Evening star., 1914-12-21
HURRY|NG DETAILS
FOR RCHR|STMASDAY
W. H. Smith Donates Tree for
Community Celebration at
the Capitol.
ONE THOUSAND VOICES
TO UNITE IN CHORUSES
Midnight Services Planned by
Churehes-Special Privileges Ex-
tended to Soldiers and Sailors.

Final plans for the celebration OF
Christmas are being whipped into shape
all over Washington today. A NAM
moth Christmas tree has been donated
by w. II. Smith for the community
Christmas celebration to be held in the
plaza al the east front of the Capitol
building Christmas eve, and reports
today from Prof. Otto T. Simon, di-
rector of the chorus, which will sing
upon that occasion-accompani by
the full Marine Band-are that the 1000
voices, which will join in the choruses.
will furnish music-lovers real treat.
This celebration will begin promptly
at 5 o'clock Christmas eve.
One notable feature of this years Gel
ebration of Christmas is the large num-
Der of midnight services that are to be
held in the Catholic and Protestant
Episcopal churches of the city.
Nothing like SO many midnight serv-
ices were held last year as are sched
midnight masses among the Catholic
churches of the city has usually been
the service held at the Franciscan
monastery at Brookiand, which is to be
given again this year.
Chapel Services at Midnight.
AS the principal event in the Episco-
pal churches, it is announced that
Bishop Harding will ofFiciate at i'm
pressive midnight services in Bethle-
hem Chapel. Mount st. Alban Christ
mas day services are also scheduled in
four other chapels of the Cathedral at
Mount ST. Alban.
Wholesalers are predicting low prices
of food for Christmas because of IN
creased supplies in the markets. Fruits
have not been known to be SO cheap
in Washington in a long time, it is
said, as they are now. All the stores,
also, are reporting good business, with
many demands by holiday shoppers,
much of the buying being concentrated
during the daytime. because the stores
will not be open this year in the even
ines, owing to the passage of the
eight hour law to protect woman
workers.
Privilege to Soldiers.
Military posts in and around Wash
ington will be vacated, to a certain
extent, beginning shortly before Christ
mas day and continuing until after the
coming of the new year. In some of
them drills and exercises will be sus-
pended to permit the officers and men
to enjoy the holidays to the full ex-
tent. Christmas celebrations have not
been planned at many of them, 1t is
declared, because the forces are de-
pleted.
Many of the officers and men who
live away from the city are taking ad
vantage of the opportunity for a fur
Tough covering the holidays. Even the
naval ships tied up at their docks at
the navy yard will work, to a certain
extent, with skeleton forces. There.
too. as at the army posts, men have
been granted furlough to go to their
homes to spend the Christmas holi-
days. The ships at the ward arc the
MayfioWer. Dolphin and Sylph.
Suspension of Drills.
Drills will be suspended for a short
period at Fort Myer and Washington
barracks. At the latter post I: Christ
mas celebration has been arranged for
Christmas eve by Chaplain Henry a.
Browne, l.. $. A, in which the children
of the post will participate. There will
be j big Christmas tree and candy and
presents viii be distributed to the chill
dren of the post. Post talent will be
used in the entertainment i'll connection
with the celebration.
There will he no formal celebration
at Fort Myer or the marine barrack s,
although at the latter place, it is said
the men in the various quarters hold
little celebrations of their own, deco
rating their rooms up in Christmas
green's.