Evening star., 1896-10-31

army and assisted by regular army hes
pital stewards. 1t Is model hospital of it's
kind. having all the appliances and ac-
commodations required by the most ad-
vanced knowledge of medicine and surgery.
There are six wards, three for the sick and
three for the convalesccnts and such other
inmates of the home as require constant
attention and assistance On account of their
disabilities. There is library within the
hospital for the use of Suoh patients as are
unable to walk to the main library.
But the great majority OF the old sol
d.ers assemble. after breakfast, in the large
reading room. in the basement. of the Scott
building, where there many duplicate
copies of the local morning and evening
parers. besides papers from all of the lead
ing cities of the country AMI all of the
magazines. The reading room is the favor
lite place of adjournment after meals be-
cause smoking IS permitted There is
tEick, corfort-indicat:ng maze of blue
smoke IN the reading room during all hours
OF the day, but especially after meal hours.
Short, black, misunderstanding clay pipes
predominant. 1t is mere idleness 10 present
an old soldier with fine meerschauln or
briarwood pipe. He will carefully lock it
away in his chest, and go right on smok-
ing the tTo-inch, ebon-coloreu clay, that is
probably relic of the sutler store or can
zen. teen IN the last post in which he performed
active service. The faliacy that seasoned
ciay pipes are 'swceter'' than any other
KIND OF pipe whatsoever Will always prevail
among old soldiers and sailors.
Win nothing else 20 do on their hands may
walk across the hall from the reading room
10 the blizzard room, in which are many
line new billiard and pool tables If they
are not attached to the cue. they may stroll
over to the home library, where IN an as
sortment of 1000 books, there is not much
olHicuity in selecting something to every
mans taste. They may take the books to
Iheir quarters and keep them for two
library. " VIC
A Beautiful Park
Ihere is, in brief, no lack Of comfortabl,
ana peaceful means by which the inmates
OF the Eome may dispose of their idle
hours If they elect to engage in no special
occupation. but simply to go forth into the
air, they have at hand a field of exalora-
ton, all of the beautiful hooks and cram
MES of which it would take long for them
9 u e3haust. There are few parks in the
worid that can claim such a variety of
beauty as the park Of the Soldiers Homo
Mess call goes again at noon, half an
hour after recall from fatigle'' has been
sounded, at which time all of the men
employed on extra duty knock Off work and
go 10 their quarters to prepare for din
ner. After dinner a considerable majority
OF the old soldiers. faithful in the practice
OF a habit of their active service curl uo
on their hunks and doZe for an hour or
so. The post-prandial doze OF the soldier
mas been an institution almost Approximate
ing the dignity Of ceremonial since the
days Of Alexsnder's conquests. and it is
certainly consistently followed I'D at the
home. But, directly after dinner on many
afternoons. little groups of the old SOL
dlers will be seen tidyng themselves up
with no accompanying cheerfuness, as Of
men going on leave to the city or on fur
Tough tc more distant places. The little
bands OF crepe which these men place
around their left arms tell of their mis-
sion.
rb.,o
nine acres. where sleep nearly 1000 SOL
diers VINO died during the rebellion, and
more than 1.2'U inmates of the home
Tattoo goes not long after supper at
the home, and the melancholy taps" when
all of the lights except those in the library
and hospital are extinguished, is sounded
at half-past Q. By the time the last mourn
full note of taps has died away the old
soldiers are. for the most part. tucked
snugly in their hunks. But they are not
obliged to stand 'check roll CALL" as they
d1d when they were on the active list. The
sergeant in charge of quarters" does not,
plough through the squad rooms. lantern
in hand, making list of men who are not
in their hunks after lights out as in the
regular army.
The old soldiers are given every liberty
in the matter of leaves of absence, and
are not compelled to give detailed account
of themselves if they remain away from
their quarters a trifle past the regular
hour for turning in. When they wish to go
on leave to the city or elsewhere, they put
their names down on the .Ieaye list' with
the sergeant of the squad who in turn
submits it to the adjutant for approval
Requests for leave of absence for any
period up to a month or more are rarely
diSapproN ed unless the applicant by ir-
regular conduct while on previous leaves
of absence, has in some degree forfeited
his full privileges. The pensions are all
drawn by the treasurer of the home, who
takes care of all the pension certificates
G.lIs
for a leave of absence or furlough he ap-
plies to the treasurer for the amount ne
wishes.
Religious Services.
A great majority of the old soldiers are
strict in their attendance at the services
held on Sundays at the picturesque, vine
covered chapel. The services are held by
three chaplains of different religious de-
nominations. The regular chaplain,
Catholic priest. opens the days services
with mass. A Lutheran clergyman of1iciates
later on in the morning, and he is in turn
followed by an Ep;scopalian minister, the
Rev. DIR. James A. Buck, who has min
istered to the spiritual needs of inmates of
the home for nearly fifty years.
The new theater Of the home realft
remarkable bit of architecture in fine
white marble which is now in course Of
completion. IS to be opened within couple
of months and first-class performances
given by professionals, and paid for out
OF an appropriation from the immense Sol
diers Home fund-which now amounts to
over Si,oU0,WO-especially made for the pur-
pose. Will spare the old soldiers the trouble
of travelling to and from the city for their
theatrical entertainment.
Reasonably enough. the men living at the
Soldiers Home are somewhat tenacious of
their right to be called members of the
home instead of inmates" although the
latter term, while used in no derogatory
sense, is much more often, through the
force of long custom, applied to them by
outsiders. The term inmate they con-
slider as applicable only to the residents of
a strictly eleemosynary institution while
the fund of their home was originally Gre
ated by the valiant services of the soldiers
of the United States army-as, for instance.
he levy OF Sl0D.00O made upon the Guy of
Mexico. during the Mexican war, for the
benefit of the home-and has since been.
augmented by assessments from their own
pay and that o: their comrades. IA