our ships with Lascars nor with Coolies, nor shall we force our seamen to live as these Asiatic types are willing to live. The La Follette seamen's law has for its excuse the effort to guard against this, and while there is much in it that must be corrected in the light of practical experience, there is no doubt that its fundamental principles,-American seamen for American ships, and American wages for American seamen,-will prevail in all legislation affecting our merchant marine.

Meantime the government is making every effort to induce young Americans to enter the merchant marine as a life's profession.

The Recruiting Service of the United States Shipping Board, with its headquarters at Boston, is endeavoring to interest American boys in the sailor's career, and with a generous measure of success. The Director of Operations for the Shipping Board sets forth the purpose thus:

We want to attract to the sea the kind of American boys that older men among us remember in their own school daysnice, clean boys, who had good homes, and left them amid the old family discussion as to whether they should be bankers, insurance men, retail merchants, or what not. To-day, we want to add to this list of careers for our American boys that of the pursuit of the sea. We want to attract to it, among others, boys who come from college, and who know how to swim and play football. We want to make conditions in sea-going such that they will feel it is the best destiny they can find.

We want to get good men and train them to be good seamen and then good officers-or good foreign representatives in commercial or industrial lines, and agents on the staffs of steamship companies, at home or in foreign ports.

A young American selecting a career naturally asks what are the rewards open to faithful and efficient service in that career. Setting aside for the moment the possibilities of graduating from actual sea service to the

shore management of lines, or a position as commercial agent in some foreign country we find the wage scale for officers adopted by the Shipping Board to-day as follows:

Graduates of United States Shipping Board schools serving as Junior or Sub-Junior officers receive $90 a month, with no bonus.

There is no reason to anticipate any reduction in this scale of wages. Indeed with the increase in the size of our merchant fleet the need for more officers may well result in the increase of the wage schedule. Bear in mind that all living expenses are met while at sea. If American boys will inquire among their friends as to how many may be sure of from $125 to $250 a month above board and lodging they will find that the rewards of sea service are not below those of shore-keeping occupations.

Let us consider now how a boy, let us say from the Kansas prairies with no maritime experience, may put his foot on the sea ladder that leads to the quarter deck.

*Carried only on the largest ships.

He must to begin with be 18 years of age, an American citizen and physically fit. After making a formal application at an enrolling station upon blanks to be obtained by writing to the Recruiting Service Custom House, Boston, he awaits his call to service. Within about a week he will be summoned for physical examination and, when accepted, will be sent to the nearest training ship, paying his own railroad fare but being reimbursed on enrollment. These ships are scattered about the ports of the United States on both oceans, the largest being the "Meade," once the ocean greyhound "City of Berlin," at Boston. The "Iris" that was with Dewey at Manila is at San Francisco. Arrived at his destination the recruit is at once put on the payroll for $30 a month, and furnished with a uniform and equipment the cost of which will be charged to him. He then becomes a naval apprentice, and, if he has already had some experience at sea will be sent out at once on his training ship for a practice voyage. Otherwise he is given shore training for a time. The whole course on a training ship occupies one or two months according to the capacity and industry of the apprentice. When it is completed he is given a berth on a regular merchant ship.

Boys of an earlier generation than this used to read with delight, "Oliver Optic's" books of the "Young America" series in which fortunate youths of wealthy families were enrolled in a school on a sailing ship which carried them about the world, while at the same time their ordinary studies were prosecuted under capable masters. To-day Uncle Sam offers almost the same education, throwing it open to the poorest, and even paying boys while their education is in progress. The ships on which they are trained are modern, well,