want that character of training. You have to give some things up that the other life at sea lets you have straight off the bat. You can't earn so much money nor be so much your own boss. On the other hand, you are given expert teaching in both seamanship and navigation, and get more out of your two years that the ship requires from you than you would in an average ship. You can get aboard these ships at sixteen and have to stay two years. You can address the Board of Governors, New York State Nautical School, New York City, or Massachusetts State Nautical School, Boston.

Several lines the American line operating between New York and Liverpool or Southampton, and the Ward line, running ships down to the West Indies and Central America—have a cadet system that is attractive if you try to get the most out of it you can. The appointments are for boys under twentyone, and are confined to a few mail-ships under an old provision of Congress that requires one such cadet to be carried for each thousand of gross tonnage in ships paid by the government for carrying the mails. The system has been in existence twenty years or more. It has turned out some good men. But as prospects were so poor before the

war for much of a career in the United States merchant marine, it was often hard, especially in the winter, to get the right kind of boys to sail for the fifteen dollars a month they were paid and the odd jobs they were set to. The ships had to sign on that number of cadets before they could sail, and consequently often there was a sprinkling of lads glad of any shelter and not interested in either seamanship or navigation. But when a lad did show interest and application he had every possible chance given him by expert officers. Still, the system was not justifying itself before the war. Now it ought to do so to the mutual satisfaction of the cadets, the ships' officers who are charged with overseeing them, the companies that own the ships, and the general government that decreed the system. Boys given these appointments are supposed to show qualities that deserve prompter training for officership than the slower process out of the forecastle and, as in the school-ships, they give up bigger earnings for the better training. Application is made to the offices of the American line and the Ward line. A number of the lines plan to establish credit systems on their ships.

A good thing to do is to buy a copy of the

Journal of Commerce (New York City, 32 Broadway) for a nickel and study the page solid with small advertisements of shipping companies that it runs every day, and so get an idea of the companies, their ships, and their trades and routes. For the Pacific coast the San Francisco Commercial News will do you the same service.

In the bad old days when "crimps" got a little from the ship and a little from the man for each member of the crew they provided, you needed to watch out for the man who was too ready to "sign you up." Now, with such conditions almost entirely removed, reputable shipping-offices are established that act for the various ship companies, though some of the bigger companies maintain their individual offices. The headquarters of the various marine unions are good places to hang around for tips of good ships and likely openings and good shipping-offices, and also such places as the Seamen's Institute on South Street and the Seamen's Christian Association on West Street, New York City, the Seamen's Institute in Galveston, and similar institutions in all the ports of the country, where, either direct from the officials or in conversation with the men, you can get a good many pointers.

One thing, though-make sure that your eyes are at least a good average. The vision test in the physical examination has held up many a man when he applied for his ableseaman's certificate or his mate's license. You will be put through distance-vision tests and color-vision tests as soon as you try to qualify for any post of even minor responsibility. You don't have to show up quite so well with your eyesight in order to get an engineering license as you do to get a deck license, but it's a matter you need to have a careful decision on if you're in any doubt, before you put in a year or two at sea and then find you can't advance because you're not good enough on distance and color vision.

IT

III

AT SEA

T comes to this, then: If a man loves physical activity and enjoys rough comfort, if he is master enough of himself so that he does not yield to every casual temptation to dissipate, if he doesn't think he is a world's wonder and on the way to great recognitions, the life at sea pays about as well as the life ashore in both money and satisfactions. If he has an inborn hankering after the sea from inherited tendency, or boyhood prowling about ships in port, or much reading, there is no use talking to him, anyway. But in the way that most sailors discourage a novice, if they can, I have felt that I should point out most the disadvantages. Once a lad throws in his lot with them in spite of all they can do to prevent it, they turn to, men and officers, to make a seaman of him. No fellow should go to sea for a long time or a short one unless he feels an enthusiasm for seacraft. He will have an unhappy time