The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 17, 1907, Page 3

Tha San Francisco Sunday - Call, WITH FUN, . b charge ght royal shore leave P elf not o g ex s that the pro! solved; for the major are 18 to 25 years of of the mavy pshape, possessed that ligent respon- goes to the making of > realize, perhaps dim- to cope with the un- their own natu g with money bulg- users pockets. been Innumerable palaces— false the hd gilded es glitter places where he could &5 ey—or lose it—to come - g o any time after midnight, strippe s last cent, desperate, P is the existence of just . es of -jollity and "good as se has caused a con- the amelioration of ering conditions s been me when Jack steps the t cru he s three gs mo; n he used = He knows where to go, how go, and why. These three reasons ere sll embodied a substantial, roe building with hospitably wide ugh which he catches " es of well-warmed, well-lighted £ be hu > the path and P a particular domain pro- f n. 'The lettering azbove cads, “Branch of the Y. M. and Jack kn ort and cheer that ere se paval stations were instituted ¢ g the time of the Spanish war, s 4ve grown in npumber and effi- eney till there are five branches in . ited States and three in foreign fes. They are at Brooklyn, N. 3 jadelphia, Newport, R. I, Nor- ’ va., and at Vallejo, Cal; aiso at Porto Rico, Cavite end San Juan. e Vallejo branch has done most nt work. Since its opening June 25,000 men have registered the last calendar yesr the was 12,000, or about 1000 The success of the fnstitu- €, 1904, there, For registratior & month HOW THE NAVAL Y.A.C.A. AT VALLEJO HELPS THE BLUE- JACKET SAVE HIS AONEY AND FILLS HIS LEISURE HOURS ATHLETICS AND THE COAFORTS OF HOAE few mont rpassed tations told 2 The 1la Los lejo, whe ive i the eveninZ with 2 pocket and without definite regarding t lodging He roamed the streets a while, wonder hat it wotld be best to do: t end his solitary qu: ter fér & meel and trust to luck for 2 bed, or to spe it for a bed and trust to k for a As it grew late, he decided on t bed—if one could be found cheap enough—and to that end he hailed the first man he saw coming in his direction, who turn- ed out to be a sailor. “Hello, mate,” sang out the peani- less one. “D'ye know where I can get a bunk—a cheap one?’ The sailorman paused as if taking in the questioner. “Dunno about a bunk,” he said, slow- Iy, “put the Y. M. C. A. branch is on this street, an vou steer a straight DINING =R OO “What!” exolaimed the young fellow in huge delight. “Do you mean to tell me there's @ ¥. M. C. A. branch here?” =nd without waiting for en answer he started off on the run. Well, the Vallejo branch took the iad in, housed him, fed him, anpd kept him for three da: when it found him a berth on one of the best ships going. The boy was e clever pharmacist and he made good in that capacity. Saving the Sailor From Sharks “The prime sources of trouble for the enlisted man,” said Mr. Squiers, the sec- retery of the Vallejo branch, “are three. First the man are entirely away from home and home associations and influ- ences; second, they are herded together like gheep on board ship, having no pri- vate life whatever; third, they are idle. Put me ashore under similar conditions and I doubt if I could do as woll as some of the men. There is not work enough aboard an ordinary ship to keep :w of §00 men consiantly employed. The consequence is that a large part of the time hangs heavily on their hands. They are berthed in hammocks swung sixt¢en inches apart, and above these the tables are swung to be lowered when needed. Around these tables the men sit in these empty hours. All classes of men are thus thrust together, and when you consider the fact that there is absolutely no private life for them, and that they are commonly de- barred from most pleasures or enjoy- ments from the time the ship leaves one harbor tiu &he is docked in another, it is small wonder that a number of W) }s WIAPEFIENY pald off men coming on shore leave with anywhere from $100 to $1000 to thelr credit should be easy prey for the designing sharks Who cluster about an incoming vessel like flies. But now,” finished Mr. Squiers energetically, “these sharks have come to know that we expect to keep pretty close to an incoming ship, too. They know us and look out for us, and they'd like to put a spoke through our wheel 1t they could. “When the New Orleans came into harbor flying the homeward pennant we knew there were a lot of paid off men aboard, and as soon as the sharks saw her they made a lfvely tumble for the water front. But we were there too, with the result that we handled $50,000 of the New Orleans money, and that brings me to tell you of the main feat- ure of the branches, which we think 1y the banking system. Making Jack Savhwoney The banking system, in essence, is as follows. When the men are paid off they often request that the money be paid-direct to the secretary of the bank- ing department, who Is an aceredited agent of Wells-Fargo Company. As the men usually have from $100 to $1000 to their credit, the branches endeavor to have the men deposit their ¢oin with them, where it is always available, be- sides drawing interest at 81 per cent. In the case of men merely passing through a city where a naval branch is situated, the officers of the branch are sometimes able to induce the men