Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-12-27
CHRISTMAS IN THE NAVY.

Twenty-Five thousand men of the Ameri-
can navy win spend their Christmas
aboard the great battleship fleet in the
harbor of Trinidad, where the ships are
scheduled to arrive December "A. The
holiday will be striking contrast to the
old-fashioned Christmas in the land of
the free. but it will be a merry Christ
mas nevertheless.
If there is any class of American citi-
zens who have particularly deep love
for the American Christmas and all that
1t symb0lizes, it is the officers and sail
ors of Uncle Sans men-of-war. Proba-
bly, this enthusiasm for the joyous holi-
day is due in a great measure to the fact
that the seafaring man, no matter what
his station, has an infinite amount of
sentiment III his makeup. 1t all comes
out at the happy Yuletide season, when
the wearers of the .gold braid, as well
as bluejackets, become little boys grown
tall in the ardor of their preparations
for rousing celebration.
In reality Christmas in the navy be-
gins at noon on December "A, for as
rule. all work stops at that time, and
the hum of preparation is heard from
the fo'caS'fe to the quarter deck. The
galley" as the ships kitchen is called,
is center of activity, and, as q special
concession. granted but once year,
cooks are allowed to keep their fires GO
necessity, for seakes and pies must be
baked by the wholesale. These pastries,
together with apples and oranges, con-
stltute prominent features of the blue
jackets Christmas treat and only
cook who has been through the mill can
appreciate the enormitv of the appetites
of a crew of 500 vr 900 husky sailor
lads.
Christmas morning on a warship is
very much like Sunday in that all the
usual routine of the ship is omitted. Dur
ing the forenoon Il religious service IS
held on each ship ON which there is
chaplain. At noon occurs what is, in
the eyes of the blue jackets, the most
interesting event of the day. This IS
the Christmas dinner. Before the men
take their places the captain accompa-
MED by his chief officers accepts an in
vitatlon from the crew to visit their
mess. He views the decorations, par
takes of enough of the goodies" to make
him, in many instances. for the moment
to envy his subordinates. and exchanges
the greetings of the season, with the lads
who stand behind him for fight OF
frolic''
The banquet to which the rank and file
sit down is seldom inferior to the re-
past which is later served to their Of
ticers Dozens if nimble wits and will
ing hands labor for days before to make
the dinner success, and on more than
one such occasion the enlisted men have
Jared better than the bearers of com
missions
General liberty is given to the crew of
naval vessel on Christmas afternoon.
Ii the ship is in foreign waters, this half
of the day is generally given over to
carnival of sports. Boat racing is COM
mon, and boxing and fencing and wrest-
ling contests are usually features, to-
gether with sack races, three-legged races
and athletics that involve quick work in
going aloft and returning to the deck.
The officers of a naval vessel have
their Christmas dinner in the evening.
Il the ship is on a foreign station, the
day has probably been a rather more
lonesome one for the average officer than
for the naturally light-hearted jackie.
and like as not. the wearer of the in
sigma of rank has spent most of his
leisure i'll a tiny stateroom lingering over
and over articles that give evidence of
the work of a loving womans hands,
and mayhap gazing ever and anon at
new photograph that is the most highly
priced of the days offerings. The spirit
of the festival. however. imhues the
gathering of the officers for the evening
meal. Everything from turkey to plum
pudding is on the menu, if at all pro-
durable, and the men around the BAN
quet board give with a fervor equalled
on no other OCCASION the toast. TO our
loved ones at home" and fhat famous
navy health, ITO our sweethearts and
wives; may the former soon be the lat
ter. and the latter always the former"
Christmas on naval vessel, usually
closes with an entertainment by the
crew-nerhaps an old-fashioned, side
splitting minstrel performance, at which
the jaciSies appear in burnt cork and
with costumes that are truly fearful and
wonderful to behold. The programme
usually includes many hits and jokes at
the expense of the officers. a number of
rousing choruses. and tableaux designed
to hurlesque international events in
which the navy has participated or is
likely TO be called upon to take hand