Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-30
TURKEYS AND BIBLES.

An Incident of a War Thanksgiving
Day In q COnvnlescent Camp.
The sanitary commission and the Chris.
tian commission were both grand institu-
lions in their way, but the two when first
organized were very often slightly mixed In
the minds of the soldier. The good work OF
the two commissions was also slightly mix
ed occasionally, as writer for The Star is
aware and the results, although rather dis
extreme when the disappointment wore
away.
Along in 1928. when convalescent camp.
near Alexandria, contained over twenty
from the various hospitals in the north, the
sanitary commission conceived the idea OF
giving a Thanksgiving dinner to the sick
soldiers in the hospital attached to the
camp, and the patients in that institution
were given to understand that they might
expect something over and above the ordf-
nary hospital fare when the national tur-
key day came around, and remembering the
goodies which usually loaded down the
home table at such times, they commenced
nursing their appetites for the occasion.
About the same time the Christian COM
mission bethought themselves that their
particular line of business needed bracing
up little in a camp containing SO many
men, and had sent an agent from the head
quarters in Washington to look over the
ground and see what was necessary In the
Way OF SUPPLYING their Spiritual WdHtS 1 He
agent evidently discovered woeful lack of
religious reading matter in camp, for on his
return to Washington a large box of small
pocket Bibles was packed and sent to the
depot quartermasters for forwarding to
that point.
The sanitary commission purchased a
large number of turkeys, and they were
roasted in one of the bake ovens in the city
on the morning of the day they were to be
eaten in Virginia, then packed in a large
box, with all the various good things that
go to make up the regula ton Thanksgiving
dinner, not forgetting gcodly number OF
fat mince pies, and the box forwarded at
once to convalescent camp, where the sick
soldiers were all ready and anxious to get
away with a good, big dinner. The two
boxes were delivered by the same driver
ing room and the other a quarter of a mile
away at the Office of the receiving officer of
the camp.
The latter box was opened by the officer
at once, and concluding that some big
hearted people of Washington had taken
this anonymous way of introducing home
comforts to the internal workings of that
portion of the army, he proceeded at once
to distribute the oontents-an undertaking
that was IAN immediate and pronounced
success, and the turkeys and pies disap-
peared like magic. Among the hundred or
more who were Immediately substantially
benefited by that distribution was the writ
er, and he can distinctly remember the i'm
mense satisfs ction with which he formed
himself irto a hollow square around a half
turkey and a ditto mince pie, though per
haps he was really more in need of food
from the other box. The thought that a
mistake had been made never entered the
mind of the receiving officer, ard the SOL
diers-well, they were really too busy with
the matter in hand-both hands-to give
thought to anything else.
At the hospital the hospital steward open.
ed tn, box just delivered. whistled little
then scratched his head. The surgeon sent
down a little later to learn If the Thanks
giving box had arrived. and what it con.
tanned, and the answer sent back was:
BOX just opened. Contents, about g
thousand Bibles for dinner and lot OF
tracts for dessert"
Innumerable were the blessings called
down upon the heads of the good people who
packed those boxes, but probably the mos1
emphatic, the most soul-stirring and awe
inspiring, were those intended for the par
ties who sent that Thanksgiving dinner II
small packages-in cloth binding: