The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-12-19
RULES AGAINST !
XMAS fURL0UGH
Boys at Camp Dodge Learn that Sec
rotary Baker Has Raised Bars
Against Christmas FurIouQhs
CAMP HOLIDAY NEVERTHELESS
Christmas Eve the Barracks viii Be
ea Decorated With Bells and Holly
+. Sc" and Crepe Paper.
DIVISION HEADQUARTERS, Camp


Dodge, Dcs Moines, Dec. II, 1917
Especial to the Christmas
won't be like it has been for the boys
at Camp Dodge; 1t won't be home. 1t
sort of took the starch out OF them
when Secretary Baker raised the bars
against Yuletide furloughs. The boys
had been told that they would get
home for the Holidays, either Christ
mas or New Years, all of them. They
had planned on it. Mother and Dad
had been planning too. There's mist
in the perspective Of the future that
cannot be penetrated just now. 1t
might be the last Christmas at home.
But the boys are not going to let
il get on their nerves. They're going
to turn on all the bright lights they
can reach in the great cantonment
Christmas day. The only thing that
will be missing will be "the folks
But maybe they can be arranged for
lot of them. Christmas will be a
camp holiday and perhaps mother and
dad can come to Camp Dodge. Anyhow
here is a picture of what the day will
be like.
On Christmas Eve. the barracks will
be decorated with bells and holly and
crepe paper That will take the place
OF hanging up the kid brothers stock
ing. When reveille greets the dawn of
the new day, therell be real Christ
mas atmosphere everywhere.
Then the mail will come with the
gifts. It's going to be a wonderful
sight that morning when the boys
open up the packages they were to
have received at home. And there will
be carloads OF such packages. Post
master George Hoffman is preparing
to add scores Of men to his postOff1ce
staff to insure prompt delivery. "The
soldiers first he said, "and on Christ
mas Day"
Next will be dinner, a regular seven
course banquet with everything from
soup to nuts. The commissary de-
partment has ordered 10000 pounds Of
turkey. 10000 pounds OF potatoes, 22,-
900 pounds of cranberries. 1000 pies,
pumpkin pies, hundreds Of pounds Of
.scelesys cand StRIkz1eSafi
thing Including pudding. Uncle Sam
leaves out nothing in the menu OF his
Christmas mess. Many of the cOmpan-
lies will have printed and hand decOra-
ted menu cards--the pride of the COM
pany chefs.
Here's surprise. There1l be a
Christmas tree in every Y. NJ. c. A.
building in Camp Dodge. And on all OF
them will be presents for every man.
1t will he the gift Of the merchants or
Des Moines and elsewhere. their Yule-
tide contribution to soldier pleasure.
There'll be program in every build
ing Ovtr the door Of which the Red
Triangle is Furnished, special Christ
mas services.
A Christmas tree will be illuminated
in every ward of the big hospital that
tho sick, too, may not be without
Yuletide cheer. There will be popcorn
to pop and make popcorn balls. There
will be dancing. Scores Of girls who
who have taken so kindly to soldiers
will visit the camp to carry Christmas
as near home as possible. There will
be music. Many companies have their
own pianos. And there are scores OF
Photographs throughout the camp.
Boys of the quartermasters' corps
will be entertained by. the entire
troupe playing the Orpheum vaude-
Vile theater. Other theatcrs will prob
ably send their talent to the canton
mcnts. All these things will go to play
their parts in making the boys forget
the picture of Christmas at home. the
special trains they had ordered to
carry them, the presents they had
bought to carry home and give the
folks themselves, and all the pleasures
they had anticipated when they landed
once more in the old home town.
Wharf.-The Great Ceveler.
Christmas has come already for
those colored boys from Alabama.
They never knew Santa Claus could
J,.> ,,x. tx>t l>nrf 1,s,l
took care of the white folks. The col
ored boys needed him more-and this
is war.
When the second consignment of
sweaters, socks, helmets, wrislets, and
patriotic women. reached the canton. !;
mcnts from the Red Cross headquar.
tcrs, the first men to be cared for were
the negroes. Every man of them secur'
cd either sweater, a pair of socks. |
a helmet. a muffler or wrislets. Those
left went to the white soldiers.
The negroes came from Alabama. 1t
wasn't their fault they were sent up
north. And below zero weather was |
ninety-five percent of them !
had never heard of. They went around !
camp with handkerchiefs tied over /!
their ears and their hands wrapped |
likewise. .a.4 Ief.. -, |
Maybe those warm wollen knitted
things didn't make hit with them. |
More than 10000 sweaters. 5000
pairs OF socks, 1000 pairs of wristlets |
and several thousand helmets and
have been distributed among |
the soldiers to date.
May Make Camp Dodge Training Camp |
Speculation Is rife at Camp Dodge |
today over the authenticity Of the re-
port that the eighty-eighth division
will never go to France as a complete |
fighting unit. 1t is stated that soldiers !
will be trained here and sent to other
camps and divisions and other branch
es of the service to 60 to France. OF.
ticers will remain at Camp Dodge and
conduct it as a training station only.
Three things are pointed to as bear
ing out this report. The first is the
Of 5000 men to Camp Pike