reassured, "but it made men of those who followed it. I see a
change for the worse even in our own town here; full of loafers
now, small and poor as 'tis, who once would have followed the sea,
every lazy soul of 'em. There is no occupation so fit for just
that class o' men who never get beyond the fo'cas'le. I view it,
in addition, that a community narrows down and grows dreadful
ignorant when it is shut up to its own affairs, and gets no
knowledge of the outside world except from a cheap, unprincipled
newspaper. In the old days, a good part o' the best men here knew
a hundred ports and something of the way folks lived in them. They
saw the world for themselves, and like's not their wives and
children saw it with them. They may not have had the best of
knowledge to carry with 'em sight-seein', but they were some
acquainted with foreign lands an' their laws, an' could see outside
the battle for town clerk here in Dunnet; they got some sense o'
proportion. Yes, they lived more dignified, and their houses were
better within an' without. Shipping's a terrible loss to this part
o' New England from a social point o' view, ma'am."

"I have thought of that myself," I returned, with my interest
quite awakened. "It accounts for the change in a great many
things,--the sad disappearance of sea-captains,--doesn't it?"

"A shipmaster was apt to get the habit of reading," said my
companion, brightening still more, and taking on a most touching
air of unreserve. "A captain is not expected to be familiar with
his crew, and for company's sake in dull days and nights he turns
to his book. Most of us old shipmasters came to know 'most
everything about something; one would take to readin' on farming
topics, and some were great on medicine,--but Lord help their poor