The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-12-26
CITIES
JOIN In
SERVICE
Community Christmas Tree,
Fargo and Moorhead's
First, a Success
HUNDREDS JOIN IN SONG
Needy Provided For, Mod
crate Weather, in Great
Church Festival

Although old Boreas did not lend his |
| whole support to the movement and
insisted in having the upper end Of
| the mercury slightly below the zero
| point, the first Community Christmas
tree in Fargo and Moorhead was stag
ed Sunday night very successful |
| ly.
| Although it was too cold to remain
standing in the open long enough to
| listen to the entire program, the COM
munity spirit of Fargo and Moorhead
| was amply demonstrated through the
| fact that several thousand people
| braved the weather and helped to
make the event the success that II
| was.
Church Bells Ring Summons.
Promptly at 5 o'clock Christmas eve
] every church bell in the two cities
| rang out the summons that called the
two communities together, and at $50
o'clock, long column of school chill
choirs of the cities, headed by the
Salvation Army band, left the audi
| torium and marched to the plaza at
the junction of Broadway and Front
street, where the large Christmas tree
| had been erected.
AS the head of the column reached
! the plaza, singing that grand old hymn
|
Sing. A. F. Pinkham, pioneer Of Fargo,
threw the switch that flooded the
| beautiful Christmas tree with red,
| green and white lights. Four heralds
| in red robes blew a fanfare in front
of the big tree, and the program of
the first Community Christmas tree
| was on.
! Carols were sung in the open air,
| and a solo by Nine. Leonore Gordon
| Foy. was featured. Words of the carols
were thrown onto a screen by a
| lantern.
After the program at the tree, the
assemblage adjourned to the audi
torium, where the event was conclud-
| ed.
Christmas Day Ideal.
Christmas day was ideal. Sunday
the weather moderated considerably, a
heavy snow falling about o'clock in
the evening, which gave the needed
touch for a northern Christmas. The
temperature was considerably above
| zero.
An especially beautiful feature of
1.-THE celebration was the music played
lby the Salvation Army band of this
lefty as the host of school children
marched singing up the hill from the
auditorium. Miss Bess Conant's
work as accompanist to Nine. Foy,
considering the severe cold. was also
,leSpeClally COmmenQaDle.
Travellers going through the city
have been remarking on the commun-
lity tree, which they have viewed with
much interest from the car windows,
and have been giving Fargo extreme
lily high praise for it's enterprise and
commendable community spirit.
All Were Provided.
= There is one thing that was most
pleasing about Christmas this year.
1t is doubtful if there was a family in
, either Fargo or Moorhead who had not
: been amply provided for in the way of
} good things to eat and of all sorts of
Christmas cheer.
The charitable institutions. the
l Salvation Army, the Associated
Charities and Glad Tidings mission.
provided amply for the needy. Every
, family on the lists Of the charity work.
ers Of the city was provided with a
great basket of good things, not only
enough for Christmas dinner, but
r for considerable period after as well.
T Quantities Of clothing were distribut-
ed to those requiring garments and to-
day should find every poor person well
fed and warmly clothed. number of
t children who short time ago did not
] have enough clothing to enable them
, to attend school were well cared for
Y and are now warmly clothed.
Saturday afternoon the Fargo lodge
+ of Elks distributed hundreds of pounds
! OF staple foods to long list of poor
families in the two cities, $1,000 being
expended by them in this good work
The large sacks left at each needy
home contained enough to last fol
some time, the contents being of thai
y substantial nature that will go a long
way in keeping people from becoming
hungry. The quality was of the bes
. too. r
j Christmas at Churches.
= Christmas day was well observed ii
q the churches of the city. There were
Q early matin services at the Lutheran
n churches, masses at the Catholic
cathedral while the other denomina
: on Sunday. At Gethsemane cathedra
- there was a midnight service Sunda!
4 night with q Christmas service a
y = 1890 o'clock Christmas morning.
Y At st. Marks English Lutheran
church there was cantata sung a
Il the o'clock matin service Christina
d morning. The cantata was The Sta
y y of Bethlehem. The Sunday school o
Y the church presented it's Christina
program last evening at 1889 o'clock.
II The First Norwegian Lutheran
n church held it's services in Norwegian
n Christmas morning with the service il
English Sunday evening.
= At st. Paurs Norwegian Lutheran
h church the Christmas service was helC
a Christmas morning while the Sunda!
9 school had it's tree and program in tn
b evening.
Last evening there was big pro
t gram at Plymouth Congregations
B. church. one of the features OF th'
2 event being a revolving Christmas tres
e for the edification of the children o.
U the Sunday school. Little girls dressed
I as angels distributed the gifts from
= the tree.
An elaborate Christmas program
1 was presented at the First Methods
: church Sunday evening by the Sunday
!. school of that churcn. A feature o
J, this program was playlet by Mis-:
Pinney's class The choir was assist
q ed by an orchestra of ten pieces.
!. At each church a feature of the