The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-27
BIC ATTENDANCE
 AT STRATFORD'S CHRISTMAS PARTY
Four Generations Attend Sexton Christmas Cele-
 bration.
Special to The Farmer)

NOPCS1dI lO 1llC II eIl Stratford, Dec. 27.-Fully 5000 per- sons were present at the first com munity Christmas tree celebration held at Academy Hill, Monday even Ing. Of this number one-half were children who were made happy by be- ing the recipients of gifts from the tree. It was the first real community Christmas tree ever held in Stratford and no doubt has left lasting impress sion on the large multitude who wit messed the nights festivities. The children met at the town hall at 6:30 o'clock and headed the Stratford Home Guards, and First Selectman James Lally marched to the commun- | ity Christmas tree where distribution of presents commenced.
 | Each child received Christmas stocking filled with nuts, candy and | oranges. The affair was in charge of Mrs. Richard Howell, president of the | Boys and Girls Useful Club. She was assisted by Mrs. Wade Cook, Mrs. Og- den Wiley, Mrs. Walter Goddard and Mrs. Thomas Taylor. The Citizens committee which has done so much good in giving the towns soldiers a suitable send-off when they went to | camp also gave valuable assistance | This committee was composed of First Selectman James Lally, Fred Town roe, David L. Rhoades, Charles Aber- crombie, Olaf Unbehagen and George Bateman.
 Much credit for the success of the vast undertaking should be given to the women of the town who worked to cut out and sew together 2,5OO | stockings and fill them with delicacies The women met in the town hall and in private homes both days and nights and labored like beavers to make the affair a grand success. Everything was in readiness late Sunday after noon.
 The singing of Christmas carols un- der the direction of Prof. Clark, mu- sical director of the public schools was one of the features. Following was the programme:
 Song-Come All Ye Faithful.
 Prayer-Rev. Henry P. Lyman Wheaton.
 Presentation-Miss Dorothy Peck. Acceptance-Elliott W. Peck. | Song-Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.
 Address Robert c. Whitehead Presentation of gifts.
 Benediction-Rev. Artyre M. Bag gett.
 Herbert L. Bartram rendered sever al selections on the cornet which add ed much to the occasion. The Boys and Girls Useful Club is not a year old, but it is already one of thS leading organizations in making over Stratford from an old fashioned town into a modern wide awake con- munity.
 Four Generations at Dinner At the Christmas dinner given at the home of MT. and Mrs. James Sex | ton, Stratford avenue, Stratford there were four generations represented. Mrs. Jeremiah McAuliffe of New York city, aunt of Mrs. James Sexton, MT. and Mrs. Michael Gill of Bridgeport, | Vincent Gill also of Bridgeport, and MT. and Mrs. James Sexton and fam | fly of Stratford were present and en- joyed a real old-fashioned turkey din- ner. Mrs. Gill is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sexton and Vincent Gill, grandchild. MT. Sexton received a letter from his son First Lieutenant Vincent Sexton, who is stationed in California extending to them the hap piest greetings of the Yuletide season also informing them that he was to leave for France in few days. A dress suit case filled with many hand some and beautiful gifts also arrived and were distributed following the festivities. Lieutenant Sexton was for merly a newspaperman employed on the various repertorial staffs of the papers in Bridgeport.
 Phillips -Bonesby On Christmas morning at 10 o'clock Miss Gladys Bonesby, daughter of MT. and Mrs. Edward Bonesby of Sachs street, Stratford, became the bride of James Phillips, Jr., son of MT. and Mrs. James Phillips, ST., of Sachs street. Rev. Ernest c. Carpenter, pas tor of the Stratford Methodist church performed the ceremony. The we'd ding was attended by the immediate relatives of both families. Both per- sons are widely known in town. 1 147 Receive Instruction | Up to the present date 147 young men have received instruction from Attorney Ivan L. Warehouse how to fill out properly their questionnaires. Attorney Warehouse has been in ses- sion at the town hall for one week and had on the average about 35 visi- tors each evening.
 Meeting Postponed
 The regular meeting of the Okenuck