The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-24
tons Of Plum Puddinss.
Quantities Of Rum and
lobtceo. and Thousands Of
pIpss sent 10 South Africa
Is GLADDEN. the Warriors
Il ne Front.

n war viii bring to South Africa
fhis year the biggest Christmas
e tkat blood-soaked region has ever
" known, Perhaps peace on earth.
III rood Will TO men," the customary
Fl - 5~ssa motto will not cut much
vi n azure in the celebration, but
81 "a sn6teriai side OF the day will be 9
4 2 11stior to Transvaal. Cape Colony and
! ~ si IN il Il estimated that at this mo-
d 5000 more than twenty tons OF plum pud-
Il ~ are on their way thither from Eng
4 and they average LOO puddings 20
& ~ ~ One frm alone In single DAY
n s:.ss6 1o0o0 buildings, which were Of
4 <3S6 Is the war office, and accepted
u fSfuiiy ii behalf OF T. Atkins.
X Ky&e tobacco and rum are not con.
Il 82ee1 0fFIcially d necessary adjunct OF
S{s1riianfty's greatest religious festival,
sSS 1E6nnas Atkins has views Of hia own
81 s2 ~ sl,btect. and at this particular sea-
u 80 VkSteyer Mr.. Atkins wants he Il go
4 & IL have, II England can get 1t TO
~ sitss Tommy this and Tommy that,
md Chuck him ont y. tn n,I Trute vhsr
n ~ guns begin to shoot.
q " III year on Christmas day It 10 un-
iiSs6oA that 4 ''tot" OF rum will be
!. Ssrvsd u every Tommy in South Africa.
Il 100 Ne has the bad luck to be dead or
1 y t besieged In some luckless town
%1ro 10 Christmas rations can get to
Il H1nuaenfs 81 Rum and Tobacco.
II nv British war ONCE probably will sup
w The rum on its own account. and in
+ sSdltion II already has accepted many Of
- IL other Christmas drinks made by
1fivNts Individuals For instance, a firm
r brewers has sent through the war Of
y re- 100 barrels Of stout each containing
r fallons, for the enlivenment OF the
4sSnsyaal soldiers Christmas, and It Is
{ "a that the amount Of Scotch whisky
~ 10 oouth Africa in small lots Is past
II count
4 IN naval brigade IL to be provided with
~ sounds Of tobacco and 1000 pipes from
i popdlar fund, to which the Duke Of York
B ~ the nrst contributor. with subscrip-
4 ~ " r..
ne Quesnsn Present to Tommy.
Fufthermcre, every steamer sailing for
/ ~ seAt Of war has been loaded down with
f1nny presents for Mr.. Atkins .ndividu-
I ~ Plum puddings come first in the list
\ q such presents. for in England plum
pu1ding Il ~ much part Of Christmas
n turkey II OF Thanksgiving day In
Areftca. Pipes and tobacco come next,
IA photographs are third in the list.
The queen had great deal of trouble
n choosing her present for the soldiers.
1 ~ knew az well as any one that little
I Hsk Of grog would have warmed the
Mart II Thomas more than any other
thing under the sun. but that was not to
n thought OF, for, like the president Of the
United States. the queen hears from the
tessptalers whenever she gives counten-
aate publicly to the demon rum, although
n her physicians advice she usually has
4 BIT Of whisky and water at meals. To-
batcu was open to similar objections. and,
bestdes, the queen abominates tobacco,
nd never permits the Prince OF Wales
y smoke when he is visiting her In any
roam that she Ia likely to enter. She con-
Aaited the war authorities, and finally hit
upon the idea Of sending to each man a
fund.
An old cgmpaigner who has seen nearly
every war since the Crimean campaign
nays that II there are not enough plum
noangs TO 90 round on Christmas day
south Africa the soldiers can be depend
"a on 70 make their own. I'VE were re-
ouced TO the necessity once" he said, .sof
making them out of flour, raisins and salt.
We Knew well enough that they wouldn't
g very good. but you have to have plum
ppuoihs LOT Christmas, no matter what it's
maze q. We had lot of sport making
!aem. put there wasn't so much sport for
!ne fellows who tried to eat them. Any
Yang % drink? Well, yes. Rum is pro-
uaea ior the use Of the army when the
oocIor DEGREES 1t necessary, and on Christ
80 Gay y Is usually decreed to be neces-
NV, ana a tot Ia offered to officers and
What In n ssTot.,
wnat is 'tot?' Why, in manner of
spak,ns' as Long John Silver would say,
80 ~ Is about gill. and is good for three
.nAs u Is rare old rum that the gov
- s.'.ient serves, too. Some of 1t is thirty
= aorty years old, and, oddly enough, the
y sss soldiers have the teetotalers to
ManA Tor II. You see, the total abstinence
w Element grew pretty strong In the army
~ navy few years ago, and a good
aas u Inc men got into the way of TAX
" money allowance instead of the dram
sral tae government used to give them.
- ..sn .ne government stopped giving regu-
: aliowances OF alcohol, and as a result
great quantity of rum they had ON
49, tnen has lasted ever since and has
S one 80 rich and mellow that every
! a.op OF II Is precious.
= course. when the British troops are