UNKNOWN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3563, 25 September 1916, Page 7

UNKNOWN

A QUAINT NAVAL RITUAL

It is; entirely typical of the. Royal Navy that not the slightest notice should be taken of the sun's uprising, while his down-setting is attended to by a good deal of ceremonial solemnity; as much as to say "When you've done your job azid proved yourself of somo good we'll giv«i you-all the respect you like, but till then just carry on with your work and don't expect us to treat you like a little tin god, j because, it' you do, you'll be mistaken" I (writes a. chaplain of the Grand Fleet j in thei "'Westminster Calotte-.") | "So when the situ.first appears 1", over i the horizon lie finds the ship's com- ! pany all hard au work —except at that !" period of the year when ho assumes a virtuous fit. of early rising—and not a man to.doff a cap to him: but when ho goes off duty, having placed himself at tho service of the Admiralty for the whole of the day, bugles r.re sounded in his honour, arid every man stands to attention as a. mark of honour for the occasion. Mac&ulay's schoolboy will deduce at once from this the reason why the Arabians have, no navy and we have. I road'-oneo. in n.n old ..number! ,of the

"Quarterly Roview>'' a brilliant article mi tho Arabs, their extraordinary achievement*.'- and marvellous, nowers, an«l their inexplicable down Call as a race. But ss" not the latter feature of their histci'y jriade obvious by the fact that ax sun-worshippers—for this they originally were —they paid too much roverenco to the sun at his rising ? In many parts or Southern. Europe, where traces of sun-worship stili exist, though the present population would bo horrified at being told no, you may sco on many a cotta-go roof a pair of ox-horns—Baal's symbol — carefully orientated to catch the first rays of. the govl at liis appearing; I have seen this myself, a« a prcvale'nt custom amongst probably what is tho strictest Roman Catholic populace in the world. But I have never seen, and do not think that anyone olse has, a pair of .Horns pointed towards the setting sun.

Over, elation .at the promise of.• endeavour, • too little regard to final accomplishment .and to the maintained drudgery necessary tKereto—that is thp true explanation of the pathetic limitations of the race that was once nearly master of half Europe; and the opposite of this," a fine disregard for the most pompous beginnings until they have proved successful endings, accounts for the pre-eminence of our Navy—and of our country.

Many of our new hostility-men do not understand this; they como to us with an inner knowledge of their own reputations and attainments, sufficient to give them, " outside," that standing to which they feel justly entitled; but once "inside," thrown into the Navy's melting-pot, ''they find that no bugles ore sounded to herald their rising; and some; of them do not altogether.like, it;.

But let them wait. It is tho way of the Navy. If an Archangel: were to come aboard lie would be messed with the ordinary seamen until he had proved himself good at his job. ; Lot me, however, describe a little more fully tho complete ritual of Sunset. To begin at the beginning, the correct time is made by wireless from Greenwich, each day, and with this to -aid. him the Navigator of the flagship works out the exact moment; at which tho sun is due to set. This is calculated at tho Mean Solar Time, not-the Apparent Time, 'so that tho ceremonies are frequently observed while a. part of tho sun is still able to watch what is being done in his honour. The idea is I that if he hasn't set he ought to have—

and it is by this obstinate habit of looking at things as they ought to be rather than as they are that-(well, anybody that likes can complete this sentence ; I, personally, am not convinced that the moral of it. is quite good). Then, iivo minutes before, the time, a preparative flag is hoisted in the Fagship, and certain "repeating ships" do the same for the benefit of'«such vessels as are not in sight of the ilag. As soon as this is hoisted, there is intense agitation up on the signal-bridge, every signalman having his eye glued on this "preparative." At the samp time, one of their number reports' the matter to Officer-of-thc-Watcb, who in turn reports to the captain,-with the formula., "Five minutes to sunset, sir," the captain replying, "Carry on, pleaso " —thus giving the sun the official permission to set by order of the Admiralty., The five minutes pass. Suddenly the flagship" ■" hauls down " ; the repeating ships do likewise, and in every ship oi' the fiwt nnexcited signalman bawl:-; loudly to the Oflioer-of-tlie-Wa-tph, "'Sunset, sir l': The- bugler sounds the "Still " lCverjone «on deck -drops his work or his. recreation, and stands strictly to aUvnU-ion, facing ilio colours. All officers raise their hand to the salute. Tin;'. assembled buglers sound a, long call, weird and plaintive, r» lament for the dying day, and tiie White Ensign corner down slowly. Then .sound .the two sharp notes ci" the "Carry-on—the sunset is orr-v. ■ ' ■ •

And when during the. summer, in northern latitudes the sun takes up tho ridiculous attitude of refusing to set till midnight, if at all, the navy has a short way with its recalcitrant god— like those. West Africans who beat the image of their diety when he refuses to send rain; the order is issued, "S.unset will bo at such-and-such a time"—and if the snn will not fall in with the navy's ideas, well, that is his look-out ! Like, many another servant of the navy, he is told to retire at a- time when he feels he has a lot more work in him. But he continues to shine on the ship all. the same, just n.s many a man "retired for age" is now dircging out as hard as ever for the good of the Service.

But when the snn plays tricks like this it is no wonder if he finds himself now and then distrusted: v

Snnset is ju.st about tn sound off .•"• I write; Ir-t mo p;n on deck nnd onr-c more soo that sight which ncvi 1 [<>'•-

its impres'iiveTioss, nnd ni'ay whijn ihr bticilo pea-la forth its notes that th» «un may ne^■er p»»l. nnon our Banner ot' tlit 1 Cross—tho White .'F!rtsip;n.