"boys' houses" are bad places for a youngster fresh from school, unless a conscientious captain or chief mate should happen to be at the head of affairs and make it his business to give an eye to the youngsters' proceedings when off duty. Of course etiquette may be looked for in vain here unless it be the etiquette of "fagging" in its worst sense. The men's quarters, always called the forecastle, even when a more humane shipowner than usual has relegated the forecastle proper to its rightful use as lockers for non-perishable stores, and lodged his men in a house on deck, are always divided longitudinally in half. The port or mate's watch lives on the port side, the starboard or second mate's watch on the starboard side. To this rule there is no exception. And here we have etiquette in excelsis. Although the barrier between the two sides is usually of the flimsiest, and often quite imaginary, in effect it is a wall of separation with gates guarded and barred. The visitor from one side to the other, whatever his excuse, approaches humbly, feeling ill at ease until made welcome. And from dock to dock it is an unheard-of thing for any officer save the captain to so much as look into the forecastle. Of course, exceptional circumstances do arise, such as a general outbreak of recalcitrancy, but the occasion must be abnormal for such a breach of etiquette to be made. Some captains very wisely make it their duty to go the round of the ship each morning, seeing that everything is as it should be, and these enter the forecastle as a part of their examination. But this is quite the exception to the general rule, and is always felt to be more or less of an infringement of immemorial right. In what must be called the social life of the forecastle, although it is commonly marked by an utter absence of social observances, there are several well-defined rules of etiquette which persist in spite of all other changes. One must not lock his chest at sea. As soon as the last landsman has left the ship, unlock the "donkey," throw the key ostentatiously into the till, and, letting the lid fall, seat yourself upon it, and light your pipe. It is a Masonic sign of goodfellowship, known and read of all men, that you are a "Sou' Spainer» indeed, at home again. The first time that the newly assembled crew sit down gipsy fashion to a meal (for tables are seldom supplied), there may be one, usually a boy, who fails to remove his cap. Then does the nearest man's hand seek the ་་ bread-barge" » for a whole biscuit, generally of tile-like texture and consistency. Grasping it by spreading his fingers all over its circumference, the mentor brings it down crushingly upon the covered head of the offender, who is thus initiated, as it were, to the fact that he must "show respect to his grub," as the term goes. But often when the commons have been exceptionally short or bad an old seaman will deliberately put on his cap again, with the remark, "T ain't wuth it." If a man wants to smoke while a meal is in progress, let him go outside unless he desires. deliberately to raise a storm. And when on the first day of serving out stores a man has been induced to undertake the onerous duty of dividing to each one his weekly portion,-"whacking out," gross indeed must be his carelessness or unfairness before any sufferer will raise a protest. It used to be the practice to load the boys or ordinary seamen (the latter a grade between "A. B." and boy) with all the menial service of the forecastle, such as food-fetching, washing up utensils, scrubbing, etc. But a juster and wiser plan has been borrowed from the navy, whereby each man takes in rotation a week as "cook of the mess." He cooks nothing,- the "Doctor" will take care of that; but he is the servant of his house for that week, responsible for its due order and cleanliness. The boys are usually kept out of the forecastle altogether, and berthed with the petty officers, a plan which with some advantages has grave drawbacks. One curious old custom deserves passing notice. Upon the arrival of a vessel in a port where it is necessary to anchor, it is usual to set what is called an "anchor-watch" the first night. All hands take part in this for one hour each, or should do so, but sometimes there are too few and sometimes too many. As soon as the order is given to "pick for anchor-watch » an old hand draws a rude circle on the deck, which he subdivides into as many sections as there are men. Then one man retires, while all the rest come forward, and each man makes his private mark in a section. When all have contributed, the excluded one (whose mark has been made for him by deputy) is called in and solemnly rubs out mark after mark, the first to be rubbed out designating its owner for the first hour's watch, and so on. Nothing has been said about etiquette in the navy, because there it is hardly ever to be distinguished from disciplinary rule. Nor has allusion been more than casually made to steamships, whose routine excludes etiquette, having no more room for it than it has for seamanship, except upon rare occasions. CONTENTS VOLUME VIII., 1898-99 SEPTEMBER Some Portraits of the Late Prince Bismarck (Illus.) Prosperity: Present and Future An English Journal on the President. The Editor. C. Wood Davis. The American Volunteer and His Achievements Joseph M. Rogers. In the Home or Far Afield: A Conservative View of the Legal Self-Training: How to Become a Lawyer Geo. Styles. Sociological Light on the Hilltop: The George "Industrial Camp and Junior Republic (Illus.) Geo. L. Crittenden. Mrs. Ward's Helbeck of Bannisdale " (Portrait) E.A. Vinton. The Foundations of Chemical Synthesis Prof. H. C. Simpson. Dante and His Age. II- Minor Works Prof. Wm. Clark. The World and Its Doings: Editorial Comment. A War-Correspondent's Notes on Porto Rico (Illus.) Canada's Political Development and Her Relations with the The Six Days' Battle of the Farragut Fleet and the Capture Rear-Admiral F. A. Roe, U. S. N. ¦ The United States Naval Museum of Hygiene (Illus.) Decline of American Sectional and Anti-British Feeling Shakespeare's Knowledge of Spanish Fanny Hale Gardiner. The Wane of Legislative Dignity Health Culture as Part of Self Culture The Passing of Old Mexico (Illus.) SELF CULTURE MAGAZINE Please mention SELF CULTURE when you write to advertisers. SEND NO MONEY WITH YOUR ORDER, cut this Ad. out and to examination. You can examine it at your nearest freight depot and if found perfectly THE BURDICK has every modern improvement, every good point of every high-grade machine made, with the defects of none. Made by the best maker in America. SOLID OAK CABINET, BENT COVER. Latest SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO. (Inc.), Chicago. (Sears, Roebuck & Co. are thoroughly reliable.-Editor.) Please mention SELF CULTURE when you write to advertisers. OVE Description VER 900 pages of valuable information indispensable to families, hotels, cafes, and boarding houses. Wholesome, palatable, economic, and systematic cooking. Everything used as food is fully considered. Nearly 4,000 recipes, which makes this the best and most comprehensive Cook Book ever compiled. Special features, such as suggestions in regard to the kitchen, menus, bills of fare, the seasons, market, etc., etc. Size 8 x 10 x 234 inches. Bound in one large octavo volume of over 900 pages, in handsome oilcloth, stamped in ink. 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The largest, and we presume, from the authorship, one of the most important issues in this line of literature, is the "Cook Book by Oscar of the Waldorf," Oscar being Oscar Tschirky, maitre d'hotel of the most aristocratic hotel in New York. There is hardly anything in the whole domain of cookery that is not touched upon. The Times, Philadelphia: It is one of the most comprehensive volumes of its kind ever offered for the aid of those desirous of preparing either a small dainty home dinner or the most elaborate reception menu. Boston Daily Globe: It is one of the neatest books of its kind ever placed on the market. St. Louis Republic: "Oscar," the cook of the Waldorf, has written a book that is a Cook Book. The Inquirer, Cincinnati, O.: The subject has been covered with so much care and thoroughness that it sets aside all other cook books. THE WERNER COMPANY, PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AKRON, OHIO Please mention SELF CULTURE when you write to advertisers CHICAGO |