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Show H Z I How the Feast of the Na-' I tivityls Celebrated In I the Military Hospitals, i I Prison Camps and By I the Soldiers At the I Front. BJ Copyright, 1013, br International Syndicate. ' fW'j& HEN tho dawn breaks on lf 111 Christmas morning it will p wL!m.W nc mUllons of men it war, l( pp yet amid tho clash ci arms, II; tho loar of musketry and tho tromon- BJ dous destruction of life" will bo heard Hi that still, small volco of Christian HI teaching, commanding all the Christian HI nations engaged in the conflict which is H now devastating Europo to devote H some portion of tho day in offering H up their devotions to tho one rollgion B which condemns tho very thing they B aro doing. B With tho exception of tho Turks all H tho nations at war aro Christians, and U except in tho Turkish camps tho sol- Hl dlers will celebrate Christmas in tho Isamo manner as last year. Along the 'British Lines. All along tho British lines the men HI will enjoy their Christmas boxes sent Hi from homo and special rations given Hj out on Christmas. Plum puddings arc HI sent to tho front and all that is ncccs- Hj Eary for tho feabt is to heat them. HI Tho children in England hayo saved H their pennies to bond tho soldlors H chocolate, and practically every man m will havo plenty of this nourishing 1 nrticlo on Christmas. Tobacco, pipes, B cigars and cigarettes aro already in j Franco waiting to bo sent to tho front. j Back of tho trenches tho men havo Hit their Christmas games, football and Hv even polo. Last year the ofllcors who Hjn wero awaiting their turn in tho Hi. trenches went for a rabbit hunt and ErT enough rabbits wore bagged to servo H a flno Christmas supper. All tho Hi shacks were decorated with ever- B( greens and a number of Christmas B trees were set up. B Those who wero in tho hospitals in B Great Britain were treated to a gon- Bj ulno old-fashioned English Christmas. B Early in tho morning a religious scrv- B ico was held in which tho wounded HI men joined in singing tho beautiful B English Christmas carols. Tho nurses B had hung plno branches about the B rooinB and lighted llttlo candles hero H and there. The tablos In tho center H wero piled high with gifts. Thoao of HI the wounded who wero ablo wero H propped up in bod or put Into chairs. H After the sorvlco was over tho ro- Hl malnder of tho day was spent by the HI men in listening to music, receiving HI visitors and feasting on tho good H things which had been sent to the HI- hospital. Several noted actresses vol- HK unteored to sing, rccito and glvo little sketches. Men dressed to rcproscnt Santa Claua went from hospital to hospital giving out clgarottea and chocolato. Sometimes they stopped for a gamo of cards with tho men and later to cheer thorn by telling Jokes. Tho greatest effort was mado to cheer tho blind soldlors no easy task. This year there aro hundreds of theso unfortunates, and a special fund Is being raised in England for tho purpose of giving theso poor fellows fel-lows a big feast on Christmas. French Soldiers Entertained. Tho French soldier begins his Christmas with a midnight mass, and last year at ono point this was hold In tho opon. During tho service a German Taubo was seen hovering over tho camp, but the men continued their devotions and the aviator, -nho probably understood what was going on, quietly disappeared without dropping drop-ping any bombs. Out beyond tho tronches tho men play games and en-Joy en-Joy tho good things sent from home. TJie English lum pudding and meat pics with raisins havo become a favor-lto favor-lto Christmas dish with tho French, and last year thousands of puddings wero sent to tho front for tho French. All borts of amusements -were provided for tho men vaudovlllo shows wero given by actors who were fighting in tho ranks and by players who camo to tho front for tho solo purposo cf entertaining tho soldiers. Onco in camp they were greeted by tho soldiers singing tho Marsolllalso and other patriotic songs. Then camo tho circus and vatidovlllo show so dear to tho heart of tho Frenchman. After It was all over toasts woro drunk to President Polncaro and General Jof-fre. Jof-fre. Several Tronch actresses volunteered volun-teered to entertain tho men In tho French military hospitals. At Bor-' Bor-' doaux tho scenery was set up and a ' war play presented in which several of the wounded soldiers took part ( Germans Great Feast Christmas Is tho German's greatest holiday, and no matter how advorso i his condition may bo ho will manago to decorato a bush In honor of tho Christ Child. Even tho sontry boxes in far-away Poland aro already covered cov-ered with plno branches in anticipation anticipa-tion of tho coming festival. Last year every shack along tho