The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-11-24

Thanksgiving In this great world war. At the
training stations, on the ships which patrol the
coast lines, in the submarines which move about
a hundred feet below the surface Of the water,
and on the great battleships on the high seas
Thanksgiving day is to be observed as it never
before has been by the boys and men who are
dedlcating their lives to Americas cause. 1t will
not be merely a day Of sensuous pleasures, of
stualng oneself with foods to please the taste
rather it will be a day of mental inspiration, Of
a spiritual qualification, of thoughts of home and
those who are dear.
In a general way the stories of how Thanksgiv-
ing is observed in the two branches of the Amer
lean fighting forces do not differ. Soldiers who
are yet in this country will perhaps be given fur
loughs so that they can be with their families or
other relatives on Thanksgiving day. Sailors and
marines who are detailed to the training stations
may be invited out for the day or they may gather
In the big mess halls for a program. But the lads
who are far away from their loved ones, those
who are on the high seas, will experience a feel
ing entirely new to them. And 1t Is going to have
a tremendously important influence, too. Per-
haps you have wondered some time or other why
the tight-htting blouse, the black handkerchief,
and his saucy little white cap seem to give the
jackie a more youthful appearance than the khaki
or olive drab do to the soldier.
1t is not a deception resulting from a marked
difference In the uniforms. Rather this apparent
boyish appearance of the tackles in comparison
with the soldiers is a reality. The jackies are
JuSI uogb-lhC II SOuIh VI Z NhOp
before they have attained their manhood, are
offering their lives to make this country secure
from Prussianism and to establish peace through
out the world.
A spirit of youth permeates the United States
navy-an atmosphere which perhaps is not to be
found in the army. Most of the boys, who are
being trained to man the battleships, and the
majority of those who already have met the Ger
man fleet in sea battles, are scarcely out of their
teens. There is a fascination for the sea, for the
experience Of moving about on the waters and be-
Ing constantly in danger Of attack from beneath
the sea or by hostile ships-a something which
holds a peculiar charm for American youth. And
so 1t is that the American navy is composed Of
a great host of young men-youth who seek adj
venture, those who are eager to avenge the ter
rible atrocities wrought by Germany.
Months have passed since many of these young
jackies. transformed in an incredibly short time
from schoolboys to fighting men-o-wars'-men, left
their mothers and their fathers to join other
youths in protecting our country from the raw
ages of a barbarian foe. Their activities have
been so strenuous that few have had the time or
the inclination to mediate about their homes. But
all of these boys have been separated from their
own people long enough to give them a sincere
longing to visit again hometown and to see mother.
Men of the army are better able to combat a
feeling of inconsistencies than the jackies can be-
cause the soldiers have come, as a general rule,
from the offices, from the cares of business, from
colleges, and from situations which have, in their
very nature, separated the men, more or less,
from their family interests. Should this state
ment sound exaggerated and false let me amend
Il somewhat. The soldiers probably are more
accustomed to absence from home than are the
sailor boys, most Of whom came directly from the
influence of their mothers and who are ell by
themselves for the first time in their careers, con-
fronting some of the bigger problems of life.
And so 1t is that this Thanksgiving the many
thousands of American boys who are fighting In
the first line of defense are going to experience a
great mental awakening-a spiritual change,
which might not have come to them under normal
conditions until they were much older in years
and experience. 1t will be perhaps their first
Thanksgiving day on which they have actually
taken the time to mediate over the blessings for
which they should give thanks.
The boys probably have not previously had oc-
easion to appreciate the home influence. They
will rejoice in the knowledge that the United
States now has a navy which measures up to the
best In the world. They will be glad because they