Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-27

| MXf9q1EE4aS
GUESTS OF THE CHRISTMAS CLUBS.
Two Dinners Today Attended by Hundreds
| of Little Ones.
BIG CHRISTMAS TREE AND A TEMPTING BAN
QUIET AT THE NATIONAL. RIFLES ARMoRy-
THE EAST WASHINGTON CLUB AND THE WAY IT
ENTERTAINED AT ODD FELLOWS HALL.
1t is very pretty charity to gather together
GOO small poor children whose circumstances
are such that they do not get very much fun
out OF life. and to make one day in the year
supremely happy for them. And when it is q
children's work for children it is all the more
delightful. This is the work of the Children's
Christmas Club in this city--to make one day a
real Christmas day, with fruit and candy. music
and presents.
1t was a busy scene at the National Rifles
Armory all day today, for the annual enter
| tainment OF the Christmas Club district No. 2,
was held there this afternoon. Six hundred
| invitations and not single regret; that was
the record, and it is no small undertaking to
| provide refreshments and entertainment for
that many small children. Early in the morn
ing the ladies who had charge of decorating the
Christmas tree began their work in the large
hall upstairs, while i'll the room below others
we're at work making their preparations for
the interior decoration Of the children thom-
| selves. There was plenty to do, but many will
ing hands and hearts full Of Christmas love and
charity made light work, and long before 2
O'Clock, the hour set for the dinner, everything
was in readiness for the large army of little
ones.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE.
In the center of the stage upstairs was big
Christmas tree that raised its stately green
arms to the ceiling and every arm had all it
could support in the way of gilt balls,
lanterns, flags, paper flowers, trumpets
and hundred and one things besides. 1t
was just such tree would make
any right-minded child's heart beat about
twenty beats faster to the minute. The tree
| was set In a forest scene. and it is unnecessary
| to add that It presented scene of Christmas
| splendor in marked contrast to that outside the
hall.
the tree We're Miss Woodruff Miss McCeney
Miss Helntzelman. Miss Kaufman, Miss
Strong, Mr.. Frank Dickson, Mr.. Chas. Wood
hull and Hon. Chas. Gibson.
OTHER CoMMIrrEIs.
The reception committee was composed Of
Mrs. Jeremiah Wilson, president of the Christ
mas Club, Miss Strong, Mrs. Chas Gibson and
Mrs. Enoch TOtten. Mrs. HARRISON Mrs Nc
kce, Mrs. Dimmick and Mrs. Morton were
| among the prominent guests Of the day who
were expected to be present for awhile. at least,
to watch the children having good time.
| The amusement committee was composed of
Mrs. Gibson Miss Peachy, Miss Clarke; toys,
Mrs. mcfarland and Miss McCalmont
| THE DINNER TABLES.
Down stairs six long tables extended the full
length of the room and on each were hundred
plates. At each place was banana, All orange
and an apple, and in addition to this every
child had half-pint brick of ice cream in
box, box of candy and all the cake he could
manage with safety or dispatch.
In years past the refreshments we're of more
substantial nature-turkey, cranberry sauce
and other delights of that sort-but it was foun
by experience that that was the lie; At popular
part OF the repast. What the children wanted
was dessert, and they plunged into the latter half
OF the banquet regardless Of consequences and
turkey and potatoes were forgotten in the mad
rush for ice cream and cake. This year it was
decided to do away with the substantials, Civ
| ing the dinner a sort of 5 o'clock tea effect
Ihis plan was found to work very satisfactorily,
| especially as more money and attention were de-
voted to the toys and presents.
| SERVING THE QUESTS
The following ladies gave up their day to pre-
pairing the tables and seeing to it that all were
waited on and we'll served: Mrs Chas Gibson,
Miss Kate Thomas, Mrs. David Graham Adee.
| Mrs. Chas. Adee. Miss Mccarthy, Miss Bessie
Stewart Mrs. j. Mills Browne Mrs. Chas g.
Dulin. Mrs. Enoch Totten. Miss Moves, Miss
Peaehy Miss Elliott Miss Strong.
| These ladies were assisted i'll waiting upon
/ t2hieQ 81 ff n<hi H.,
had volunteered for that service. These juve-
| nile walters were the Messrs Frank Hewston,
Frank +. Gibson, Monkey Blumenberg, Harry
L. Adams, Howard E. Wilson, Joseph
G. Tyssowski Howard Burbank and the
Misses Maggie MacMahon, Mabelle Jirdin-
iston, Hattie Hamilton, Bessie Gaegler, Clara
Williams, Lucille Colby, Sarah Avery, Anna
Hughes, Mary Bechtler Constance Weir, Lena
Stokes, Blanche Hodges, Eloise Killer Mollie
/ Leo, Estelle Campbell, Ada Duke Fanny Bangs
and Mary Shinn. Attired as they were in clean,
pretty aprons they made most effective assist
ants.
| THE GATHERING OF THE HUNGRY ONES.
| By o'clock, an hour before the time men,
toned on the invitations. or more properly
speaking, the cards of admission that the police
had distributed, there was long line of chill
dren standing outside the armory door. They
looked as though they had brought their appe-
titles and capacities for enjoyment with them.
|
ments were made for them irside where thew
could not break into the goodies before the
proper time.
The ladies were assisted In caring for the
needs of their young guests and incidentally
Keeping them in order by guard from the
National Rifles in fatigue uniform They were:
First Sergt Willis B. Magruder, c. G. b. Con-
ger. Privates q. W. Choate, W. W. McConihe,
j. w. Sanderson, G. B. Fonda. F. W. Burkhart,
Z. NJ. Hamilton, E. P. Harrington.
Miss Jane Fuller, a daughter of the Chief
Justice, the president of the chiidren's depart
| lnent OF the club, and Miss Jessie Miller
daughter Of the Attorney General, vice presi-
dent, were on hand of course and took o leading
part.
MARCHED INTO THE DINING HALL.
By O'Clock the upstairs room. where the
hungry children had been corralled pending
preparations down below. was filed and then
| they were all marshalled into line and marched
down stairs to the well-filled tables There thew
stood up, each in front of plate and pile of
| fruit Rev. DR.. Bartlett asked a blessing and
| then they were told to fall to. And how they
did fall-or rather eat. Doughnuts cake, fruit,
ice cream, all, all were soon gone
just q Washington snow storm
usually does 60 under the warm rays
| of the sun. There was no ceremony. The
children, as a rule, we're not well dressed, some
of them, perhaps, were not as clean as they
might have been, but they were all experts in
the use OF their fingers and mOuths and thew