cntlro German battle- line had its Chrlstrmts txco decorated dec-orated with bits of paper and tin foil. Thoso trees wero tho prldo of tho soldlors and thoy spent .hours in decorating dec-orating tho llttlo pines and setting them up in somo sheltered placo whoro they wero protected from tho wind and snow. Last winter was a snowy ono In tho war zono and a number num-ber of men woro frozen to death at their posts, so ono can lmaglno that trimming a Christmas treo with the thormometor below zero is uncom-fortablo uncom-fortablo to say the least, yet with tho Germans It was such a labor of love that thoy willingly endured tho cold. Everywhcro tho Germans had their trees and their lights. Tho Crown Prlnco sent his men pipes and tobacco to-bacco and thero wero special rations. Behind tho trenches tho mon danced and sang. Extra platforms wero built for tho musiclann and wherover a band could bo found thoro was an afternoon concert Boxing matches wero arranged, oach company being represented In tho bouts, and tho matches woro reforecd by tho officers, Tho mon had thoir favorites, and thero was much good-natured guying when a company's man was knocked out Whllo all this was going on the band played lively airs and tho men forgot at least for tho tlmo, that a state of war existed. In Belgium, whero tho German Landstrum aro on duty, thoir headquarters head-quarters wero dressed with Christmas grcons, both lnsldo and out, ovon tho iron railing outsldo tho building being be-ing wreathed in ropes of laurel and ' "ivy. At tho barracks tho men set up trees and invited the Bolglan children to como to tho colobratlon. There was a special Christmas dinner for tho soldiers and besides this hundreds of Christmas boxes flllod with cakes and warm clothing woro sent from the Fatherland. "OX courso, we missed our families," said ono of tho mon, "but it was a great Christmas. We know thoy aro -well and praying for tho success of tho Fatherland." In tho German military hospitals at Berlin, Ber-lin, Munich, Cologne and other places tho mon wero fairly loaded down with presents and nearly every man had his H Individual Christmas treo. Relatives M and friends visited tho hospitals. H Thero was music by bands and orches- H tras In fact It seemed that all Ger- H many tried to make the wounded men H happy on Christmas. B Christmas at Prison Camp. B Out at tho big prison camps the H men wero allowed to celebrate, and H an extra ration of food was given. H At several of these camps the Ger- U man guards assisted tho men in doc- B orating their quarters, "Lot's hear you sing Tipperary!" called out an W officer of tho guard. Several mem- M bors of an Irish regiment heard tho W request and they gave a wild whoop H and then sanT tho song as only an H Irishman can. Tho Indian prisoners H later Joined in the singing. The ,H French sat about playing cards, and m tho Slngalcso looked on in wonder H and then began to dance. Although jH ChrlBtmas of the Greek Church Is sev- j H eral days later owing to tho differ- ilH enco in the two calendars, the Rus- j sians took part In the celebrations, mM singing their folk songs and giving jl some of their quaint dances and also ,H Joined in pulling tho "crackers" given IH to prisoneis. Their German captors WM entered into the spirit of tho day, so H even in the prison camps Christmas MM was duly celebrated. il Scrvia, Bulgaria and Italy. jJ Tho Servian soldier has been at war so many years that Christmas on tho jH battlefield was not a new experience jB to him. Roast pig Is hlB national jH Christmas dish, but few were able to iHH obtain It last year, and this year it WM will bo well nigh impossible on ac- MM count of the devastation of their land. MM But tho bravo Servian will manage to WM hang up a bunch of evergreen and MM wish his comrades a Merry Christmas. MM This year will find tho Bulgarians MM and Italians at war during th" holiday MM season. The latter keep Christmas MM with a religious fervor and many re- JH markablo scenes aro likely to be wK- WM nossed on that day. Thousands of MM Italian soldiers will spend the Feast WM of tho Nativity In the ice-covered Alps. WM whore they will set up their Christ- WM mas troes amid tho eternal snows. MM Tho Bulgarians, liko tho Servians. MM havo spent tho day In battle beforo. MM but as they are still fresh in tho pres- WM ent war they will manago to enjoy tho MM feast of extra rations. H So, if theso men now at war can H show such kindly feeling toward each MM other and mutually rejoice In each WM other's pleasure it Is not hard to pre- WM diet that when it Is all over thero WM will orlso in glorious unison tho ro- H "When poaco shall ovor all the earth Mm Its anclont splendors fling, H And tho whole world send back th Mm Which now the angels sing. jH |