The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-02-22
CANDY FOR THE SOLDIERS.
HUGE QUANTITIES SUPPLIED AT
COST BY coMMIssARIES.

Soldiers Candy Big Army Item
Good For Fiehters-Fancy Choco
lates Sent to Regiments, But That's
For the Girls.
when 1t comes to candy" said an
official in the chief commissary head
quarters in the Army building to q
New York Journal reporter, soldiers
have as many whims as children. We
buy immense quantities Of sweets to
send to the soldiers in the Philippines.
"Of course. candy isn't a regular ra'
ton, though It might be. In Austria
recently the experiment was tried OF
feeding a whole regiment for month
almost exclusively on sugar IN various
| forms. 1t was to test the nutritive
qualities of sugar and especially its al
legged power to increase muscular
strength. The regiment survived and
grew fatter and stronger. But 1t
won't want any caramels for quite
awhile.
Our boys want candy all the time.
We give a single order for 10000
pounds to be shipped to Manila. Candy
is regularly supplied to all the COM
missaries. They sell it again to the
officers and men at the original cost
price, like many other commissary
supplies.
But we couldn't buy every sort OF
candy. We had to follow the fashion.
Now, years ago, on the frontier, I'm
told, stick candy was all the rage at
military posts. The soldiers insisted
on getting long, red, striped sticks,
and the redder and longer it was the
better. You see, the Indians labored
under a little delusion that this sort
of candy was big medicine and would
create courage in the eater and bring
him good luck in battle. So a soldier
could trade his red candy to the red
man for ten times what it cost. Per-
haps the Indian was almost right. He
was eating Dutch courage, so to speak
For sugar is transformed by the STAN
ach into starch and a stimulant. May
De that's why candy always fills long
felt want at church fairs and Sunday
school picnics.
Then again, some of our regiments
always prefer certain kind of candy,
probably as the result of traditions
handed down among the men. The
Third Cavalry, for example, now at
Manila, is said to be partial to old
fashioned gumdrops. At least, their
commissary was favored with enough
gumdrops to stick the entire regiment
And chocolate caramels. We sent
out any amount of them, usually ,ur
most expensive candy. But we were
unofficially informed, nevertheless,
that hardly soldier ever ate 'em. But
he would buy them quick enough, buy
'em for his best girl. 1t seems that
even in Luzon the girls think choco-
late candy is the very loveliest,' and
unless the War Department consents
to humor the sentimental half of
warriors heart assertions would cost
more than candy.
The candy does cost. We paid
from thirty to forty cents a pound for
1t in New York and shipped it half
around the world. But when it arrived
in the Philippines it was sold again
for thirty to forty cents pound. All
the expense of the handling and the
transportation was betrayed by the
United States.
I'VE get the candy from two manu-
facturers only, who make first-class
and fashionable goods. Their candies
have been examined by the chemists
of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington and found to be free from
any poisonous or Objectionable ingredi-
ents.
1--WE don't get nowadays the cheap,
Inferior varieties of sweets, the old
time striped stick candy, or that stony
stuff that fills the jars at a country
store. We buy only chocolates and |
lemon drops and the |
superior sort of stick candy, as well |
rs sort of taffy that is coated with |
chocolate.
All these candies are packed with |
immense care. Every piece Is wrap
bed in paraffine paper. Then enough |
pieces to make half a pound of solid |
ANDY are put in a tin box and sealed.
Then twelve of these boxes are put |
n larger box, and that box is sealed |
~ soldering strip af tin all around
It the juction Of the lid. This ar
angement keeps out the moist air
# the tropics, which would otherwise
poll the candy.
Besides commissary need not
pen more than one big box at time.
FOR no sooner is box opened than
is at once infested with all sorts of
nts and bugs.
Since the canteen has been abolish
d there's an increased demand foI
ure rock candy. The men say they
lust have it for cough medicine"
The Deadly Steam Boiler.