El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-28

10 make the day Joyous one Tor
, everybody. Owing to the late heavy
fall OF snow. the day proved an ideal
one from the sentimental color point
I Of view.
The mess rooms and barracks OF the
Z enlisted personnel OF all examinations
/ were pleasingly ornamental with gay
{ coloring and Christmas holly, mistle-
I toe and evergreen, brought from the
/ Sacramento range OF New Mexico. The
I tables OF the enlisted men were ladened
I ed with a wealth OF those things that
( bring good cheer at Yuletide- Every
I troop mess had its choice bronze tur-
I key. cranberry sauce and trimmings.
Z Nor were the little children OF the
/ post forgotten. the chaplain, Maj.
Z Timothy p. O'Keefe. providing for
them in the post hall at o'clock
with a fine Christmas tree with all
the accessories.
The chief feature. however, Of the
Christmas celebration at Ft. Bliss this
year was not as last year, a huge
Christmas tree erected on the parade
ground, with much speech making and
chorus singing and band music, but
because OF the cold weather, and the
want Of a large assembly hall at the
fort. with the possibility OF influenza
afloat. the Christmas music was the
main attraction and an exceptionally
fine feature. both vocal and instru-
mental. presented at o'clock on
. Christmas morning.
There are few cavalry regiments
II any, in the United States army that
have shown such excellency and high
y efficient array Of combined talent,
in the manual OF arms, horsemauship,
tactics, comic opera and light drama.
athletics and boxing. as has the 5th
cavalry Added to this list OF talent
Is the prize trophy awarded for sing
ing. The 5th cavalry has not only ex-
celled in contested choral singing and
athletic field stunts at Fl Bliss, but
its famous orchestra and band have
few equals in the United States I'll
was stated by three authorities Of the
Washington Post when the 5th cav
airy band was stationed at Fl Nyer
on the Virginia bills overlooking the
capital and the Potomac, that il had
no superior. save in the famous ma
rine band
The Christmas festivities Of thisl
year have also demonstrated that the
singing is unusually good. even ini
classic sacred music The best sing I
ers at the fort are not found in the
ranks OF the officers or enlisted me I. |
but among the women folk OF the
post. They did themselves proud in I
the Christmas musical program.
Much credit IS due 20 Maj. O'Keefe I
for his energetic and successful ef- !
forts with the 5th cavalry as chaplain. !
Just TO show the versatility OF the ]
9Th cavalry, the troopers are to give 4
minstrel performance at the Texas
Grand tonight.
This regiment had Albert Sydney
Johnson and Robert E Lee for its I
first colonel and lieutenant colonel
=
A very instructive and entertaining ]
lecture was given Friday evening At
the SIND field artillery auditorium BY
chaplain 7. P O'Keefe. fifth cavalry. D.
mann. Chaplain O'keefe, having had /
the good fortune to nave been a resi-
dent OF Washington as a student IN I
the Catholic university and a chaplain /
stationed az Fort Myer for a number
OF years, was able TO enter into many i
subjects regarding Washington and
the great city that bears his name
The lecturer began at the SIS. 000,-
900 union station led the audience TO
the capitol. thence to the public Il
brary down Pennsylvania avenue 10
the treasury building, the white house
and its president, making special ref
erence TO president Wilson and the
great part he Is playing in the world
peace conference in Europe
From the white house grounds the
lecturer passed across 10 the army and
navy building, a place Of particular
interest TO every man wearing the
Uniform He then turned south 20 the
-orcoran art gallery. the Pan-Aneri-
ian and Daughter OF the Revolution
buildings. bearing southeast across to
he Mall. then TO the wonderful monu-
nent built By the noted lrishman. ,
casey. WaShington's monument Then /
10 carried his hearers 10 the Smith
ionian Institute. where the only dead :
ion. among other things OF worlds
interest Then up the beautiful Po-
.omac on the left. with Virginia hills
md Arlington in the back ground,
Fith the one time home OF ROBERT y
Lee and Fort Ayer on the left On
he right is the famous Patomac water
'front.' and boat houses. Lincoln's me-
MORTAL and old Georgetown. with the
,um berland canal and university
resting among the hills IN the val I
ey He pictured all this in his talk ,
The beauties OF Rock Creek park ?
we're briefly touched upon. also the ;
Ioidier's home, the mecca OF many OF ;
he old veterans who wore the blue !
n their country's service
The chaplain paid a tribute Of grau-
ude to France. for not only having
aved the American colonists by bot
ling up lord CORVALLIS with the
leet OF count DeLessens, but also for
having furnished the genius from
whose fertile brain. not only came the
wonderful plans on which the city OF p
Washington were drawn. but the cap 4
tol itself-Monslg. LEnfant. The
haplafn related how it was his good Z
ortune to have been present at the
wonderful memorial service over the Q
Mortal remains OF this wonderful
french architect in the year 1903, In
he rotunda OF the capitol. the plans J
or which he had drawn 1t is a mat
er OF history that on the death OF
T. LEnfant. his body found rest Tn
err an oak tree on the Riggs farm in c
laryland close by the city. A hun b
red years afterwards. the thankful i
epublic had his bones disinterred and 7
.iven a national funeral at which Mr.. e
aft. the president OF the United q
tates, congress, the supreme court n
nd representative OF the army and d
avy assembled TO do him honor They h
ational cemetery in the United States I
nd placed close by the grave Of the
atoms greatest cavalryman, Phillip
heridan. at Arlington Ii
The following Christmas service =
as given Thursday evening, at the =
ase hospital ~"
The Rev. Milo Atkinson gave the
zen a splendid Christmas address
The service was led BY secretary
'arris, and the musical program was
nder the direction OF Miss Virginia
. Bean
A stringed orchestra composed OF =
.isses Alinna Edwards, Dorothy Price y
.argaret Ormsbee, Bessie Copelen, =
onnie-Mae Tobias; and Russell Whit =
ngton; yiolins, Miss Coral Bias cell "
81, with Mrs. V. L. Bean at the pi- n
no, accompanied the hymns II
Miss Dorothy Price played q violin o.
DO, which was followed by 20 Lit
- D ~