Omaha daily bee., 1917-11-28

a captain IN one New OrR Ma
tional Guard regiment told of the
gifts that arrive at the armory daily
for his men. He told of huge ship
ments of cake very much crumbled.
of candy (Which, of course. San be
eaten. of silk pajamas. Even in the
armory silk pajamas are a bit OF
joke, but when one reads stories of
trench life and then tries to reconcile
the idea of silk pajamas with them
the imagination is overtaxed.
This man was on the Mexican bor-
der last year, and one of his brother
officers received an almost life size
portrait of his wife in heavy gilt
frame covered with glass.
The difficulty OF carrying around
the huge portrait from camp to camp
was too great even for the mans love
for his wife. Yet it is mostly in
things like this that women err. They
, have a passion for giving something
tangible that man can keep-some-
thing that will make him think of the
glver.
Tobacco is Welcome.
Tobacco goes up in smoke and
candy is eaten and forgotten. Still
there is nothing soldier would
rather have than tobacco, and it is
entirely probable that the girl who
sends thousand cigarettes will be
remembered longer and more CRATE
fully than the one who sends val
liable cigarette case or a large por-
trait.
Even useful things are often un-
timely and burdens to the recipients.
An Englishman tells that during the
first year of the war, when the knit
ting craze hit all the women of Eng
land, some of the sailors were so
oversupplied with sweaters, wristlets,
:. etc, that they threw large numbers
of these overheard, and that every
man in one Scottish regiment had
from three to six sweaters, while men
in other regiments were suffering
for them.
This came of women sending their
gifts to individuals. 1t is mistake.
1t is even a mistake to direct them
to special regiments. The most prac-
teal way to send practical gifts is
through some recognized relief Or
ganization, that they may be fairly
distributed to the men who need
them.
Foolish giving is not entirely the
fault Of the women. The men who
are in the training camps and are
getting their first taste of military
life are sometimes quite as bad.' One
woman, whose husband is in the off,
GERS training camp at Pittsburg,
said:
II believe that my husband must
spend all his leisure time thinking of
things to write for. When he went
he would only take the barest necessa-
ries, but now that he is in the camp
he seldom lets a day go by without
writing me to pack up some large
and cumbersome article and send it
to him. Victrola records. an old
baseball uniform, innumerable books
and extra toilet articles that he
scorned when helped him pack have
all been sent" r.N
Pets and Mascots.
If the men are provided with nee
eSsaries and such luxuries as can be
conveniently carried they will easily
find something to amuse them in
their little leisure time. Men, as
women know, are much more juvenile
than women. They never really grow
up. This is especially true of Amer
ican men.
One soldier who last year went to
, the border enumerated the pets owned
in his company. These pets were all
acquired after reaching the border;
none was brought from home, though
many returned with their masters.
There were two burros, one dog
named Nellie Bows. one pet chicken
named Mary, one cat, two coyotes,
two wild boar pigs, one rattlesnake
and one parrot. This was only one
company, mind you. Every company
in the regiment was similarly
menageried.
= Some of the pets came to grief.
Nellie Bows died and was given a
military funeral; the chicken was ac-
cidentally shot and served to the
discovered that he had eaten her;
the rattlesnake bit a soldier and was
co1rt-martialed before it died, but
mlnv of them lived to come home as
pes for the mems children So man
finds his diversion as he goes along
have 'etter from an English SOL
1, der IN which he says If you send
p picture. make it a little snapshot;
have a book in which | keep alb
-, - 'Ib,c re fhaf II
kodak album would be welcome. Ger
tanly no man III active service wants
to be burdened with large portraits
of his iriend., and the man who has
no cigarettes will not look with any
particular affection upon heavy sill
yer case
Approved List.
An sorts Of foolish things are ad-
vertised as gifts to the men who are
going away. The most sensible list OF
gifts is that proffered by the New
York branch of the women's sec
ton of the Navy league for Christmas
cheer bags, and even in this list there
are lew things open to question
1t follows:
s. Toba &C, pipe, cigarettes. cigarette
papers. stationery, stamped envelopes.
pencils (indelible) fountain pen, pen
holder and pen points, pocket knife,
tooth brush and paste or powder,
chewin9 gum. safety razor. shaving
apap. metal mirror. coin belt, coin
X1rse military brushes. pocket comb.
wrist watch. hanIked8hief (kfaki col
arcd far soldiers and marines), ad-