Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-12-21


ships are scheduled to arrive Decem-
Der "a. The holiday will be a strik-
ing contrast to the old-fashioned
Christmas in the land of the free,
but it will be "a merry Christmas
nevertheless.
If there is any class of American
citizens who have particularly deep
love for the American Christmas and
all that it symbolizes, it is the Off
GERS and sailors of Uncle Sans men
of-war Probably this enthusiasm
for the joyous holiday is due in
great measure to the fact that the
seafaring man, no matter what his
station, has an infinite amount of
sentiment in his makeup. 1t all
comes out at the happy yuletide sea-
son, when the wearers of the gold
braid, as well as bluejackets, become
little boys grown tall in the ardor
of their preparations for a rousing
celebration.
In reality Christmas in the navy
begins at noon on December "a, for
as a rule, all work stops at that
time, and the hum of preparation is
heard from the fo'cas'le to the quar-
ter deck. The galley" as the ships
kitchen is called, is a center of ac-
tivity, and, as a special concession,
granted but once a year, cooks are
allowed to keep their fires going all
night long. This is a virtual ne
Cossity, for cakes and pies must be
baked by the wholesale. These pas
tries, together with apples and
oranges, constitute prominent fea-
lures of the bluejackets Christmas
treat, and only a cook who has been
through the mill can appreciate the
enormity of the appetites of a crew
of 500 or 900 husky sailor lads.
Jackies Dine at Noon
Christmas morning on a warship
is very much like Sunday in that
all the usual routine of the ship is
omitted. During the forenoon a re-
| ligious service is held on each ship
on which there is a chaplain. At
noon occurs what is, in the eyes of
the bluejackets, the most interesting
event of the day, This is the Christ
mas dinner. Before the men take
their places the captain, accom-
panied by his chief officers, accepts
their mess. He views the decora-
tions, partakes of enough of the
| goodies" to make him, in many
instances, for the moment, the en-
Wy of his subordinates, and eX
changes the greetings of the season
with the lads who stand behind him
for fight or frolic."
The banquet to which the rank
and file sit down is seldom inferior
to the repast which is later served
to their officers. Dozens of nimble
wits and willing hands labor for
days before to make the dinner a
success, and on more than one such
occasion the enlisted men have Jared
better than the wearers of commits
sions.
Afternoon Given to Sports
General liberty is given to the
crew of naval vessel on Christmas
afternoon. If the ship is in foreign
waters, this half of the day is gen.
orally given over to a carnival of
sports. Boat racing is common,
boxing and fencing and wrestling
contests are usually features, to-
gether with sack races, three-legged
races and athletics that involve
quick work in going aloft and re-
turning to deck. '2tS
The officers have their Christmas
dinner in the evening. If the shir
is on foreign station, the day has
probably been a rather more lone
some one for the average officer thar
IllC hdtui dIty ICN
jackie, and, like as not, the wearel
of the insignia of rank has spent the
most of his leisure in a tiny state.
room lingering over and over arti
cles that give evidence of the work
of loving woman's hands, and ma.
hap gazing ever and anon at new
photograph that is the most highly
priced of the days offerings. TIT
spirit. of the festival, however, i'm
bues the gathering of the officers TO
the evening meal Everything iron
turkey to plum pudding is on tn
menu, If at ail procurable, and tn
men around the banquet board CIV
with a fervor equalled on no othe
occasion the toast, "To our love
nnaS Rom0Y