Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-26
OHM Frs FOR THE POOR
TOURISTS" AMONG
These WHO WERE SERVED.

'Dickie, did you get your lump?'
The speaker was a frowsy speciman of
the turnpike tourist" class who had no
doubt been attracted to this city by the
alluring announcement that several Chris
tan and charitable organizations would
give away smoking hot Christmas dinners
to the poor. He addressed the query to
two frayed-out specimens of his class who
We're shivering with the cold at the foun-
tain at 18th street and Pennsylvania avenue
yesterday afternoon
Nav" one of the pair of birds of pas
sage responded. where are the Jumps
bein' handed out?'
Down dere at de 'Merican Salvation
Army hold-out on Pennsylvania avenue
Dey is Christmas dinners in de wrap
And the two hobos hustled through the
icy north wind to the barracks of the
American Salvation Army, where they re-
ceived their humps" or Handouts"
\ few doors further along. at 119 Penn
sylVania avenue, there was motley gath
ering of humanity-men. women and boys;
black. white and yellow. Some of them
were derel;cts of life and wayfarers and
others We're members of the Districts col
ony of the other half" They We're as
sembled in front of the Homeward Bound
Mission waiting their turn to get into the
warm atmosphere of the large dining room
where long tables were spread and the
poor were being served with hot Christmas
dinners. Tie meal was of the English
roast beef and plum pudding order, with
truit and other things on the side Mrs.
Commander Haslan in charge, while
Capt. Theodore Valiant, George LATTER
bach and several policemen detailed from
the sixth precinct maintained order among
the many var!egated callers.
Pitched Into Good Things.
The first tables were filed at o'clock
yesterday afternoon and the feast began
with the singing of the hymn, Praise God
from Whom All Blessings Flow" and
prayer by Mrs. Hatton.
Then, Il wish you all merry Christ
mas was exclaimed by Mrs. Haslam, and
there was great rafting of knives. forks
and spoons. as the guests pitched into the
coed things before them.
AS each of the 300 diners passed from
the hall he was handed a paper bag con-
tanning an apple. orange and banana. After
all had been served a Christmas service
was held in the auditorium and Capt. Theo-
dore Valiant delivered an address on
christmas, 1906" He spoke of the birth
day anniversaries of great men that are
celebrated and said that by far the great
est of all was Jesus Christ, whose birth
anniversary is celebrated as Christmas.
The day of Christ's birth lad been so eff
fectualy concealed. the speaker said, that
no one can tell positively when he was
born. Before the fourth century Christmas
was celebrated at different seasons by Off
ferent sections of the church. But some
time during that century a commission was
appointed to ascertain and fix the true
Christmas day, and SO ever since We have
been observing the 25th of December
Speaking of the abuses of the day of
days, Capt. Valiant said:
NO doubt in appointing day for cele
brating the birth of the worlds redeemer
the church meant well, but the manner of
its celebration in the past and by many in
the present is but another illustration of
the fact that good thing in the hands of
worldly and sinful men will surely be per-
verted to evil He then described drunk
enness and other excuses of Christmas day
and hoped for better in the future.