Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-02

| assefflUIfng gangWAy,
the departing men in their best uniforms,
their pockets climbing with gold-for the
navy Is sound money outfit, in that II al
ways pays off the bluejackets in good, ring
ing yellow metal.
Yes. the quarantined men examine the
departing liberty parties wistfully. Their
time to laugh and gloat does not come until
the next morning. when the men returning
over the gangway from their Christmas
liberty occasionally feel of their heads in
puzzled kind of way, in the endeavor to To-
cate the exact spots of terrific cerebral
aches. The ''post-Christmas head''-what
bluejacket does not know 1t and recall it
with alright, who has made q Christmas
liberty at Nagasaki, Japan say, where the
brand of saki is maddening, or at Mazat-
Ian, Mexico, for instance. where the pulque
and mescal cause level-headed men to run
amuck, Malay fashion?
Lively Boat Races
In ports where the natives like to boast of
their aquatic prowess the crack cutter
crew of a man-of-war generally has a boat
race on Christmas day. A few days before
Christmas the crack shore crew rows its
beat under the bow of the warship. This
is the challenge. The man-o-war cutters
crew is excused from duty, and goes into
training for the race. Well American man.
o'-War's men win such races in nine cases
out OF ten. They are stayers5 And in most
cases when the crew of a foreign nan-o-
war in the same port issues a challenge for
10
wars crew the Americans win, too, and
f1aunt heavy slush funds for long time
afterward, for a lot Of money is wagered
on these races.
This is no attempt to show that the Amer
lean salormen are such infinitely better
men physically than the man-o'-war's men
OF other countries; 1T is a mere statement
of fact The American warship cutter
crews have been soundly licked occasionally
In these races. however with depressing
aftermaths of gloom.
In the Army.
The soldiers of the United States army
do not have such a bad time of it on Christ
mas day. They, too some of them, hang
up their stockings on Christmas eve-hang
them to the foot-irons Of their hunks But
the result in the morning is different from
what II is In the navy. Socks and all are
gone The soldiers, however, are willing to
donate pair of their socks to the perpetu-
etion Of the Christmas stocking custom.
a Christmas day tour of guard duty is
q calamity that the old soldier cannot en-
dure complaisantly. So is a Christmas day
turn at Kitchen police" The man who has
been in the service n long time begins about
a month before Christmas TO figure on the
likelihood of his catching one the other
of these duties on Christmas day
No JOY for Him.
The non-commissioned officer-this all ap-
pertains to soldiers in garrison-stands in
danger only of the Christmas guard tour,
but the private has to calculate upon the
chances of his selection either for guard
duty or scullery work. From the soldiers
point of view there is little choice between
these two ways of passing Christmas. Each
involves a complete lack of bunk fatigue.
There can be no Yuia joy for the soldier
guarding q haystaCk in a lonesome corral,
with his cooked for the officer of the
day Boisterous songs from the barracks
tantalize him, and his minds eye pictures
the quarters rosy warmth and the thick
blue haze made by the smoke from sea-
SCned pipes.
Belted and gloved, the soldier on guard
bolts his Christmas meals, brought luke
warm and soggy from his company Rtch-
en- to the guard house. The clink of can
teen glasses is discordant music in his ears.
Passing officers children gaily footing tin
horns, the burr of the post laundress'
Merry Christmas" the brilliantly ilumi-
mated Christmas tree In the colonels par
lor, all these things accentuate the gloom
of the soldier doing Christmas guard duty.
In the Philippines.
The thousands Of young recruits who have
been sent out to the Philippines during the
present year will make strange Christmas
of it. No man born in the temperate zones
ever becomes used to tropical Christmas.
Christmas under q sun that bakes and
cracks the 'dobes always seems unnatural
to the from the northland. But the
lads In uniform in the far Philippines viii
have many reminders of the ChriStmaSeS
spent in their native land. Six weeks ago
the War Department sent out official noti-
fication that the kfnsfolk of the boys in the
remote oriental isles who wanted to send
Christmas boxes TO the soldiers had better
be on the move, and Christmas boxes be-
gan to leave the American ports, east and
west, by the thousand. Perishables, of
course, could not be sent in these boxes.
but there are some pretty good things to
eat in the way Of imperishables, and the
bronzed youths will enjoy their boxes.
Christmas boxes, for the boys in blue now
soldering in the new American possessions
IN the West Indies are now being packed,
and these will reach their destinations with
a good deal more certainty, it is safe to
predict, than the boxes that have to under
go the long haul OF 1900 miles or so.
Christmas Eve Customs.
In American garisons the soldiers have
some grotesque Christmas eve customs.
There is frequently a Santa Claus who
bursts into quarters Just after lights out"
making a terrific noise as he enters with
the clanking of chains and the whrling of
rattles. and manifesting grieved surprise
when he observes that his coming is noticed
by the men. He passes around the hunks
and leaves fantastic present at the foot
of each-here a wooden clothes pin, there
"spud" ready to seed, at another bank
a rough -hewn paper doll. Then he passes
out with the appearance of a Santa Claus
on tptoe, making the most nerVe-racklnS
huliabaloo all the time. In some company
quarters there Is a Christmas tree on
Christmas eve-loaded down with album
doned shoes, tin ware from the kitchen,
rmless caps, punctured backing boxes
and such, and the soldiers stand around the
tree and calculate Obs and "Ahs!" in
funny imitation of the wondering admira-
ton of children.
In every outfit, on land and sea, there are
the men who get off by themselves on
Christmas day and NOPE, declining to be
cheered or comforted. If the truth We're TO
be spoken, perhaps there is something fore
ed in the Yule gayety of all uniformed men.
and there are moments during the celebra-
tons when they all seem to be barking
back to Christmasses of other years.
In the Apartment House.
From the Chicago Record
CHeard across the light-shaft of an apart
ment building Accompaniment of water