It seems as if their shipyards also belonged to the past; but the summer visitor finds a fresh attraction in watching the new schooners rise from the stocks, and the gay pageant of launching them, every mast ablaze with bunting, draws crowds to the water-front.

And as a business venture, with somewhat of the tang of old-fashioned romance, the casual stranger is now and then tempted to purchase a sixty-fourth "piece" of a splendid Yankee four-master and keep in touch with its roving fortunes.

The shipping reports of the daily newspaper prove more fascinating than the ticker tape, and the tidings of a successful voyage thrill one with a sense of personal gratification.

For the sea has not lost its magic and its mystery, and those who go down to it in ships must still battle against elemental odds--still carry on the noble and enduring traditions of the Old Merchant Marine.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE As a rule, American historians like McMaster, Adams, and Rhodes give too little space to the maritime achievements of the nation.

The gap has been partially filled by the following special works: Winthrop L.Marvin, "The American Merchant Marine: Its History and Romance from 1620 to 1902" (1902).