war, it is either useless or worse than useless. It
ought therefore to take place as regularly and habitually as the
nature of the ship's duties will allow of. In the next place, it seems
clear, that if the service be rendered so long, or be otherwise so
conducted, as not to arrest the attention of the crew, or not to
maintain it alive when once fixed, it is too long.

I will venture to say, there is rarely to be met with anywhere a more
orderly or a more attentive congregation, in all respects, than on
board a man-of-war.

But, notwithstanding all Jack's decorum and his discipline, to say
nothing of his natural inclination, when duly encouraged, to reflect
seriously and properly on any subject, as he is made of ordinary flesh
and bones, his eyes will sometimes refuse to keep open under the
infliction of a dull or ill-delivered discourse; so that if the
person who officiates happens not to read very well, his best chance
for securing any useful attention consists in the brevity of his
prelections. If the quality, rather than the quantity, of instruction
be his object, he should be exceedingly careful not to fatigue his
hearers. The inverse rule of proportion obtains here with such
mortifying regularity, that the longer he makes the church service
beyond the mark of agreeable and easy attention, the more certain will
he be of missing his point.

The analogy, not to speak it profanely, between overloading a gun and
overloading a discourse applies especially to ship-preaching. Sailors
are such odd fellows that they are nowise moved by noise and smoke;
but they well know how to value a good aim, and always love and honour
a commanding-officer who truly respects their feelings, nor by means
of long-winded and ill-timed discourses, or what they irreverently
call psalm-singing, interferes too much with their religious concerns.

It would be easy, though perhaps rather invidious, to point out in
what other respects many officers are apt, besides the protracted
length of the church service on Sunday, to err in excess in these
matters. I am very sorry to say it would be still easier to show in
what respects all of us err in defect. I should rejoice much more in
being able to make officers who have not sufficiently reflected on
these things, duly sensible that it is quite as much to their
immediate professional advantage that the religious duties of their
ship should form an essential part of the discipline of the crew, and
b