Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-22
CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
1oyous Celebrations All Over
City--Santa Claus Popular as
Ever With Tiny Pupils
SONG, SPEECH AND STORY
.s.u,bers Of Education Board Take
Part in Exercises at Several
Buildings

cnris,mas exercises we're held today In
.tu,os, svery public school In the city. with
.hout $4,000 bey7 9nd girls participating
splrlt Of freedom and festivity per
,.s.d tho classrooms even during the lesson
soors That preceded the entertainments. as
,hsr. will be no sessions after today until
January 2
s.brlssman carols were sung at the eNer-
,s.ss little men and women made speeches
AID. II the belief in sau1a claus among
shlldren is disappearing. the fact was not
.v,asnt for there was as much talk as ever
.bou, the Jolly old saint
4, seyeral schools addresses were made
A. tbe members Of the Board OF Education.
4he supervising principles also spoke. bu
sSs 'headllncrs' were the children them.
selves
many future Presidents OF the United
states recitc THE Children's Hour" the
apad Boys Christmas' or "The Boy stood
- the purnlnE Deck" and the old standbys
were as popular among the adults ~ the
little ones.
AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS
A, the Girls High school Seventeenth
and Spring Garden streets, 1000 voices
sanr the "Adeste Fldelcs' and hymns In
German and French At the Northeast
High School. Eighth street and Lehgh ave-
uus Dir. Andrew ], Morrison. principal. led
re exercises OF 1900 students. After a
musical program DR. Forrest y. Dagger
pastor of 81. Paul's Reformed Eplrcopal
church. Broad and Nenango streets, ad-
6ressed the school on BE Prepared"
Al the West Philadelphia nlgh schools
the programs were especially elaborate
likewise in tho Germantown High Schools
An "old-fashioned celebration was car
RED out at the South Philadelphia High
echool for Girls The Nule log and tradl-
tlonaI boar's head were carried into the
auditorium while the bonr'a head chorus
sang an ancient hymn minstrel show
was one feature OF the program at. the
south Philadelphia High School for Boys,
Simon Gratz. chairman OF the Girls High
school COMMITTEES. OF the Board OF Educa-
tion was speaker at the Philadelphia
Normal School. Late this afternoon hun
dreds OF children were given toys and cloth
Inr al the William Penn High School. The
gifts wef>, purchased by the Students Asso-
CATION, OF the institution. In accordance
with an annual custom. There were no
formal exercises at the Central High School.
CHRISTMAS CANTATA
Al the School of Practice. Thirteenth
and Spring Garden streets, several enter
talnments were held. each adapted TO the
age and grade OF the pupils. Several
Christmas hymns. composed hy Robert l.,
Galley, supervising principal OF the Hunter
School Mascher and Dauphln streets. were
sung \ cantatn was sung by twenty-five
children. under the direction OF Miss kath-
erne welner member OF the faculty, and
the pupils were addressed by Miss Bertha
Lowenburg of the Free Library.
A Christmas surprise party was given
70 the pupils OF the kindergarten depart
ment OF the James Wilson School, Twelfth
and wharton streets More than one hum
dred foreign children participated.
Each pupil was given stocking full OF
toys. candy and other useful and entertain
ng presents. Many OF the toys were made
By the boys OF the manual training class,
who have been devoting an hour a day 10
the work for several weeks.