to put the money In the shape of a money AND, LUN@CH COUNTER -~ 2D SrPE BT AL LA oeder payable to tnem in thelr native town. This effectually prevents the ar- rival of a sailor in & penuniless condi- tion, If a man allots his pay to the CHE 55, CHECKERS AND DOMINOES' NWERNGY)107#Y I,.l!,l\\\\m,ll 4 MAKING THE - PIANO FEVE = DOW N~ IN THE BILLIARD ROOM secretary of the banking systen of any branch he {s entitled to draw out as jarge an amount as he wishes, but there is good influence at hand; and it is ten to ome that the sallor needing 1t or famcying he does for certain purposes confides in the secretary to the extemt that he “Is golng to have a good time” and It is ten to one that the secretary, peing skilled in the handling of men; persuades Alm to change his mind de- fore the transaction is ever and go away feeling in some undefined fashion that the “good time” doesn’t look o alluring es 1t did, and that It iz “a mighty fine thing to have money ia the bank.” The Vallelo branch last year handled 000. 1f 2 man I & member of ons neh of a paval station he 1s & mem- er of all. If a man comes from Brook- I¥n to Vallejo the secretary of the Val- lejo branch receives a letter from the secretary of the Brooklyn branch saying that a certain man is coming and stat- ing a facts which may be of valua to the Vallejo secretary in dealing with him. If the man has sny money on de- posit in Brooklyn at his own request it will be forwarded to the Vallejo branch, whare it will be ready for him on his arrival. In this way the sailors are provided for while on shore, besides having smug sums to thelr credit at the end of a crulse. Navy men are paid ae- cording to their degree of skill; many enlist as carpenters, machinists, sall- makers, cooks, pharmacists or electri- tfans. The last named receive the high-* est rate of pay, which 18 §75 a month. A seaman receives §$30. Generally speaking, the grade of the men em- ployed in the navy is higher than that of the army, as skilled lJabor and train- ing count for more.and are mors in de- mand. It is the purpose of the T M. C. A. to have braniches wheréver ships lind. The Vallejo branch is mow the second Iargest, but is almeost equaled Wy the one at Norfolk. At Vallale thawe awe sleeping sceommodations for 150 mem. among whith are sevepty recms (mo- counted one of the greatest petvlages). ‘while sighty more men rooms with twe Ddéls this, five domen camves up in ths diy suditorfum and theve Tesding-rooma, badhs and poal, & correspeniance reem ammplotaly furnished Wwith stationery, prtvate lockers, & parcel chacking and Storege system, and many roTTessStadtve sames, such e dowiog pool Billlardm bagatelle, and a shooting gallarm Thawe is also » laundry and telegTaph agency and an entertalnment destgned espe- elally for the approbation of the Jash- fes is given In the Anditevium evemy Saturday evening. These eptartainments are aften Weoy interesting, for occasionally a man may fond of music and at the Sunday even- ing meetings ® & week on bdoard ship they join in the rousing old hywmns with & will. “Pull for the Sheye, Sail- or,” when given lustily by a theusand voices, once heard will never he for- gotten. The English apprestioss en- liven the other nightly meetings with thelr own naval and rollicking cester songs. What Rooseveit Says ‘Nevertheless, lifs In the navy and the marine corps Is considered hard. The greatest difficulty is encountpred in finding men willing to ealist, The recrulting officer talks himsslt ho palnting the ures of travel,” delights of foreign lan ths posafdiY tles, the chances—but the fact remains that the enlisted man must do as he is told. and that mady of the men having ohcé been induced to ship count the hours till their release, and that few ctan be induced to enlist again. How- ever, tha work of the branches is oM cacious In this regard too. As the m realize more fully that the same kind it whieh watched over them a klyn or Newport also prevails at San Juan or at Chefoo, where a brane hes recently been established during the summer months is visf by about 10,000 sailors and marines when they realize that, like an endless chain wherever they may be t! kindly interest and care is them through these branches, it have a remedial effect on the present nwillingness to enlist. That the ranches have a most beneficial effeet along other lines !s an indisputadle fact. While reachlng in many direc tions, the énd and aim of all the work is constantly in view. Hundreds of men have testifled to the euneblin and reg-nerative influencs of ths Y. M. C. A. branches and at Vallefo slens eighiy-one ™en last ¥ expressed their desire to lead changed lives. In connection with this, President Roose- | wvelt writes, “What I like about your| work is that you mix religion with common sense,” and Admiral Dewey may® “Nothing has done more good for the énlisted forcs of the navy than has the work of the Y. M. C. A" S0 the work is appreciated and s growing. With five stations slready in the United States, there may bds ten in a few years more. The navy is gon- stantly increasing. New vessels are be- ing bullt—more meén are needed--more brancheés must come to the fore. The Vallejo branch has preven its power and usefulness in a hundred ways. Tha Jackies of the navy look out for ite lights as beacons at the entranes of & harbor safe and sure. od |