, 1913-01-04
PUBLIC'S XMAS TREE TO STAND
FOR A WEEK.
Every Night from Christmas Eve to New
Years 1t Will Be Lighted to Cheer
the Masses.
National Songs to be Sang.

National Songs to be Sang,
Every one in New York will! be able to
see the big Christmas tree, the personifca-
ton OF the Christmas spirit, the idea of
Mrs. j. B. F.. Herreshoff, which is to bloom
with innumerable electric lights on Christ
mas Eve in the park at Madison Square, for
it is to remain throughout the week and send
out its radiant glow every night up to tie
new year.
Yesterday the many persons who are
anxious to make Christmas Joyous for all
the city in the big outdoor Christmas tree
were gathering in an uptown studio to tell
what they would do, to sing or play, or make
Christmas music in some way for the Christ
mas crowds. To-day more persons will
gather, and by night more will be known of
the musical programme, which probably VIII
be given out on Sunday.
Many Of the older countries on the Con-
tinent have special National festivities, Gus
toms that have been in existence for hun-
dreds of years, but America has none, and
Mrs. Herreshotf and those who are helping
her hope that the public Christmas tree may
become a national TEXTURE, 10 be found in
every town and village, a place where all
may gather, rich or poor, on Christmas Eve,
listen to the Christmas music, and feel that
it is their tree, their Christmas, and that the
spirit of peace aud good will eucircles them,
no matter how friendless they may be.
The tree will not be for children more
thon for grown people, for the poor more
than for the rich. There Will be no gifts on
it, and only the gift OF the Christmas spirit
to emanate from it.
New York is a great cosmopolitan city
and the wonderful feature Of the beautiful
HbVis+u,oo ,,,Ioic tbot will Nc o;von ,,;O IL
that it, too, will be cosmopolitan, and the
thousands Of people of New York's great
foreign population Will hear the mwsic Of
their own lands in their own tongues
German, Scandinavian, Italian, French, per
haps.
The exact nature of the programme is not
yet known, rs it is no easy task to arrange
for the music, choral and orchestral, which
must have an immense body of sound to
make itself heard for any distance ia the
park. The church chimes viii ring on Christ
mas Eve at 5 O'Clock, the lights of the
Christmas tree are to be turned on at $50,
when the chOrals will be sung, and the
Christmas festivities for all the city will have
begun. No Que need, then, feel lonely or
homesick, or f~orlorn, for it is the Christmas
tree for them all. The band will play from
8 to 10 and IL to II midnight.
Il is only a week since letters have been
sent out to q few people asking them if they
wished to be in the big secret OF New York
City's Christmas. Everyone who heard Of
the ~festivity was delighted, and the only
thing that any one asked in Offering services
of any kind was: ''Don't mention my name
1t was all to be u real CAristnas secret, and
while arrangements were being made for the
use of the park and other ends of red tape
being gathered in no one told until a little
of it leaked out Monday.
The big tree is II present from the Adiron-
dack Club, and it's transportation from the
heart of tue forests to New York was the
gift of a railroad man. The baud which Will
play on Christmas Eve will be another gift
from another individual. The members
of the band will be paid that there may be
peace aud goodwill in the hearts of union
men ~ y Times Dec "a