The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-07-14
BLANKET ETIQUETTE.
There Il a Right and a Wrong Way I'd
Behave While Being Tossed
In the Air.

9 s.t
| While packing the box to send to the
front to the gallant soldier with red
flannel and socks and light underwear
and other things which are more abpn.
dant here than they are in Tampa OF
Jacksonville the wise parent might in.
close Little pamphlet on Show to Act
When Tossed in Blanket" The SOL
der who has never been thrown in
the air by his comrades in jovial spirit
has something to learn of the joys OF
soldering, and it can never be learned
outside of the blanket. There are GER
tain rules and regulations, unwritten.
to be sure, but none the less part and
parcel of the army regulations, govern
ing the pleasing custom of ''blanket-
ing" soldiers, instructions as to how to
hold the blanket, how to capture the
victim, the number of times a man of
certain weight can be tossed and also
a few instructions to the fellow who
goes up in the air.
II these could be collected and issued
in pamphlet form it would be a good
thing, for now and then some little
trouble ensues when either party to the
blanketing expedition does not know
how to act. There are two lines of con-
duct open to the man in the blanket:
and one of them is eminently correct,
while the other may lead to disaster and
trouble.
When a squad of soldiers is seized
with a desire to speed the golden mo-
ments by tossing somebody, the usual
course is to wait until all the officers
are gone from the company street and
then secure blanket from a tent
About Is strong-armed men then lounge
toward the unsuspecting victim, the
blanket being concealed lest the game
be flushed. When they are directly be-
hind him the blanket is spread open in
vltingly, while couple of soldiers
"stall'-that is, engage the victim in
conversation to distract his attention
| When all is ready one Of them pushes
him suddenly, he falls on the blanket
| and he is lost. There is no use to weer
and there is no use to moan when this
happens. The soldier who is to be tossed
might as we'll make up his mind to take
his medicine gracefully, with the re.
Election that he will have a hand in
tossing some one else as soon as his ex.
ercise is over. The proper thing to dc
instead OF grabbing the edge of the
blanket and trying to climb out OF
struggle with those nearest him is fol-
the soldier to curl himself up in ball
| ola ninor HE 1-rooc
arms and ducl1ing his head on his
breast. Then let the rough workers &c
ahead, and there is little chance fol-
trouble. This might be designated "the
right way"
The man who spraddles himself al
over the blanket, tries to seize the edges
when he comes down and grasps vic.
lently at the air when he is up above
the tents, is likely to have trouble. AS
soon as he is dumped into the sagging
blanket the men give it quick yanl
and he flies in the air like stone from
sling shot. The blanket is held tau1
to receive his fall, like the net under
the trapeze performers at the circus
and as he strikes it another yank sends
him up again and half dozen times the
toss is repeated. If he manages to
grab the edge of the blanket he is liable
to be spilled out sidewise, which is nc
good way. There is only one thing tc
do when the blanket committee arrives
and that is to grin and stand it and try
to get yodr moneys worth.
When the first man has had all the
tossing that is coming to him he is
dumped out of the blanket and quick
as flash some one else follows him
usually one Of the blanketers who
helped toss him. A couple of willing
arms grab victim previously desig.
mated and he is dumped into the blan.
ket head first and away goes the game
again. It is kept up until the 'com-
mittee' is too tired to do any more work
, and then everybody lies down fol
awhile.
Some officers frown upon the sport as
being childish and dangerous, for now
and then man misses the blanket on
his downward trip and strikes the
ground with force which Jars whole
county, Chicago Chronicle.