The Washington herald., 1911-12-25

The day before Christmas passed
quietly at the White House with a
Yuletide talk to Sunday school children
by the President in the morning and a
long walk in the afternoon. Antici-
pating the elaborate dinner that will be
served to-day, neither the President
nor the other members of the Taft
family indulged in a Sunday feast The
three meals were simple. The entire
family is now in the White House
ready for Christmas Robert Taft,
Charlie, and Miss Helen have pur-
chased their Christmas presents pre-
paratory to a general celebration to-
day, In one of the upper rooms a
Christmas tree has been arranged. dec
GRATED with the conventional gold and
red and blue-stars, globes, and the
like
TALKS TO SUNDAY SCHOOL.
President Taft attended the 9 o'clock
services in the Sunday school of All
Souls Unitarian Church. The youngsters
filled the Sunday school room when the
President, bowling and smiling, delivered
a brief talk on the lesson of Christmas
Day as a source of continual develop
ment. The President said:
l only come to share Christmas
greetings with you. and not to give
them to you. for l am not used to
speaking TO Sunday schools and do
not know that | can talk the language
TO which VOu are accustomed
The only thing l want to say is that
christmas is development, and that
you will realize it as you grow older
The first thing about Christmas is the
pleasure YOU have in receiving gifts,
the pleasure you have in the fact that
somebody thinks enough of you to
give You something. For time you
will think a good deal of the value
OF the gift and after that of the good
will toward you that prompts the
gift.
Then after time, as I hope, when
you are all able to make gifts, you
will begin to think of the pleasure
you have in making the gifts. rather
than of the pleasure YOU have in re-
Ceiving them. In other words, the
growth of Christmas will be the
growth OF the idea that it is more
blessed to give than to receive. You
will find it right in your own life
ii
serving somebody else and in doing
something for somebody will ultimate
ly impress itself on you. so that
Christmas will mean a great deal
more to yoI in the future than it
means nOw-much as it now means to
You.
wish you a merry Christians, and
hope that you will all remember what
] have told you. If it does not seem
TO be true. come and tell me about
it, and I will prove it to you.
Family at Church.
Mrs. Taft attended St Johns Episcopal
Church in the morning with Robert,
Charlie. and Helen. When the services
were over the family mOtored back to the
White House
There was much bustling around the
White House late last night when the
presents of to-day were arranged All
members of the Executives family are
firm believers in the oId-time traditions
of Christmas and the lighting of the tree
Will be part Of to-day's exercises.
During the afternoon Miss Helen Taft
probably will have few friends in. They
Will remain TO an informal reception to
be held later.
President Taft probably will attend
church services this morning In the
afternoon he may take a short automo-
bile ride If the weather permits. He will
not go to his offices and will transact
only urgent public business
In the evening the family will gather
Tor the Christmas dinner. The only guests
outside the immediate family will be
Miss Harriet Anderson, Mrs. Taft's niece,
and Miss Edith Morgan, of New York.
The President intends to devote as
much time as possible during the holidays