That Sailor
Upon Whom, Of All Others, The Preaching Of The Cross Is Least Likely
To Have Effect, Is The One Whose Understanding Has Been Cultivated,
While His Heart Has Been Left To Its Own Devices.
I fully believe that
those efforts which have their end in the intellectual cultivation of
the sailor; in giving
Him scientific knowledge; putting it in his
power to read everything, without securing, first of all, a right
heart which shall guide him in judgment; in giving him political
information, and interesting him in newspapers; - an end in the
furtherance of which he is exhibited at ladies' fairs and public
meetings, and complimented for his gallantry and generosity, - are
all doing a harm which the labors of many faithful men cannot undo.
The establishment of Bethels in most of our own seaports, and in
many foreign ports frequented by our vessels, where the gospel is
regularly preached and the opening of "Sailors' Homes," which I have
before mentioned, where there are usually religious services and other
good influences, are doing a vast deal in this cause. But it is to be
remembered that the sailor's home is on the deep. Nearly all his life
must be spent on board ship; and to secure a religious influence there,
should be the great object. The distribution of Bibles and tracts
into cabins and forecastles, will do much toward this. There is
nothing which will gain a sailor's attention sooner, and interest
him more deeply, than a tract, especially one which contains a
story. It is difficult to engage their attention in mere essays
and arguments, but the simplest and shortest story, in which home
is spoken of, kind friends, a praying mother or sister, a sudden
death, and the like, often touches the heart of the roughest and
most abandoned. The Bible is to the sailor a sacred book. It may
lie in the bottom of his chest, voyage after voyage; but he never
treats it with positive disrespect. I never knew but one sailor
who doubted its being the inspired word of God; and he was one
who had received an uncommonly good education, except that he had
been brought up without any early religious influence. The most
abandoned man of our crew, one Sunday morning, asked one of the
boys to lend him his Bible. The boy said he would, but was afraid
he would make sport of it. "No!" said the man, "I don't make sport
of God Almighty." This is a feeling general among sailors, and is
a good foundation for religious influence.
A still greater gain is made whenever, by means of a captain who
is interested in the eternal welfare of those under his command,
there can be secured the performance of regular religious exercises,
and the exertion, on the side of religion, of that mighty influence which
a captain possesses for good, or for evil. There are occurrences at sea
which he may turn to great account, - a sudden death, the apprehension
of danger, or the escape from it, and the like; and all the calls
for gratitude and faith. Besides, this state of thing alters the
whole current of feeling between the crew and their commander.
His authority assumes more of the parental character; and kinder
feelings exist. Godwin, though an infidel, in one of his novels,
describing the relation in which a tutor stood to his pupil, says
that the conviction the tutor was under, that he and his ward were
both alike awaiting a state of eternal happiness or misery, and that
they must appear together before the same judgment-seat, operated so
upon his naturally morose disposition, as to produce a feeling of
kindness and tenderness toward his ward, which nothing else could
have caused. Such must be the effect upon the relation of master
and common seaman.
There are now many vessels sailing under such auspices, in which
great good is done. Yet I never happened to fall in with one of
them. I did not hear a prayer made, a chapter read in public,
nor see anything approaching to a religious service, for two
years and a quarter. There were, in the course of the voyage,
many incidents which made, for the time, serious impressions upon
our minds, and which might have been turned to our good; but there
being no one to use the opportunity, and no services, the regular
return of which might have kept something of the feeling alive
in us, the advantage of them was lost, to some, perhaps, forever.
The good which a single religious captain may do can hardly be
calculated. In the first place, as I have said, a kinder state
of feeling exists on board the ship. There is no profanity allowed;
and the men are not called by any opprobrious names, which is a great
thing with sailors. The Sabbath is observed. This gives the men a
day of rest, even if they pass it in no other way. Such a captain,
too, will not allow a sailor on board his ship to remain unable to
read his Bible and the books given to him; and will usually instruct
those who need it, in writing, arithmetic, and navigation; since he
has a good deal of time on his hands, which he can easily employ in
such a manner. He will also have regular religious services; and,
in fact, by the power of his example, and, where it can judiciously
be done, by the exercise of his authority, will give a character
to the ship and all on board. In foreign ports, a ship is known
by her captain; for, there being no general rules in the merchant
service, each master may adopt a plan of his own. It is to be
remembered, too, that there are, in most ships, boys of a tender
age, whose characters for life are forming, as well as old men,
whose lives must be drawing toward a close. The greater part of
sailors die at sea; and when they find their end approaching,
if it does not, as is often the case, come without warning,
they cannot, as on shore, send for a clergyman, or some religious
friend, to speak to them of that hope in a Saviour, which they
have neglected, if not despised, through life; but if the little
hull does not contain such an one within its compass, they must
be left without human aid in their great extremity.
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