THE SHIP IN MUTINY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1503, 11 July 1905, Page 3

THE SHIP IN MUTINY.

(By Tohungo),

Tho wonder is not that the orew of the ship with the unpronounceable name mutinied, or that Russia itself is cn the verge of the national munity whioh is revolution, but that such mutinies and such revolutions have not occurred there long' ago. The great fault of Blave races—and the Solavio origin of “ slave ” is good enough yet—iß that they are too submis- . aive, too patient, too long-suffering, too slow to understand that the captain has a greater duty than the stoker, and the Lord High Admiral the greatest duty of all, and that when these commanders fail irretrievably " Overboard with them ” is the just verdict of Mankind. Heaven knows that we Britishers are slow enough—reluctance to disturb existing order being a quality without which human society would be quite impossible—but we are swift and tumultuous compared with tho continentals, whosa politics appear tD ns to bo so stormy and Governments more and more unstable as one travels east. Onr politics are only mild because they get warmed up on alight provocation ; our Governments are only stale because they have learned to be like soft wax in the hands of Public Opinion; and our nayy men are hard to handle by captains who “ mess them about " and do not see to their soup—as England learned at the Nore, and is on occasion reminded by the disappearance of the “ sights.” That is after all the whole problem of Government, for the kings and the captains . to do their duty and see to the soup. If J they don’t, the better the nation, tho better the crew, the sooner they will be flung overboard. We talk of Russian revolution —but this is 1905. Two hundred and - fifty years .ago an English king walked the plank because he dared turn his guns on an English Parliament, and his son was set adrift, without sip or sup, because he wauted to steer to Rome a crew that had had a great deal too much.of Italy. And later the Amerioan colonies booted ashore a foolish Gorman king who didn’t know how Englishmen made their dumplings and who would keep poking into colonial teapots, and they forthwith went sailing oG with flag 3 flying and drums beating to quarters and guns loaded to the muzzle, and pikes ready to ropßl boarders—and they won out to the open sea and are there ( to this day. If Russia were peopled by any Western . people there would be no trouble there now for the very sufficient reaaon that they would have got their trouble over Jong ago. Nicholas of Russia, that prinoe of peace, would be exchanging notes with Cbarie3 of England and Louis of France upon the rank ingratitude of the common herd, and the trio would be sympathising with eaoh other upon the rank absurdity s of admitting to the round table of Valhalla every man who dies bravely whether he be kmg or cobbler. . , The crew of the Ruasran ship with the unpronounceable name, like the Russian people, were taught that it was their place to obey orders, do as they were told, work j hard, be content with lit bio and never grumble. Not bad teaching, either, if the ] Tsar and his captains had remembered that crews and nations should obey orders and work hard and fare simply and never grumble, not at all in order to make things more comfortable for Tsars and captains, or to moke it easier to be the ladies darliog and to Bqueeze more perks out of national revenues and sailors’ soup, but i only in order that this obedience and patience and hardihood may make a better and a braver ship’s company, a nobler and stronger nation.. Stoker and deckhand are not more bound by duty than Tsar and captain, are not any less hum&D, are not without equal rights. Captains are highly paid, are surrounded bv pomp and ceremony, only in order to eoconrage men to exert the energy aod ability that in tho healthy slate is required to reach a captain’s place, either afloat or ashore. If we tell the truth, it is probable that wo have pomps and ceremooies chiefly because women like these gewgaws and show their preference for the possessor on every conventional occasion. But it is one thing to wm pomp and ceremony by merit in order to please womankind and quite another thing to get surrounded by pomp and ceremony merely beoauae you have happened to please a woman. That is the beginning of mutiny. When place begins to go by favor to favorites, not for merijs to the meritorious, if you keep your eye on the sailor’s soup, on the public policy,' on the national conditions, you will surely eee them gradually getting worse and worse until it is high time to fling fanev captains overboard, with Tears and tho rest of the paraphernalia, and to have another try.', When captains douce better than they navigate, prefer boudoirs to ships’ decks, talk softly to silly woinop, and swear brutally at the men whom they are charged to lead and care for, filch the sailors’ soup-money in ordor to shout champagne suppers for those whom they delight to please they and their Lord High Admirals are jihemselves m mutiny against social order and human requiremeets, for they have become eo much worthless lumber, the' loss of which does injure, bub only lightens the ship. JN.4. Herald.