Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-26
GREATEST fESTAL DAY
General LEGAL Celebration OF
the Yuletide.
GRAY WINTRY DAY
RAIN AND SLEET INTERFERE
WITH STREET CELEBRATION.
Various Churches Hold Services With
Special Music-Charitv
the Theme.

Christmas. the great festal day Of all
churches, the playtime of the young and
| old. the day of evergreen and holly, of the
| yule log and the mistletoe. the day for Civ
| ing and receiving, for kind thoughts and
kinder deeds. was celebrated In Washington
and elsewhere all over Nis broad land in a
spirit BETTING the time and the occasion.
| In the national capital al least there was
| no occasion for the superstltious and
| the fancifu to dwell on the old phophecy
| that green Christmas makes fat grave-
| yard for yesterday was as gray and win
| try day as could be desired for the 18th
J of December. The skies were overcast from
| dawn till dark. the air was chill and biting
| with frost. and the rain and sleet and
| spits of snow that fell at intervals turned
| the city and suburbs into one immense icy
| pond. Churchgoers, Christmas visitors,
every one in fact who had occasion to be
abroad, Slipped and slid and sllated the
frozen paYements IN greatest good nature,
and if the reindeer that pulled the sleigh
Of Santa Claus over the icy housetops. were
not as sure-footed as is generally supposed,
it is wonder they advanced any further
than Brightwood in their return journey to
the far north.
But no one seemed to mind. Weather that
| would be received with maledictons any .
other day Of the year is welcomed with a
smile on the 25th of December. Christmas
weather is hoped for and prayed for by
the young and old alike, and the warning
of the elements throughout all of yesterday
seem to fit in with and please, by con-
trast, the mood of all those TO whom the
holiday season and the spirit OF the day
really mean something.
Cheer in Every Home.
And of course there was Christmas cheer
in every home, at every firesde. Even the
poorest CT the poor had their bit of Christ
mas cheer either through their own eff
forts or through practical application of
the spirit of the season by the more fortu-
nate, and the sprig of evergreen, the little
gifts and the plain food that made the
hovel brighter all of yesterday were just
as much enjoyed and as appreciated as the
towering illuminated evergreen, the costly
presents and the elaborate dinner that
brought the spirit of Christmas into the
homes of the rich. Many years ago senti-
| mental old Thomas Tusser expressed the
| Christmas spirit in his famous two lines:
"At Christmas. play and make good
cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year"
That injunction seemed to have been fol-
lowed literally in Washington yesterday.
After the visit to church the rest of the day
was given up to the enjoyment of the spirit
of Christmas. Presents were exchanged,
the best wishes of the season extended, and
reunions of families and of friends were
held around the laden Christmas board.
But it was in the morning when the gift
givers were trotting back and forth with
their burdens of presents that most of the
incidental merriment of the day occurred.
1t was no unusual thing yesterday to see
a staid and sober citizen stepping along in
lively fashion. both arms piled high with
bundles of all shapes and sizes, and the
next moment to see him describe an &C.
centric curve and land on his ear, his pack
ages and bundles scattering for rods up
and down the street. The slippery pave
ments played no favoriteS in this respect.
Men, women and children Jared alike, and
fortunately although the falls occurred by
the hundreds. there were few serious IN
juries. The hospitals were of course called
upon to do their share, and some of those
who started out In the morning with bright
est hopes and happiest anticpations wound
up in one another of the institutions with
broken legs or arms ribs. But the pro-
portion of such accidents was very small,
considering the opportunities presented,
and no fatal accidents were reported.
Youngsters in Happy Mood.
The youngsters to whom Santa Claus
gave skates yesterday were the happiest
and the luckiest portion of the population.
The ice had no terrors for them, and the
lordly air with which the average young
ster surveyed the rubber-shod portion of hu-
manity, from the vantage ground of his
swift and steady steels, was a joyous thing
to witness
Sleds too were at premium, and there
wasn't a hill or decline in around Wash
ington all of yesterday that didn't have
It's merry group or youngsters Win DCD-
sleds, trucks and double runners new and
old, performing everything from the time
honored belly -whopper" to the more dar-
ing fleet fust." On 10Th street hill, the
steep decline was one solid sheet OF thick
ice, and the sleds and trucks that raced
down that smooth surface attained the
express train speed. There were several
smash-ups there aDd elsewhere in the city,
and good many new Christmas sleds-were
wrecked beyond repair, but no serious ac-
cidentS were reported.
THAT yesterday Sunday as well as
Christmas, perhaps accounts for the fact
that but few evidences of excessive con-
VITALITY were noticed about the streets In
a good many homes the old custom of
keeping Christmas cheer in the shape of
eggnog, punch and the like, on tap all day
long was observed and some few evidences
of over-stimulated holiday joy were seem
Those careless individuals who took Christ
mas spirit into their systems in liquid form
suffered for 1t later. The steadest man in
Washington had difficulty in keeping his
feet yesterday, and the performances of
the wabby-inclined were something Won
derful to see. One young man of large size
and impressive appearance. whose knees
worked as if they were fitted with double
action hinges, did n succession of falls,
slides, bumps and jars for block and
half down 10Th street hill yesterday after
noon, and when he landed at the bottom
of the incline, minus some of his holiday
raiment and considerable skin. he looked
as if he wanted to ask, Where was l
when the cyclone struck! But he showed
instructing the driver to take him home.
And home was the place where most
people remained all of yesterday, after
Church and after gifts to relatives
and Intimate friends had been personally
distributed There by swapping.
glowing fire. In the shadow of the
Christmas tree, with the Christmas dinner
either pleasant memory or delightful
anticipation, with Christmas remembrances
from relatives and friends near by and the
whole joyous spirit in the air. was where
the population of Washington stayed. and
where the day was most enjoyed.
Went to Church.
And washington went to church yester-
day. too--not q little portion of the popula-
tion not only the religious and the devout.
rot only those who go every Sabbath OF
the year--but the whole big CITY, The spec
cial Christmas services at all of the
churches were well attended. both in the
morning and evening, and 1t was noticed
that many places of worship were CONS