South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-25
CITY SETTLES.
TO ENJOYMENT
OF CHRISTMAS
After the Usual BuStle of Last
Minute Shopping = uni
forms Add Unfamiliar
Touch to Scenes.

South Bend has settled itself
down contentedly for a wholesoul-
ed enjoyment of Christmas day.
Nothing daunted by the lack of
| highways traversible by reindeer
and sleishs. old Kris Kringle man
aged to make his usual number of
visits last night. For those unfor-
| tunate ones who were unintention-
| ally overlooked in old Santas year
! ly trip, South Bend has done its
| best bit toward providing some sub
stitutes.
Baskets of good things to eat.
and warm things to wear have been
made up by various ORGANIZATIONS
in the city and distributed TO needy
families, that on this day of days
at least. some touch of comfort and
pleasure may be theirs.
Christmas eve. as unChristmas-
| like as snOwless weather can make
Tit. brought the usual. hurried. fur
| ried last minute shoppers down
| town in droyes
The one unusual feature. and an
attractive one, was. the presence of
many soldiers and sailors who
| brushed elbows with the crowds
! Christmas has brought home many
of these boys for brief furloughs
and the sight of the olive drab and
navy blue of their uniforms lent an
/ unfamiliar touch to the scene
Christmas eve festivities we're
! few, affairs being confined princi-
pally to family gatherings. Christ
mas entertainments in the church
| es took place mainly on last sun
| day and the special services were
| also held then. Catholic churches,
| however, are observing special
| Christmas programs today
/ Doubtless many Of the smaller So
cial affairs that ordinarily mark the
| holiday time were given up in defer
| ence TO the Red Cross ball at the
| oliver hotel this evening. Sailors
| and soldiers, army and navy Off
GERS doUghboys and tars alike. with
their wives or sweethearts are 10 be
the honor guests of the evening and
| the military uniforms. mingling
with the vari-colOred gowns of the
women. will add much to the splen-
did effect.
one of the lOvliest and most i'm
| pressive Christmas festival services
given in South Bend was that of
I last night At O'Clock. so little
school children. with lighted can
| dies in their hands, marched out Of
the east entrance of the court
house and grouped themselves on
the south side of the big gun.
Their sweet childish voices sing
| ing America" were impressive.
The Progress club chorus and F.
C.. Koos presented the special mu-
sic Their presence and assistance
added much to the success of the
! service They sang while the pic
lures of the life of Christ were be
ling thrown on the screen. When
! the two sailors and the soldier. in
the tableau. dropped the American
| Flag over the edge of the balcony.
, the chorus sang. Keep the Home
Fires Burning and later. The
| Star Spangled Banner"
Despite the cold weather. many
| persons Witnessed the services. one
thing that was particularly notice
/ able waSsthe fact that the majority
/ of the men who stood at attention
while the national anthem was be-
/ ing sung were men with white hair
/ and the something about them that
/ suggested that they were Of the
stuff that would not have stood un-
/ covered had they been young men
] in that crowd anc without the
l qrr11- ar navy uniform
The Redmen's band very kindly
! offered their services in the stead
| of ElbeIs band.
The Christmas tree was beauti-
\ fully lighted with vari-colored cleo
| trio lights and at the top of the
! tree was large Christmas star.