io6 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



twice that quantity the old boyhood is with him again j and 

 with thrice that ... he feels, for the time, 'every inch a 

 man.' " "^ And if that feeling was fleeting, counterfeit, and 

 creative of an aftermath which reduced life to the plane of a 

 beast, nevertheless it was sought again and again, with and 

 without the encouragement of the landsharks. For spiritual 

 as well as physical escape from the evils of shipboard life was 

 imperative j and in seeking such escape the average seaman 

 followed the path of least resistance, particularly when this 

 path was smoothed and graded for him by his exploiters. 



The more worthy and respectable institutions of the com- 

 munity did practically nothing to meet this crying need of the 

 sailor for wholesome recreation and decent care while ashore. 

 The one organization which seemed to have a clear conception 

 of the demands of the situation was the American Seamen's 

 Friend Society, which was formed in 1828 "to improve the 

 social and moral condition of seamen, by uniting the efforts 

 of the wise and the good in their behalf, by promoting in every 

 port boarding-houses of good character. Savings Banks, Regis- 

 ter Offices, Libraries, Museums, Reading Rooms and Schools, 

 with the ministrations of the gospel and other religious bless- 

 ings." ^^ The Society also published the Sailor^s Magazine, 

 which appeared monthly throughout the greater part of the 

 century. 



But unfortunately the aims set forth in this admirable pro- 

 gramme far outran the actual accomplishments of the Society. 

 Of libraries, reading rooms, savings banks, and decent amuse- 

 ment places there was no hint in the whaling ports, though 

 such institutions sometimes gained a precarious footing in the 

 large maritime centers. New York, Boston, and other promi- 

 nent mercantile ports also boasted of a few national hospitals, 

 supported in part by a levy of a few cents per month on the 

 wages of merchant seamen. But again the whaling ports were 

 neglected, so that the average whaleman who became ill while 



21 See Davis, W. M., "Nimrod of the Sea," p. 92, for a discussion of the re- 

 lation detween drinking and the seaman's insistent desire to escape from the 

 ugliness and sordidness of reality. 



^^ See Harris, John, "Zebulon: or, The Moral Claims of Seamen Stated and 

 Enforced," for an extended discussion of the moral and ethical phases of a 

 sailor's life while ashore. 



