River Valley is estimated at 2,000,000 square miles. Although much of this lies outside of Brazil, the main course of the great river as well as that of its numerous tributaries is in Brazilian territory. The valley of Central Brazil's vast river, the Paraguay, shared by several states, is also enormous, and its hundreds of square miles of water meadows form some of the finest grazing land of the country.

South Brazil seems to be almost independent of roads by reason of its many rivers. The Uruguay and the Parana with their long flowing, mighty waters, take the contributions of a cluster of Brazilian streams. Such tributaries of the Parana as the Parahyba, the Tieté, the Rio Grande and the Pardo would stand out as notable in any country that was not so richly blessed with large navigable streams. A full list of Brazilian rivers would make a history of the country in themselves if they could tell their story. Many are short, tumultuous currents known only to the Indian with his canoe, while others flow windingly through upland valleys, and pierce mountain gorges on their journeys to the sea. Most of the latter are served by lines of steamers and in some cases these still are the only means of communication of vast sections of Brazil with the outside world.

[The following letter from Mr. Henry Howard, Director of Recruiting Service for the United States Shipping Board, at Boston, is self explanatory and will be read with interest by all those who desire to see built up in this country an All American Merchant Marine Service.-ED.]

Give Us Men for Ships

May I direct your attention to the work. being done by the Recruiting Service of the United States Shipping Board, of which I have the honor to be Director?

This service is engaged in training officers and men for the new Merchant Marine.

It accepts for training only Americans, the underlying purpose of its work being to produce an all-America personnel for our new Merchant fleets.

The work of the Shipping Board Recruiting Service has been going forward steadily since June last. We then began training deck and engine room officers, at free navigation and engineering schools.

In the course of the summer thirty naviga

tion schools, as well as eight engineering schools were established at various ports, on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Great Lakes.

These schools at present have an attendance of nearly 800 students, the term being one month in an engineering school, and six weeks in a navigation school.

The American officers thus trained, in connection with the existing supply, have been sufficient to keep pace with the increasing demand for officers arising from our increased tonnage. Since June 1 last, not less than 3,600 original licenses have been granted merchant officersall Americans, and not less than 900 licenses have been extended, or their grades raised.

You are cordially invited to send me the names of any experienced men you may know who would make good officers and would like to enter one of our navigation or engineering schools.

In December, 1917, this service was extended to include the training of young Americans to serve in Merchant Marine crews as: Firemen Sailors

Oilers
Water-tenders

Cooks Stewards

A squadron of three training ships has been authorized, with headquarters at Boston, to carry on this branch of our work, and two already are in commission.

Applicants for training are accepted between the ages of 21 and 30, inclusive. They receive training of intensive character for a period of not more than two months, during which time they are under pay of $30 a month. At the end of this training they will be given positions in the Merchant Marine.

If your organization is at any time finding difficulty in obtaining the proper kind of men for deck or engineer officers or men for crews in the various departments in which we are conducting training, please communicate with the

N°

Ships and Democracy

By P. H. W. Ross

OT long ago there appeared in the New York Times a series of articles entitled "America After the War" by "An American Jurist." In his chapter on "Democracy," "Jurist" referred to "the abandoned character and the insincerity of the professional political class."

This is pretty tough on the professional politician. A man would not quite like to say this himself, nor to publish it over his own signature, but since it has been said by some one who, judging from the merit of his writings, must be a gentleman of uncommon wisdom and knowledge, it behooves us to ask ourselves if this be true,-if the professional politician really is an abandoned character and insincere.

Of course, by "abandoned character," "Jurist" could hardly have meant to imply that the professional politician is a wholesale adulterer, a coward, a thief and a liar. He could hardly have meant all that,—at least not as a cyclonic burst of denunciation But some gentler whiffs of dispraise from the same quarter are quite apparent in the opinion the gentleman has formed.

When we know that John Doe is more concerned about himself than he is about his country, more of a party-man than he is a patriot, we can all form our own conclusions and assign to him just so much abandonment and insincerity of character as we feel he deserves.

But all that does not absolve us, each and every one of us,-from our own duty and participation in the conduct of public affairs because if we do not participate in public affairs the professional politician will have it all his own way and, to quote "Jurist" once

more:

"The experience of mankind teaches that under all forms of government the mass of the people is powerless to re-act against the general perversion of the political class of the country except by a revolution."

Fortunately a bloodless revolution is now on in America; consequently the people have a gorgeous chance for healthy re-action against general perversion by any political class.

I don't know how it affects you, but I do know how it affects me: I frankly acknowledge I am a pleasure loving wretch and notwithstanding the fact that as we get older the centers of joy gradually pass upward from the tripping toes of childhood, through the sturdy members of early manhood to the breast. and brain of a calmer middle age-nevertheless pleasure still dominates the functions of the mind quite as much as it does those of the palate and stomach.

