The times., 1899-07-02

was named for Gen. William T. Sherman.
and in its quarters dwell many soldiers OF
the Civil and Indian Wars; also twenty
| recruits from our recent conflicts These
are chiefly young men. who have sustain
| ed injuries, and are likely to be but tenn
porary residents. One ambitious young
man, who served in Cuba, is very busy
studying law and has no intention OF sub
siding into the ranks of the retired or
of resting on past laurels.
The buildings, which in addition TO
other features have quarters for veterans,
are those already mentioned. and the fol-
| lowing named in honor of Surgeon b.
| King. for thirteen years attending sur
geon of the Home. and Philip II. Sheridan.
| The building west of the main quarters
| was named for Gen. Robert Anderson. of
Fort Sumter renown. This has frequent
ly been used as a summer resort for the
Presidents Buchanan. Lincoln, Hayes, and
Arthur having. respectively, occupied its
| spacious apartments. The eolored soldiers
occupy portions of the King building. In
the Sheridan building one of the most fire.
Quented places is the billiard and pool
\ rooms. Some of the veterans are experts
] with the cue. They also enjoy games OF
| ba gatelle, checkers. cards, etc. All the
privileges of this kind are extended the
veterans free of charge.
Museum and Library.
i
| The museum has small but interesting
collection of relies. ranging from General
| Sherman's great coat to samples of
smokeless powder. sample OF the first
J fintlock guns hangs on the wall, and near
the door of the east entrance are two old
+ Howitzers captured from the British.
| The library of the Home was the Japa-
nese building at the Centennial, after
wards donated to the old soldiers; its pict
uresque exterior, its irregular hooks and
crannies inside adapt it to the purpose for
| which it is now utilized; the ceilings are
| Of hardwood and the carving is rich and
| fantastic in design. The catalogue reveals
| Il wealth of literature not limited in sub
| jects, but particularly rich in fiction and
| war history. About s25 per month
| is expended in new books. There is
no regular system in purchasing;
| but certain bookstores patronized by the
Home send each month their new and pop
| ular books, or any publications likely to be
of interest to the veterans. The librarian
accepts or rejects as his judgment dictates
The library contains now about 1900 vol
! umes; its most recent acquisitions
are collections relating to warfare
| in Cuba and the Philippines. Such
| books are eagerly read by the soldiers,
| about one-third of whom are constant visi-
| tors TO the book shelves; fiction. too, is in
great demand among them, convincing
| proof that sentiment and romance survive
| youth, for though the ages of the men
range from about twenty -four to over nine
ty most of them are past middle age. The
Home receives thirty-three newspapers and
| seventeen periodicals, and these have a
! wider circulation than any other publica-
tions.
Stanley Hall, which bears the name OF
! the late governor, is no makeshift of a
| theatre for stranded transformers or poor
amateurs, but an excellent playhouse, with
| all the facilities and modern improvements
necessary to stage frst-class plays. 1t has
| seating capacity of 1,500 and there are
| about 100 performances during a year by
| paid professionals. The large stage has
| indoor and outdoor scenes and several
| dressing rooms. The cost of these enter
| tainments averages annually 1000. Free
| to the inmates Of the Home they are al
ways witnessed by packed houses. and
| constitute source of great pleasure. All
| kinds of plays are staged, but the favor
| ties are variety shows and comedy. The
| tripping of the light fantastic toe, swal-
| lowing of swords or grand and lofty tum-
bling brings hours of wholesome laughter
to those who have already witnessed
/ enough of life's tragic scenes and need
max to make the balance complete.
| Drills exist no more for these former SOL
| diers, so that roll calls, the battery of ar
| tillery breaking the morning silence with
| the reveille and ending day with sunset
| salute are all the signs left to remind them
Of army discipline.
| Religious services, both Catholic and
| Protestant, are well attended in the little
red stone chapel OF the Home, and its
cemetery is the resting place of all that is
mortal of a host of prominent men.
| A most important feature of this little COL
ony is the hospital and the inhrmary for
| the aged. Here the best medical service,
careful attendance. delicate and nourish-
| ing foods are employed to relieve suffering
and make life bearable. if not comforta-
| BILE. With the exception of a small sum
to be deducted for additions to the King
| building, 100000 are to be expended this
year in the hospital quarters to accommo-
| date disabled heroes returning from the
Philippines.
| A number of old soldiers become insane
as the result of former hardships and ex-
| posure. AS an illustration of the consid-
| Grafton which is manifested toward them
it is a notable fact that whenever possible
they are retained in the Home and not
| sent to the regular asylum. There are
| two barred Isolated rooms connected with
| the hospital. and those whose mental dis
| orders are of a mild nature are treated in
| the general wards. There are about twen--
ty-one insane men in the Home One man
| there comes under the classification Of
| crank" He is a harmless old fellow. and
| the attendants humor his whims as far as
possible. He is curious about visitors. and
with an air of official authority, which
often awes strangers, he demands to know
| their business in making the rounds of the
| hospital.
Music by the Band.
One of the pleasantest hours of the old
soldiers day comes at sunset, when a
band composed of thirty two pieces and led
| by former army officer stations itself
| out on the greensward. The first note is
the signal for hurrying feet from all parts
of buildings and grounds, and before the
| first piece is ended most of the benches
within good hearing distance are filed,
| while the more restless of the auditors
promenade up and down or disport them
| selves in various ways on the grass. Some
get enthusiastic, as the martial strains of
| stirring march pour forth, and rend the
| air with cheers and the clapping of hands
| to the time of the music. Others may be
| seen leaning forward, silent and with rapt
| expression, when some minor chords awak-
| en- responsive echoes in hearts that no
amount of contact with rough places on the
road of life can rob of their tenderness A
regular programme. prepared by the leader,
| is followed for each occasion, but If any of
| the soldiers want to hear a particular
tune they are never refused. And so.