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Show I , : P ; . . : ; B H How the Wounded Are Made Happy At the Holiday H J Season Elaborate Plans for the Yuletide In H the Hospitals of the Allied Nations. H I Copyright, 1917. by The International Syndicate I g-f HRISTMAS IS THE SEASON ; m when our thoughts turn to 1 w h deeds of charity and good will , )sJf towards others. It is especially i incumbent on us this year to remcm- ' ber thoso who are fighting our battles and those who having foughtaro recuperating recup-erating from their wounds In the mll-j mll-j ltary hospitals. Those of us who arc In bright and cheerful homes amid pleasant and comfortable conditions do but a small part of our patriotic and christian , duty by contributing toward tho hap piness and relief of the men who have risked their all for tho welfare of mankind. This Christmas from hundreds hun-dreds of thousands of hearthstones r will go up prayers for their safety and from millions of hands will go forth 1 llttlo tokens of tho love and affection ' in. which they arc held by tho heart bleedlne ones left behind. This Is tho fourth Christmas of the world war and while thousands of men have gono to their deaths, thousands thou-sands more fill the hospitals in various stages of recovery. They have been I made as comfortable as possible In the big hospitals and convalescent homes but Christmas Is ono of the saddest seasons of the year unless one Is ( remembered and the good women of the Allied nations will seo to It that the wounded men arc not forgotten. I Thi3 year tho preparations for tho holiday season In the hospitals arc even greater than In previous years on account of the United States being actually at war. In former years our people sent aid and our nurses were at tho bedsldo of the wounded, but this year it is our war as well as those of the people "over there," and the touch of the American woman's hand will bo found in the Christmas festivities festivi-ties pt tho hospitals of France, Bel-glum Bel-glum and England. All sorts of amusements arc provided pro-vided In tho hospitals, the lnovltablc talking machine being ono of the Christmas gifts In every ward. "At times on Christmas morning," said tho nurso. "one cannot hold a conversation for It scctns that hundreds hun-dreds of machines are vicing with each other In playing familiar airs. The men love the 'canned' music and if the people who send these machines and records to the hospital could only seo the happiness It brings to the maimed and helpless It would do their hearts good It drives away the melancholy mel-ancholy which comes, to some men as soon as they arc "unfit for service." Queen Mary Interested. Royalty Is especially Interested In the Christmas festivities and Queen Mary spends nearly the entire Chrlst- I mas day going from hospital to hospital hos-pital with good cheer for the soldiers. ' Great bunches of flowers arc sent glSll mWSm? -fefell Csxs-Sirs' from tho royal -hot houses to the military hospitals and each wounded soldier has his own Christmas bouqucL Cigars, cigarettes and sweets aro also sent from Buckingham Palace. Pal-ace. The blind arc given special boxes and the good ladles of the nobility no-bility make a special effort to see i that these sightless men aro mado as I happy as posslblo during tho holiday season. Tho little children who aro suffering from wounds as the result of Zeppelin raids aro given toys and Christmas trees arc set up for them. These Innocent victims of German fright fulness come in for a largo share of the Christmas treat Poor little creatures who aro compelled to suffer, suf-fer, frequently, for the rest of their lives through German crimes aro tho most pathetic sights in the English hospitals and It seems but fitting that on the birthday of the Christ Child theso children should sharo the Christmas festivities with tho men who aro' fighting to save thorn from further torturo. Carol Singing. Carol singing has always been a part of tho English Christmas and parties of young girls go from hospital to hospital on Christmas morning singing carols to the soldiers. At the convalescent homes tho men have the genuine English Christmas dinner with Us Paron of beef and steaming plum pudding. Sometimes when the convalescent homo is in tho country tho men bring In tho Yule log in true English fashion ar.d It is burned on tho hearth. Games of ail sorts are playctl and It Is surprising how men who are minus a leg can manage to get about on crutches and for a time at least forget the price they havo paid in their efforts to crush the autocracy auto-cracy of tho Kaiser. Many of the theatres Invito the men to the Christmas Christ-mas matlnco and when tho men arc practically well except for being crippled crip-pled the good peoplo of London who have automobiles send tho cars to the hospitals and tako tho men to the theatres as their guests. Tho relatives of the sick men arc Invited to visit tho hospitals on Christmas and they como in droves to enjoy the day with their "heroes." Those