Therefore, since think we must on public. matters, the question is how to fix up the dish that it will be a pleasure to partake thereof. This is not the easiest thing in the world to tackle. It is very easy to do in the wrong way, as the learned Dr. X discovered. It seems that Dr. X had spent many years in preparing a work on some theological subject and finally it was published in two volumes. Shortly afterwards it was reviewed thus:

"When Dr. X's first volume appeared there were only two people who could make out what Dr. X was driving at: one was Dr. X, the other was God. But when the second volume came, God dropped out."

I must confess that never have I laughed longer or more heartily at a literary yarn than at this. The awful, choking, dry-as-dust stuff that the worthy Dr. X must have got together, really on the most important subject the human intellect can concern itself with, theology or the word of God-man's relations to God and what the interpretation and clarifying of the stupendous message from God to man,-what it all means. Surely nothing conceivable can be of greater moment than this!

So Dr. X's subject was magnificent and what did he do with it? To begin with, as the reviewer has it, by the dullness of his treatment he eliminated co-operative thought of all humanity at one fell swoop and there were none

left in the universe but Dr. X himself and a kindly beneficent God, who could even be induced to try to find out what Dr. X was driving at. Then, when a second dose of this ineffable boredom came along, it was too much even for Benign Omniscience. The Deity was willing to try, willing to struggle along through the maze of ineptitude, but finally He had to give it up and "dropped out."

Well, that is exactly how NOT to do it when you want to get your fellow man to "come on in" to the water, or to a game, or to a walk, or a fight, or anything where you want him by your side, his shoulder next to yours and his heart beating sympathetically with your own.

It must be made a pleasure for him to stay with and work with you. How well The National Marine League will succeed in doing this time alone will show, but it certainly will not be for lack of trying nor of love for the work.

The amiable Dr. X might have said:

"Our efforts are to mediate for the average voter economic philosophy in its practical bearing on daily life."

This is only another way of saying that we want to get our voters to "catch on" to the fact that it is money in their pockets to keep American ships going on the high seas under the Stars and Stripes and to have those ships manned by American citizens in ever increasing ratio, as the years roll on. Moreover, this is the one big bet in American politics, compared with which all other issues are trivial.

In trying to sift out any tangle of circumstances, it helps to adopt school methods. When we studied geometry we first had to assimilate certain axioms, such as "a line is length without breadth," etc.; so also must we establish at least one axiom which cannot possibly be controverted or overturned.

I think the most axiomatic fact in human existence is that a man must have had a mother. He may not have wife, brother, sister, or even knowledge of a father-his father could have died before he was bornbut it is very certain his mother couldn't have died before he was born.

Therefore, it is quite clear that the most important, the most fundamental factor in all

humanity is the woman about to become a mother. And what are the conditions most necessary to her welfare? Regularity of food, regularity of shelter and mental contentment Without at least these three requisites the forces of humanity are enfeebled at their

source.

And how can the average husband assure regularity of food, warmth and a reasonable degree of mental content to his wife during this all-important period? In only one way-by having regular employment. No other way ever has or can or will answer for the average man who has to work for a living. Irregular employment, high wages for a while, followed by periods of idleness, utterly break up the peace of any well ordered mother-mind. Look at Mother Nature. Does she work by fits and starts? Like all good women she has her tantrums, smiles, tears, kisses and slaps; but in the main she grinds away with marvellous precision and regularity. Just so with Mother Woman. She must have regularity to carry on her job, and as she is fifty per cent of humanity anyhow, and certainly has fifty per cent of humanity's work to do, it follows that the nation that abandons regularity of employment as the prime canon of industrial economy abandons common sense and is "hell bent for" perdition, as one of "Jurist's" abandoned politicians might say.

Do you remember Kipling's story of the Bandar Logs, the monkey communities of silly idiots that chattered all day and lived in the trees? Why were they silly, chattering, irrelevant monkeys, beneath contempt of Lion, Bear or even Mouse? Because they were without regularity, flitting from tree to tree, noisy and useless. Do we want to degenerate into the "Bandar Logs" of the nations? We shall, unless we cultivate regularity.

How are we to have and to hold this cosmic virtue and condition of regularity, remembering that fifty-one per cent of our people live in cities and that our prosperity now depends upon the sale of our products abroad?

The answer is ships, ships, SHIPS, in ever increasing number and always under our own flag and, as quickly as possible, manned by American citizens.

Training Ships Preparing Merchant Mariners

That a loyal spirit of co-operation exists between the United States Shipping Board and The National Marine League is beyond question.

Whether the movement is one for enlisting boys for training ships, for recruiting men for our shipbuilding yards, questions having to do with legislation or marine insurance, or in the large and vital endeavor to arouse the country to the needs of having trade to match its ships, the officers and members of the League are putting forth their best ability and effort.

President P. H. W. Ross represented the League recently at a notable luncheon in New York City, a graphic account of which, by permission of The Evening Mail, in which the following sketch appeared, is herewith presented to our readers:

U. S. TAKING 45,000 BOYS TO SAIL SEAS

This is a tale of rolling seas, heaving decks and modern argosies, steam propelled, that link the Far East with the western ocean, daring the war zone. It tells, too, how Uncle Sam is taking 45,000 of the country's youth from farm, town and city to fit them for serIvice in the merchant marine.

