Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08
SOLDIERS FOND OF KNITTING.
Other Ways in Which Men in Foreign
Service Amuse Themselves.
From Tit-Bits.

From Tit-Bits.
Soldiers abroad Especially in India) cut
off from all the sources of enjoyment OBJ
tainable at home, are forced to devise
means Of passing their hours of idleness.
The elementary stage in hobbies Is knitting
socks hardly the work in which one would
expect soldiers to engage. but hobby
which Is extremely popular. That this IS
so the following will show:
In recent issue Of service paper
man of the Cheshire Regiment threw out
a challenge to knit any man in southern
India for the championship and stake OF
800 rupees GEO. Men often purchase new
socks from the regimental stores. simply
for the pleasure of pulling them to pieces
and reknitting them.
From socks the natural transition IS to
Berlin wool work. This mostly takes the
form of waist belts and slippers. and men
with a good eye for the tasteful blending
OF colors find 1t an extremely profitable
hobby, their productions finding a ready
sale among comrades.
A man of my acquaintance, who evolved
very pretty design in forget-me-nots was
inundated with orders for ladies' slippers
the majority of which found their way
home to sweethearts and sisters, being In
many cases represented as the handiwork
of the sender.
Another man was a veritable artist In Ber-
lin wool, and his reproduction of tnat Ia
nous picture THE Huguenots,' besides
taking the first prize at the Poona INDUS
trial exhibition, sold for $50
Hearth rugs, quilts and table covers also
occupy the time of many men, being made
of pieces of military cloth of various colors'
The number of pieces required for, and the
amount of sewing involved IN, the produc-
ton of quilt or table cover OF TINS De
iS sin -frpT SiTp
find their way home as presents TO parents
or relatives.
Fly dodgers are the men who devote
themselves to securing the country In pur-
suit of the myriad varieties of fly and beetle
to be found In the tropics, thereby becom-
ing acquainted with the beauties of nature
and keeping themselves in good health.
Fly dodgers also go in for snake, scorpions,
centipedes, lizards etc; and, familiarity
breeding contempt, occasionally a life is
lost by careless handling of a Yenomous
snake. Successful fiy dodgers can always
command money, either by supplying deal
ers setting up and selling their own
cases of flies, etc.
Parrots and minas afford a never falling
source of occupation to those gifted with
sufficient patience to undertake the task
of teaching these birds to speak. A favor
tie method with bird trainers Is to lower
the cage down a well. and, seated on the
edge of the coping, to pour forth for
couple of hours nightly. a monotonous repe-
tition of Pretty Polly" etc. Others seek
the seclusion of dark room for the same
purpose.
Various places lend themselves to partic-
ular hobbies. In the Andaman Islands
mother of pearl is plentiful, and everybody
gees In either for polishing shells or max
ing rings and bracelets from them
Gibraltar has its staple hobby in rock
ornaments made from a Beautifully veined
stone which abounds, is easily worked and
takes high polish. This is very profit
able hobby as brooches, crosses paper
weights. Bible and prayer-book markers
and other knickknacks find a ready sale
among tourists
In Burma, the land of teak, the carving
of deliberately decorated photo frames en-
ables many a man to while away hours
that would otherwise be dreary. And at
Bhamo pleasure may be combined with
profit in fashioning ornaments of serpen-
tine.
In India soldiers recovering from serious
Illness are usually sent to hill stations TO
complete their cure. and can find plenty OF
wood TO whittle into walking sticks. For
one of these sticks which the writer has
an offer Of &2 los. was made. Its actual
value as q stick might be about one shili-
Ing, but Il is covered with most elaborate
carvings Of birds and flowers. and repre-
sents four months work.