The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-25
Cheers Electric Display
at Big Community
Celebration.
OCCASION UNIQUE
IN CITY'S HISTORY
Mani Made Star of Bethlehem
Journeys From City Hall to
Tip of Christmas Tree, Ablaze
With Thousands of Col
ored Lights-School
Choir Sings.

Twenty thousand people. packed in
solid phaianX around the old Ford Ho-
tel lot. turned their faces skyward at
the stroke of 6 last night to watch a
brilliant white star sail slowly east
ward from the City Hall to the tip
| OF n Christmas tree, the like or which
was never known outside OF little
! boys dreams.
| The deeptoned bell in the City Hall
/ tower was still aquiver with the music
/ of the sixth peal, when the mammoth
/ star. up to that moment a shroudcd
/ device OF wire and steel. burst forth
/ into light. For a bare ten seconds
/ II remained motonless. Then it broke
! from its moorings. and moved slowly
/ across tho Eleventh Street chasm alive
with Christmas worshpers. to it's
! foreordained position over the Christ
/ mas tree that was reared by a Cod
/ fearing people to symbolic tho spirit
OF giving.
| Tree hbinze with Light.
At the moment when tho star, after
| Il two-minute journey over it's fragile
| tramway stood directly overhead the
/ giant spruce. Miss Cora Lucille Thomp-
/ son, daughter OF City Electrician
! Thompson, turned a magic switch. and
! the Community Christmas Tree sprang
[ into life-radiant In tints Of 5000 red.
white and blue electric lights, gilt
I Christmastide. hung with make believe
/ silver and make believe gold.
For moment the great crowd
maincd mute in admiration. 1t be-
came child again, and gazcd in de-
| light upon this thing of tho forest in
royal livery. Then slowly, there arose
a subdued handclapping, which grew
and grew until the acclaim became
-,.mighty demonstration stirring tho
| giant gathering from the picket fence
! OF Capitol Square to the fartherest
point OF vantage on the north line OF
Broad Street
With the first ripple OF applause
came the shrill cheers of the small
boy and girl to whom heavon, accord
Ing to the poet is nearer than it is to
fathers and mothers. The youngsters
! formed Il full half OF the big gather
ing. and shouted their greetings joy
ously to the city's nrst municipal
/ Christas tree.
school Choir Sings.
With the first movement of the star
toward the fairy-tree, n choir OF 1000
school children. under the direction OF
Professor Mercer launched forth into
the hymn. 20. Little Town OF Bethle-
hem aided by the subdued accom-
panlment OF Kessnichs Band hidden
deep in the background
! Pcrched high on an elevated plat
form motion picture operator threw
brilliant quadrangle OF light on a
curtain suspended on the wall or tha
building that bounds the east side OF
the Ford Hotsl lot. \ moment later
there appeared on the curtain in bold
relief the words of the hymn that was
pouring from 1000 Threats.
As the star drew nearer and nearer
to its soal more and more people joined
In tho singing The hymn grew In
| volume seeming TO accompany the NOV
ing star in It's trlumphai progress. BY
the time II stood poised over the crown
OF the Christmas tree the hymn had at
tanned to the proportions OF mighty
anthem in which all. young and old,
joined, whether they could sing or not.
Like Star OF bethlehem.
1t was not difficult. while watching
the man-made star ride uncannily
through the heavens last night, to
call to mind the night some two thou
sand years ago when three wise men
came from ont OF the East and re
joiced with exceeding great Joy" at the
sight OF Il heaven fashioned star, which
led them eastwardlv To a lowly home
in judca.
Like the star that guided the wise
su en, last nights star, moved from the
west to the east. In February, s. &.
tit is not generally known but Christ
was born four years before what -
commonly reckoned the Christian
era-the Star of bethlehem paused at
the end Of its eastward journey over
.
Last night. TO pursue the parallel one
step further the community star
paused over the ono symbol which.
next to the cross is the most intimats
EXPRESSION OF the world religion when
the lowy manger Child founded
After the first hymn came Others:
''Ilar< the Herald Angels Sing. Glory
10 the New Found King Holy night.
rS1cSfn gG & o,ns Nish' Lex to re foI%n h9rd
each other with only all interval OF Il
minute or two between one hymn and
another. during which the tree dark
up again. Lights were cut OF during
the singing TO make more legible song
words on the curtain.
Reverence Holds Crowd.
The occa sion was unique in the his
tory OF Richmond. Always a city in
which tho spirit Of Christmas reignod
strong. noted for its open hand and its
open heart II responded whole heart
cdly To the idea OF rearing "a mighty
! Christmas tree to he nobodys in par
ticular. but evcrybody's. In this spirit
assembled 10000 OF it's citizens last
night. ana there is little wonder at.
the statement of the police that it was
ever assembled in Richmond.
Ropes stretched on the property line
along broad Street from the city Hall
eastwardiy TO the further corner OF
the lot, and along Capitol Street from,
the southeast corner OF the City Hail
eastwardly, held in check the multi
scene shortly after 5 O'Clock within
hali an hour the crowd was packed
eight TO twelve deep around the entire
circumference OF. the barrier on tha
Capitol street side the crowd iilled th8
street to tile picket fence that guards
capitol square and overfowed into ths.3
park beyond. n
In a Modern Setting. s n.
TO tho philosophers in the crowd. the !.
occasion olered tho interesting study