Prophetically, too, is foretold how the government, aided by foreseeing citizens, is working to restore Miss Liberty to ocean sovereignty and in token thereof, of dotting the seven seas with the Stars and Stripes, flying from America's merchant vessels.

So far as New York is concerned today, the story starts aboard the "Calvin Austin," United States Shipping Board's training ship, moored to Pier 42, although scheduled to voyage to Sandy Hook.

The gale, which kept tugs busy and away from the "Austin," prevented her 410 apprentice seamen from showing at sea the proficiency acquired in eight weeks' schooling, but did not prevent their going through, in snappy and nautical manner, the drills that have prepared them for service in the merchant marine

that the Shipping Board is evoking from nothingness.

The "Calvin Austin," late of the Eastern Steamship Company's Boston-Halifax service, is the first of the shipping board's sea schools; shortly to have companions on the Atlantic, Pacific gulf. She came in Saturday and leaves today.

Her first class was graduated yesterday. It numbered forty. Every man jack of the forty took his dunnage direct from the "Austin" to a berth on some merchant ship, half going aboard an ocean liner to dare war zone perils.

Seventy-five others of the "Austin's" youngsters were all but ready to ship, but they will be placed at Boston, whither their craft is bound. The rest graduate at the rate of from fifteen to twenty a day, being replaced by re'cruits from all over the United States.

The "Austin," with "Gov. Dingley" and the ex-transport "Meade," soon to go into service on the Atlantic, is the baby of the Shipping Board's recruiting service, established June 1, 1917, with Henry Howard, Boston business man, as director.

Early seeing need for increasing the personnel of the merchant marine, as the Shipping Board built new ships, Mr. Howard, securing federal aid, established thirty schools throughout the country where navigation and engineering were taught prospective ship officers.

Then came, starting January 1, the training of "non-coms" and "privates" for the marine.

It was estimated that during 1918 there would be needed to man the ships to be launched 13,000 seamen, 24,000 coal passers, firemen, oilers and water tenders, and 8,000 cooks and stewards.

Some of these men are obtaining necessary training on the "Austin." Others will be trained on the "Dingley" and the "Meade." Fifty students a day are to be graduated from these three craft, starting in April.

Others of the 45,000 needed this year will learn the ropes on training ships to be ready within thirty days on the Pacific and Gulf.

Capt. Eugene E. O'Donnell, Shipping Board's supervisor of sea training and, incidentally, supervisor for the fifth district of the U. S. Steamboat Inspection Service, told

aboard the "Austin" something of how the wheels go around on the craft and among her students, who come from nearly every state in the Union.

O'Donnell, who took the "Austin" as a relief ship to Halifax, after the explosion disaster, was aided in his narrative by Capt. C. F. Kemp, who used to command on their speed trials all the big war craft built at the Fore River, Mass., yards.

The yarn was spliced with exhibitions by apprentice seamen of their skill in boat and fire drills, of reefing and knotting, of standing watch, and welcome job-making one's self the graveyard of a generous dinner.

"New York is to be an important port in our plan," said Capt. O'Donnell, as the siren called the crew to boat drill and a human chain of lusty youth unwound itself upon the hurricane deck, enmeshing the twelve life boats.

"This city, instead of Boston, would have been our headquarters, but there was no dock available here and we were able to get Federal Wharf, East Boston, very reasonably."

A young quartermaster, frantically working to get his boat outboard first, spoiled his uniform blouse with white paint and never stopped even to cuss. He was working extra hard because he had a crew of lightweights and, despite the heartiness with which they heaved on the tackle, the heavy boat rose slowly from her chocks.

"Gives them beef and strength," remarked O'Donnell, "See how those kids lay to the ropes. All bare-headed, too, and most of them coatless. The bulk of these lads never saw salt water till last January."

"Some of them look very young," was remarked, "Thought seventeen was the minimum age for recruits ?”

"It was. It's twenty-one to thirty now.

Some of these little fellows must have 'camouflaged' to get by the surgeons."

It developed that, while the age of admission was seventeen to twenty-one, hardly a day went by without some father or mother coming aboard the "Austin" to reclaim a boy who had wonderfully appeared with written parental consent to enlistment.

The life boats were just vanishing below the deck when a Dalmatian hound made a flying leap into the chief engineer's boat. He was followed by a stubby-tailed cat that leaped into another boat.

"Know why that cat went into the chief steward's boat?" asked the only one of the ship's crew who seemed to be doing anything.

Ignorance being professed, the garrulous one, who must have been the ship's chief fabricator, spun thus his yarn:

"That's a blooming British cat. We got it at Halifax. The end of its tail had been blown off. It wouldn't eat at first. We thought that one of its nine lives that bosses its stomach had been killed. The steward finds out what's wrong, though. Th' cat's a limejuicer, see. Came off a British ship, and wants the British seaman's allowance that calls for limejuice. The steward gives it a drink of that every day now, an' th' cat eats all right again." The dog, it seemed, had no such sea serpent