Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-25
GIFTS FOR SAILORS

sThe Christmas presents from this coun-
try for the sailors in the far seas and the
soldiers in the Philippines and at other re-
mote stations have been on their way for
weeks now. and a big batch Of them viii
be leaving on the steamers and transports
that clear this week." remarked an OF
ffcer in the navy. sThe soldiers and sail
ors in the United States service are re-
membered at Christmas time in the way OF
little gifts far and away more than the
men In any other service, land or sea, In
the world
But the inappropriateness Of some of the
gifts sent to our men is often theme for
fun among them.
to one of the smaller ships patrolling the
waters of the Philippines.
"A week or so before Christmas. when
tho transport had got in. the men on
board my ship got a big batch of Christ
mas mall and express stuff sent on the
transport. One of the bluejackets received
tidy-looking Christmas box OF the old
fashioned sort. The box had come al the
fo'ard gathered round to watch the
recipient Of It break the box open.
THE bluejaoket who was rollicking
gunnsrs mate Of twenty- I've, or 49, go1 b ans
there were Jars OF old home made pre-,
serves, couple OF fine old-fashioned
Christmas fruit cakes, huge loaf or cur
sugar, some homemade molasses candy
and a fine crock Of down-east pickles
Then there was Testament, bound In
limp leather.
s'Tten there were sprigs Of holly and
mistletoe scattered through the box The
holly and mistletoe sprigs caused the men
gathered round to look thoughtful man
from the northern ATTITUDES becomes mighty
nf ha 81 n
enthusiastically around Christmas time
Down at the bottom OF the Dox there
were three homemade danneiette night
shirts, half a dozen pairs OF heavy nome.
knit wooden socks. big old-fashioned knit
neck muller, pair of yarn slippers ana a
thick pair OF pulse warmers-these Things
for husky o,u opd ths e ea,, sae M
1.-THE good old motherly soul back IN
Maine was not familiar with such things
as ATTITUDES or climatic zones. Her IDEA,
plainly, was that when Il was freezing IN
Maine it was freezing everywhere else and
she didn't want her boy to surfer from 'ne
cold.
sT,he gear caused great uproar of
laughter from the npen-especially the Ham
nelette nightshirts. IT was In no spirit
of disrespect for the good mother away up
in old Maine that the tars fought for these
nightshirts.
.I,he fellows who got hold of them i'm
mediately put them on over their uni
forms. One of them slipped off his shoes
then and put on the pair or PINK yarn
slippers Another rolled up his sleeves and
put the heavy pulse warmers on his tat
tooed wrists. Another wrapped the huge
yari-colored wooden neck muff1er around MS
throat. ..
''They made Iudicrous parade OF IT
around the to'ga1lant fo'c'sle, these EEL
lows in the long fiannelette nightshirts. But
1t was only in fun, and the man TO Whom
the box had been sent knew 1t and en-
joyed 1t along with the rest.
Sailors of the navy, far from being
ro,issh-prained in these matters, are as a
rule actually Observation-Disclosures the
hundreds of them who have tombstones,
bearing the legend My Mother, and shaded
by weeping willows, tattooed upon. their
arms and chests But they have an acute
appreciation Of the Appropriateness OF
good many things that come to them anu
to their mates at Christmas time
"A few years ago the rich uncie OF
Philadelphia scapegrace who enlisted IN the
nayv as a landsman In moment or reck-
lessness sent the boy for Christmas g1ft
an upright plano. The lad was an expert
narformer on the piano. The ship on which
the young man was serving was only
small-sized gunboat. and OF course there
wasn't any room on board OF her for
piano But the difficulty was solved ailer
a time. The scapegrace was transferred 10
one of the big cruisers bound for the
China seas. There was room for a ship
piano on board the big cruiser-but no
room of course, for any such instrument
privately owned by an enlisted man. Con
seouentiy the landsman presented the piano
to the ship, the instrument was duly IN
stalled on board the cruiser, ana the oia SJa
sheep entertained all hands with ms
nianppforta performances from San Fran
cisco to Shanghai and from Hakodate to
ok