who are too 111 to receive company aro tenderly watched over by tho nursos who strive In somo way to make Christmas a little brighter for them than other days. King George's Tea. King George- always entertains hundreds hun-dreds of wounded heroes, (who are so far in their recovery as to be able to walk), at tea on Christmas afternoon at Buckingham Palace. Here tho men aro waited upon by the royal ladies. Tho Princess Mary acts as head waitress wait-ress and Is assisted by such well-known well-known -ffomcn as the Duchess of Devonshire, De-vonshire, the Duchess of Southcrland and the "Duchess Buccleueh together with a number of marchionesses and 1 countesses. Queen Alexandra always puts In an appearance and greets the men. The King and Queen come in and spend some lime talking with tho soldiers and congratulating them on their great work. After tea the men go to the big Riding School where there Is an excellent variety show given, tho performers being selected from the best talent of the London theatres. These theatricals are always al-ways greatly enjoyed by the mon. The tea parties extend throughout the holiday week in order that all tho men may have a part. Cigars and tobacco arc given out as tho guests leave. Various noblemen make up parties of convalescent soldiers and cnterraln them at the theatre for the Christmas matlnco or by taking them on long automobile rides. The Indoor circus Is one of tho great Christmas entertalnmonts In London as well as tho pantomime and both of theso amusement halls aro crowded with convalescent who aro guests for the occasion. All London is wide open to tho wounded hero who can 'manage to get about on Christmas. Theatrical Performances. Theatrical performances aro ono of the Christmas trca"ts at many of tho military hospitals. Last year a stago was erected In a hospital at Birmingham, Birming-ham, England. Scenery was painted for the occasion and the entire company, com-pany, including tho orchestra, moved to tho hospital for a Christmas matinee. mat-inee. Tho cots of the men were moved to tho front and three hundred bedridden bed-ridden fighting men witnessed an entire en-tire performanco of tho "Babes in tho Woods" given with all tho appurtenances appur-tenances of a first class theatre. Fifty of these men were unable even to sit up, but their Christmas was made happy, by tho "mountain coming to Mahomet when Mahomet could not go to tho mountain." This year the performance Is to bo repeated and although It will bo tho samo with practically the same casto a new set of heroes will be present at the show the mon who composed the audience audi-ence of last year have either gone back to the front, been discharged as unfit for service or have gone to their final reward above. In "France And Bclgjnm. Christmas In the French hospitals Is mado one round of music and feasting feast-ing wherever the soldier Is In condition condi-tion to bear the excitement. Theatrical The-atrical performances and concerts aro the order of the uay, mc various an- y-Hfff';? Ist3 going from hospital to hospital JfBjfc singing and playing and even dancing gap; to anruso tire men; The French , k priests lake an active part In getting . up theso entertainments. Even In tho ' EEgpl shell ruined towns these noblemen, Bel twenty thousand of whom aro serving Rjs": in the ranks of the French army, B?v gather tho convalescents about them iHk', and try to make the day a happy one. HS&gl They always contrive to find a suit- : kk able place to hold n religious service wSk first, and last year one priest used an Gff$ old fountain In the center of tho town ' Mg for an altar and gathered the conva- Bet lescent soldiers about him In the shell R wrecked town aiul celebrated mass. BPr while-a German .aeroplane was flying Era overhead, Aftor mass he gathered HM? : the men about him -and the girls of & the village como over and cheered the WmPi men by singing songs for them. Then bh& thcro was a Christmas dinnor and tho 1 W opening of boxes from home. Thto ; JW goes tm all over France. Down In - CR-; tho southern part of tho country - where thd air Is balmy and tho ., gf? wounded may sit out in tho sunshine, M -band concerts are given while cigars I f aland al-and sweets are passed around. j( In Belgium the scenes are repeated ""fraF. for although this little land has been j ' HfP crushed for the time being her people . havo never lost heart and although ; tajs? saddened by the loss of so many of : Igfii.' her bravo men thoso who aro In tho hospitals are mado to enjoy their ; gEFV Christmas through tho kindness of ' tm$ tho Allies Including tho Americans j H&'J who have dope so much to relieve ths ; Wir sufferings of King Albert's people. ' , fcv And so It will be seen that even In 1 ' w this war of blood and hato tho spirit ' jKL of Christian charity still spreads her . ij&I wings over those who have suffered 8Ri in the cause of. right and the message 8-: of "Peace, on Earth good Will to ' ffij Men". .sllLl shines through tho dark- Kit ened sky. . S9? |