The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-12-23
CHINESE STUDENTS AT CXRLcZzAS
HzWWOW A7 CHINESE. LEGA7T0W

are purchased and stored temporarily in the embassies
are not all for the adults and children of the household.
The probable visitors of the day are borne in mind and
as a little Brazilian boy in Washington put it once: 81
aave had ten Christmases in ten hours"
Church going on Christmas day is the rule in Wash
angton. Some persons have been unkind enough to say
that all the American officials go to church on Christ
mas because the fact is very apt to get into the news
papers and "t reads we'll at home" The majority of the
Central American and South American diplomats tenn
porarily resident in Washington, are nominally at least
good churchmen, and they attend service as a matter of
training and as a matter of course. Practically all the
women from the "Latln-American countries are religiously
devout, and with them church going on Christmas is a
matter of duty that is not to be neglected under any cir
cumstances. No child is allowed to miss church and the
result is that all the capital city temples of worship are
well filled on the feast day.
President Taft always has been a regular attendant at
church and his service going since he became president
establishes no precedent. Mrs. Taft and the children are
Eriscopalians, while the president is a Unitarian, and so
1t is that Sundays and other church days are the only
days in the year that the family becomes in a sense d.
vided. The president attends service at the Unitarian
church of All Souls, of which the Rev. u. G. B. Pierce is
the pastor. Mrs. Taft and the children are regular at
tendants at st. Johns Episcopal church which in years
past was attended by so many presidents of the United
States that it came to be known semijocosely as the
Church Of State" Mrs. Roosevelt and her children also
attended st. Johns on Sundays and Christmas days,
while Mr.. Roosevelt went to the little German Reformed
church on Fifteenth street, and rarely missed a service.
This Christmas season the majority of the members of
both houses of congress are in the capital city. Time
was, and not so long ago, that senators and represent
atives took their families and went home to spend the
AoAAooy ooO Ou1 AO", w. uadllCAd1 IedSOuS, CQ0 ma.
tional legislators in the main elect to stay in Washing.
ton for their holiday making. Prior to the passage of
the last railroad rate bill most of the members of con-
gross had passes on the railroads. Now they have to pay
their way when they travel and for those who live at a
distance from Washington this means a considerable ex-
penditure of money in case they desire to go home at
Christmas.
Every employe Of the White House is given a Christ
mas turkey by the president This is a custom of many
years standing, and only once or twice has it been bro.
ken. The clerks in the departments, and there are many
thousands Of them, not only get a Christmas holiday, but
are allowed to leave their work at noon on the day previ-
GUS In order that they may do their Christmas shopping.
The lot of the department clerk in Washington is not a
hard one, as far as the matter of holidays is concerned.
Every empoye is given a months leave on full pay in
each year, and Is allowed another month ito be sick in"
This last statement means, of course, only that if an en-
ploye is i'll he or she receives full pay for one month on
receipt of the physicians certificate that the illness has
been real The clerks get seven or eight holidays each
year, anc these, taken in connection with the months
leave, and with the fact that the hours of work number
only seven and a half each day, make the laboring condi-
ton of the department clerk fairly comfortable.
Washington's Christmas is always a green Christmas.
even If there is snow on the ground, for in this latitude
there are many trees and shrubs that hold their leaves
and their color all through the year. AS a matter of fact
there Is rarely any snow in the capital city that is worthy
of the name. All last winter, save for a few hours, the
streets were bare, of snow. Then came March 4th, Inau-
guration day, and a record-making blizzard with a down.
fall of snow. hail apd rain mixed. The holly is always