40. CHAPTER XL.
SOME OF THE CEREMONIES IN A MAN-OF-WAR UNNECESSARY AND
INJURIOUS.
The ceremonials of a man-of-war, some of which have been
described in the preceding chapter, may merit a reflection or
two.
The general usages of the American Navy are founded
upon the usages that prevailed in the Navy of monarchical
England more than a century ago; nor have they been materially
altered since. And while both England and America
have become greatly liberalized in the interval; while shore
pomp in high places has come to be regarded by the more intelligent
masses of men as belonging to the absurd, ridiculous,
and mock-heroic; while that most truly august of all the
majesties of earth, the President of the United States, may
be seen entering his residence with his umbrella under his
arm, and no brass band or military guard at his heels, and
unostentatiously taking his seat by the side of the meanest
citizen in a public conveyance; while this is the case, there
still lingers in American men-of-war all the stilted etiquette
and childish parade of the old-fashioned Spanish court of
Madrid. Indeed, so far as the things that meet the eye are
concerned, an American Commodore is by far a greater man
than the President of twenty millions of freemen.
But we plain people ashore might very willingly be content
to leave these commodores in the unmolested possession of
their gilded penny whistles, rattles, and gewgaws, since they
seem to take so much pleasure in them, were it not that all
this is attended by consequences to their subordinates in the
last degree to be deplored
While hardly any one will question that a naval officer
should be surrounded by circumstances calculated to impart a
requisite dignity to his position, it is not the less certain that,
by the excessive pomp he at present maintains, there is naturally
and unavoidably generated a feeling of servility and debasement
in the hearts of most of the seamen who continually
behold a fellow-mortal flourishing over their heads like the
archangel Michael with a thousand wings. And as, in degree,
this same pomp is observed toward their inferiors by all
the grades of commissioned officers, even down to a midshipman,
the evil is proportionately multiplied.
It would not at all diminish a proper respect for the officers,
and subordination to their authority among the seamen,
were all this idle parade—only ministering to the arrogance
of the officers, without at all benefiting the state—completely
done away. But to do so, we voters and lawgivers ourselves
must be no respecters of persons.
That saying about leveling upward, and not downward,
may seem very fine to those who can not see its self-involved
absurdity. But the truth is, that, to gain the true level, in
some things, we must cut downward; for how can you make
every sailor a commodore? or how raise the valleys, without
filling them up with the superfluous tops of the hills?
Some discreet, but democratic, legislation in this matter is
much to be desired. And by bringing down naval officers,
in these things at least, without affecting their legitimate
dignity and authority, we shall correspondingly elevate the
common sailor, without relaxing the subordination, in which
he should by all means be retained.
