Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-12

kindY A word 10 the wise is sufficient
The authorities Of the home are very
rigid IN their rules against intemperance-
Indeed. the old soldiers must have passes
before they can leave the grounds but
once out they generally DO what they can
fs onbeiiish the municipality with rubi-
c,nd tlnts. Perhaps ] should qualify this
statement by saying that some OF them
do. for .unrec0nstructed as ] am, / must
admit that most Of the old fellows were
very genteei-lookEg. The little tewn OF
Phoebus. which Is a neXt-dOor neishDef
Of Hampt0n's, subsisfs principally
through the money spent By The soldiers
so / am told. while there ] saw at least
% score OF bar rooms and they say there
are others. could not undertake to
count them without having my motives
questioned who would think that J was
visiting the places merely 10 count them
II l. 10 be lamented that this state oil
a01airs exists. but believe the same con-
dltlans prevail near all military posts.
The more Incorporate veterans combine"
with the regulars from Old Point, make
up "A large element. which neither inc
rules of the home nor Hampton's strict
sense Of propriety can check ! suppose
Il is merely the relaxation which follows
the dulness OF life at such institutions or
In barracks.
My language concerning the conduct Oh
the home could not be too encOmiastci
for It 0he home-not my language If run
on "A gystom which reduces everything 10
mathematical precision. Deeply was 1
impressed with this fact when l beheld
the dining-room where the old soldiers
feed. After / had seen the valiant attack
the veterans made on their dinner could
well understand how they whipped the
South. Verify, | believed they could have
licked US with knives and iOrks Tor Wea-
poDs. Tho authorities calculate that IL
lakes on an average Of twenty minutes
for each veteran TO remove his meal,
though many OF them beat this record ~
a canter The day ] was at the home
scores Of the old soldiers ate their dinners
IN fifteen minutes.
The dlning-room contains twenty-five
tables, which seat fifty-four men each.
There have TO be two sets OF meals-oI
first and second tables-tO accommodate
all the inmates. Everything is clean ana
comfortable, OF rather il IS oOmi0rtaOh
for The old soldiers, though IT must De
awfully dangerous for tine food, whlch
doesn't have long TO stay after the super
animated warriors spy H. Imagine the
81 stem which>is required TO feed nearly
40 men at once and not Keep a single
fellow waiting. This is what Is done az
tho home. a corps Of old soldiers act as
walters Ger which they get pay, and the
way they daily with dishes and jrggie
plates and saucers IS a sight TO behold.
An officer uresides over the large hall.
and by signals from a big bell these mar
Nal walters hustle back and forth with
r,ilifqrv exactitude While / do not tho
roughly understand The code OF bell taps,
know that one signal means Bring IN
the uofatoes"i another signifies "iYot IN
the coffee": a third orders that the but
Ter be led forth a fourth commands the
annearance of the meat. and so on. All
this time the clatter of crockery Is deaf
ening. but the veteran walters bTeak no.
thing. In this respect they are unlike
vour colored house-grl For fifteen min
utes the nall IS scene of indesefibable
activity, BY which time the meal Is ready.
Long before the fun commences the vete-
rams have assembled on the outside anu
ticking their ancient chops. they eagerly
await the signal when they are 10 charse
the enemy. Az last the big bell sounds.
ana In they march by the hundreds.
There IS ne scrambling or hustlns. Every
mon can have as much as he wants. and
can lake his time In eating II. As ] have
said, however. twenty minutes senerally
does the business.