made for combinations and exaggeration. On the contrary, it is the
judge's duty to charge the jury on these points strongly. But there
is reason for objection, when, after a strict cross-examination of
witnesses, after the arguments of counsel, and the judge's charge,
a verdict is found against the master, that the court should allow
the practice of hearing appeals to its lenity, supported solely by
evidence of the captain's good conduct when on shore, (especially
where the case is one in which no evidence but that of sailors could
have been brought against the accused), and then, on this ground,
and on the invariable claims of the wife and family, be induced
to cut down essentially the penalty imposed by a statute made
expressly for masters and officers of merchantmen, and for no
one else.
There are many particulars connected with the manning of vessels,
the provisions given to crews, and the treatment of them while at
sea, upon which there might be a good deal said; but as I have,
for the most part, remarked upon them as they came up in the course
of my narrative, I will offer nothing further now, except on the
single point of the manner of shipping men. This, it is well
known, is usually left entirely to the shipping-masters, and is
a cause of a great deal of difficulty, which might be remedied
by the captain, or owner, if he has any knowledge of seamen,
attending to it personally. One of the members of the firm to
which our ship belonged, Mr. S - - -, had been himself a master of
a vessel, and generally selected the crew from a number sent down
to him from the shipping-office. In this way he almost always
had healthy, serviceable, and respectable men; for any one who
has seen much of sailors can tell pretty well at first sight,
by a man's dress, countenance, and deportment, what he would
be on board ship. This same gentleman was also in the habit of
seeing the crew together, and speaking to them previously to their
sailing. On the day before our ship sailed, while the crew were
getting their chests and clothes on board, he went down into the
forecastle and spoke to them about the voyage, the clothing they
would need, the provision he had made for them, and saw that they
had a lamp and a few other conveniences. If owners or masters
would more generally take the same pains, they would often save
their crews a good deal of inconvenience, beside creating a sense
of satisfaction and gratitude, which makes a voyage begin under
good auspices, and goes far toward keeping up a better state of
feeling throughout its continuance.
It only remains for me now to speak of the associated public efforts
which have been making of late years for the good of seamen: a far
more agreeable task than that of finding fault, even where fault
there is. The exertions of the general association, called the
American Seamen's Friend Society, and of the other smaller
societies throughout the Union, have been a true blessing
to the seaman; and bid fair, in course of time, to change the
whole nature of the circumstances in which he is placed, and give
him a new name, as well as a new character. These associations
have taken hold in the right way, and aimed both at making the
sailor's life more comfortable and creditable, and at giving him
spiritual instruction. Connected with these efforts, the spread of
temperance among seamen, by means of societies, called, in their own
nautical language, Windward-Anchor Societies, and the distribution
of books; the establishment of Sailors' Homes, where they can be
comfortably and cheaply boarded, live quietly and decently, and be
in the way of religious services, reading and conversation; also the
institution of Savings Banks for Seamen; the distribution of tracts
and Bibles; - are all means which are silently doing a great work for
this class of men. These societies make the religious instruction
of seamen their prominent object. If this is gained, there is no
fear but that all other things necessary will be added unto them.
A sailor never becomes interested in religion, without immediately
learning to read, if he did not know how before; and regular habits,
forehandedness (if I may use the word) in worldly affairs, and hours
reclaimed from indolence and vice, which follow in the wake of the
converted man, make it sure that he will instruct himself in the
knowledge necessary and suitable to his calling. The religious
change is the great object. If this is secured, there is no fear
but that knowledge of things of the world will come in fast enough.
With the sailor, as with all other men in fact, the cultivation of the
intellect, and the spread of what is commonly called useful knowledge,
while religious instruction is neglected, is little else than changing
an ignorant sinner into an intelligent and powerful one.
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