April 1878.
Translated by Duncan Kennedy, Lieut. U. S. N.
In addition to the information given in the report submitted to the President of the Republic upon the state of elementary instruction in the fleet, the Minister of Marine believes it to be a duly to publish the following notice, relating to the results of moral measures taken to establish for the men of the different squadrons rooms for recreation and places of refuge.
The establishing of rooms for recreation and places of refuge dates back to the year 1872; at that time Vice Admiral Pothuau, in charge of the Navy Department, ordered the experiment to be made, and it was not long before the results justified the step and showed the propriety of developing these new institutions as far as possible. An order dated Nov. 26, 1873, officially recognized these institutions at the five naval stations—Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Toulon, and Rochefort—and authorized the rules for internal regulation which had been proposed at the station at Toulon. The results have far exceeded the hopes of the most sanguine, and the rooms for recreation in conjunction with the libraries, providing sailors while on shore with wholesome amusements of a moral character, are fully appreciated.
The rooms are large and airy, bright and warm in winter, and are provided with tables and benches. Connected with them are restaurants, tobacco shops and stands for the sale of toilet articles and perfumery desired by sailors. The men smoke and amuse themselves as they please, feeling that it is their own house, while a very slight watching suffices to maintain perfect order. It is the place of meeting for sailors and under officers of all grades, who mingle according to their individual likings.
At present the recreation rooms provide ample amusements of all sorts; noisy and boisterous sports outside in good weather, and inside the rooms themselves. There is an annual appropriation for purchasing and renewing such games and amusements as are most to the taste of sailors. The reports from the different stations are unanimous in proving the advantages of these institutions, which fulfill perfectly the objects for which they were established; to furnish amusement for the men and to draw them away from rum shops, by making their time at the rooms pass agreeably. It is in winter especially that these places are of great benefit by furnishing the sailors with a place in which to spend their liberty in good condition.
During the last five years most interesting details of the working of these rooms and of the additions which they are daily receiving, have been sent to the Minister of Marine. At Cherbourg the sailors frequently meet fur games which are followed by the distribution of prizes. An idea none the less happy has been the establishing of shooting matches, which are held every Sunday and holiday. Finally to encourage the men in this sport, every where thoroughly appreciated, special targets have been used in these matches.
Brest gives figures which speak for themselves. During the first quarter of 1874, the admissions to the rooms amounted to twenty-one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two before the retreat had sounded and to four thousand three hundred and twenty-eight after the retreat, two thousand four hundred and forty-six men who came not being able to find room.
There is no time, as the reports show, when the men are anxious to escape and crowd to the doors at which they are free to go out; for they have now within their reach amusements which restrain them and moderate the longing to rush outside, formerly so irresistible. Frequenting the recreation rooms seems to be becoming more and more a habit with the sailors at Brest, just as at the other ports.
At Lorient it is proved that these rooms for recreation have aided greatly in diminishing the number of the cases of intoxication. Not only are the rooms largely frequented, but it is at the same time noticed that the men, after strolling through the town and the country, return to the navy yard to meet and enjoy themselves while waiting for the time to return to their ships or quarters.
At Rochefort the result is the same.
These rooms, says the report, are great competitors of the rum shops, to the great advantage of our sailors. Finally this is what is said in the report from Toulon:
"In conjunction with the library the rooms for recreation have enabled many men to shun the unwholesome temptations of the streets; and to those who were accustomed to abandon themselves to this common way of living, it will in time become a thing of the past, remembered as one of the distractions incident to the exigencies of the service."
Thus it is acknowledged everywhere, that the establishing of rooms for recreation is one of the most useful and efficacious means which have been attempted of late years, for entertaining and improving sailors. They seem to understand and appreciate all that has been done for their comfort, and there follows a feeling of gratification which must contribute to the good discipline noticeable in them. It may be asserted without fear of contradiction, that these institutions exercise a great and salutary influence on their conduct. Nowhere is there any complaint of the behavior of the sailors in the rooms; good order and discipline are never disturbed. The principal games in vogue and common to all the stations are as follows: rings, cup and ball, billiards, bowls, cards, checkers, dominoes, croquet, chess, skittles, and solitaire. The most popular out-door games are bowls and skittles, while in-doors cards, checkers, dominoes and loto, hold the first place; the warrant officers particularly play billiards a great deal.
Places of Refuge.
In a different manner, but still in the same general plan, the places of refuge render our sailors great service in allowing them always to find a free lodging for the night, and in removing them from temptations to which they might be exposed, to the great detriment of their health and purse.
It is well known that it is the rule in the navy to keep men busy every day in the week, giving them liberty only from evening till morning; a careful investigation has demonstrated the necessity of keeping up this old custom in the different divisions of the fleet. These places of refuge are for the benefit of the men whose families do not live at the post and who consequently cannot spend their nights at home, that they may enjoy their liberty in rest and quiet amusements.
These places were first established towards the close of 1872, and since then they have been regularly instituted at the five stations except Lorient, where the conditions were such as to offer no facilities for the establishment of such an institution. As the sailors begin to appreciate the resources and benefits of these establishments, they are everywhere being extended. The places offer certain comforts in accommodations for sleeping and bathing. The policing of the place is confined to a boatswain's-mate. At Toulon, the place of refuge is on board the hulk "Patache," where about fifteen beds are placed at the disposal of the sailors, each of whom as he comes in, receives a mattress and bed clothes; a very well arranged lavatory completes the establishment.
Upon entering, the men give their names, their service numbers, and state if they belong to the station, or to what ship. These different statements are entered in a register provided for the purpose, and kept by the boatswain's-mate in charge. A small locker containing a number of separate compartments corresponding to the number of the disposable beds, is placed for the use of the petty officer in charge, for storing the money, jewels, papers, &c., which may be deposited with him by the men who come to pass the night at the refuge. Printed regulations, setting forth the rules adopted for the interior police of the refuge, are hung up in the rooms; they show the punishment to which any man renders himself liable who disturbs the good order of the place, and how he may subject himself in one way or another, to punishment by the authorities. It is very seldom that the authorities are forced to resort to repressive measures, the reports from the different stations showing on the contrary that everything goes on quietly, and that punishments are almost entirely unknown.
A room called the "resting place" is provided for sailors travelling to Paris. It is open, according to the season, from 6 or 7 in the morning till 9 at night. The men find in this place a comfortable shelter, camp beds and covers on which they can sleep, a library and illustrated journals. Here they can make themselves neat and presentable; but what is more important is that here they are protected from the solicitations of runners who, under the pretext of carrying their bags and guiding them in the city, steal their money and entice them into grog shops. The boatswain's-mate in charge after having directed the men to the railway stations gives them all necessary instructions about the departure of the trains in different directions and about the public houses which have agreed to take sailors at reasonable rates.
The rooms for recreation and places of refuge have made a real advance in the rude lives of the sailors, who are by these means removed from the isolation and the temptations which to them are very great. These men are under no restraint outside of the service, but the attempt is made by every means possible to keep them at all times willingly under the regulations of discipline and duty. Experience has already shown them how great are the advantages to them of such institutions, for which they are indebted to the Navy Department.