The Harrison times., 1916-12-30

campaign throughout the, year In be-
half of the subjects in which 1t is In
terested.
Four Preparedness Congresses.
There will be at least four prepared
ness congresses In Washington this
winter. There are great many differ.
ent organizations whose object Is to
cause this country properly to prepare
for defensive warfare In case unhap-
PLY warfare should come. The men
who think that the navy should be
maintained at high point OF pro-
ficiency and should be increased large
ly In the number of Its ships will have
congress of their own. The propo-
nents of what they call a properly
prepared army will have congresses
of their own. There will be meeting
Of Americans who believe in indus
trial preparedness, and an effort Is to
be made to make the two kinds of pre-
paredness run along hand In hand.
A congress has just closed which
might be called an anti-preparedness
congress. Ii was meeting OF the
WOman's Peace society. Some OF the
most noted men and women speakers
of the country addressed the gather
ing. These people are against any
kind of preparedness except what
might be called spiritual prepared
ness. SO it is that Washington gets
both sides of pretty nearly every ques-
ton and gets each side presented as
fully as its advocates can compass
presentation.
The suffragists and the anti-suffra-
gists hold their congresses in Wash
ingtOn every winter. In fact 1t might
be said that there are congresses OF
both the suffragists and the ants In
session all through the year in Wash
ington, because for long time now
this city has been a hOtbed of pro and
anti campaigning. The ani-suffra-
gists have just ended ore of their big
meetings. They have two forces or
the enemy to fight at the same time,
although the two forces are trying to
carry the same point. The suffrage
and the anti-suffrage meetings are pep
perry and picturesque.
Holidays in Washington.
It is not the way of Washington folk
to feel any anxiety over the answer 10
the question, "Is it to be green or
a white Christmas?' The capital city
seldom sees a white Christmas, ana
never an entirely green one.
In this part of the Potomac valley
the December season presents a mix
ture of colors with the brown shades
In the majority. The holiday week Is
rather a part of the late autumn than
part of the early winter. The DIS
trict of Columbia Is, so far as North
and South goes, a betwixt and between
country. The holiday season here,
however, partakes Of the nature or the
Southern merrymakings rather than OF
those of the North.
There are in the city of Washington
about one hundred thousand colored
people, and their christmas gift"
spirit of the old Southern kind. In
way it is entirely probably that the
cOlored people have helped to give
the Washington Christmas the aspect
of the South on the same holiday. Or
course, however, the main reason is
that the old residents Of Washington
and their descendants were years ago
influenced more by the Southern spirit
of entertaining than by the Northern,
no matter what their political aflilia-
tions may have been, nor what their
sympathieS were as between the North
and the South in the time of war.
Christmas in Washington Is much like
Christmas in Virginia.
The holiday season in Washington Is
not altogether American in Its mani
festations. There are many represen-
tatives here of Central and South
American countries and of the coun-
tries of southern Europe. So it Is that
the ambassadors, the ministers, the at
taches and their families make all
effort to think themselves at home
when the Christmas season comes on
and they try to make their surround
ings such as they would be in their
native lands.
White House Celebration.
The White House will celebrate the
holiday season after the manner OF
Virginia. President Wilson and his
wife are both Virginia born. The fam
lilies Of both will gather with them to
do honor to the season. If the White
House had big open fireplaces, as some
people think 1t should have, and as
1t did have originally, the chlmneys
would roar with the cheer Of the leap
Ing flames. But the White House has
been "dreadfully modernized" so far as