Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-24
AMERICAN CHRISTMAS
 FOR FRENCH CHILnREN
 AND YANKEE SOLDIERS
Is the Plans for Yuletidc of Y. M. (. A.. and X. Y. F.; Tinsc!ed Trees Decked With Presents.

Paris, Dec. 23.-An American 1 Christmas for American soldiers and for French children is the great l Yuletide project of the American Ex- i Eeditionary force, aided by the Poung i ! Mems Christian association. Thou sands of tinselled trees decked with ! ! presents have been distributed ill , readiness for the day, thousands of Red Santa Claus costumes with ac- comEanying "!iite whiskers have been provided and thousands of en- tertainments have been prepared for presentation on Christmas eve in the Red Trangle huts, "his home over there"
 The Americans have shown the French what they can do in the way of fighting, and now will present their peculiar ideas in the way of celebrating the day of universal good l will he birthday of the Prince of Peace Last December, when there were less than 100000 American SOL diers in France, and these mostly 1 , busied training for the great knock i out which they delivered to mii- talism this summer, the boys in 1 khaki and the "Y" workers managed | to show a small sample of the Amer .can Christmas idea to the French. i This year the 100000 Americans here will impart America's Yuletide | bodily and set it down on the sac red soil of France where the people 1 ave learned to expect the Tanks to , do everything on the grand scale. | The celebration will divide into two parts. the Christmas for the American boys so far from their | own firesides and the gift day for the Youngsters Of France, so long denied a real observation of their beloved Noel
 To each of the 2,0000O0 soldiers in the American EXpeditionary Force the Y. M. c. A. will present Christ mas box containing two bars of Chocolate, package of cream can 1 dy two packages of cigarettes and l a tin of tobaco. In addition each man will receive Christmas card. | The Red Triangle organization has arranged for tho Christmas entertain ments in the "P" huts, 1900 in num- i tber, as well as in the 1,5O0 Foryers du Soldat maintained with the French army. A comedy sketch written eX
 clusivey for the American soldiers in France, has been in the course of secret rehearsal for weeks and will 1 be given the greatest premier in the
 atrical history-hundreds of first nights" simultaneously on the night of the 9th. with undreds of origin al casts. The entertainment depart ment of the r. M. c. A. sent out the dramatic coaches who rehearsed 4l. .,, f1,Ni~ n,fc, o1,1 and furnished the necessary costumes and makeup.
 This same entertainment depdrt- ment also arranged to put on as many
 professional vaudeville and dramatic
 shows in as many huts as huts as
 the eishty-nine professional compan ies of actors at its commandcould giveon Christmas Eve and Christmas
 day and night By using the fast
 travelling motor transport of the ''Y' these actors, who were sent over by
 the Red Triangle's entertainment
 department and America's Over there
 Theatre League, will be able to give from four to six shows in a day
 bringing joy to thousands of men in
 uniform.
 Amateur talent. however. will be
 the mainstay of the festivals enter
 tainment Working on the theory
 what young men enjoy most the en-
 tertainment which they get up them } selves. the "Y" secretaries have ar ranged unlimited minstrel shows at
 which plenty of local hits and en-
 core verses taking off the members of
 particular units will count heavily in ) smashing the "black battles back
 bevOnd their Hindenburg line.
 In every hut will Slisten the
 Christmas tree. Where the hut has
 electric liehting, the greenery will be
 illuminated with little varicolored in- : candescents. At the appropriate time ; Santa Claus will make his initial DOW in France His first appearance. For the familiar old saint of England ana America is not so widely known in
 France. although he will be fixture from tis year on if the present ar arrangements for his debut count for
 anything.
 During the long, hot summer T months the Germans were being
 forced back from Paris and the Big
 Bertha missives were dropping
 around. patient unselfish women
 sewed away on Santa Claus costu- . mes at the Pari, headquarters of the r Y. NJ. c. A. As a result, there arc g thousands of these in readiness tt , be worn in the Christmas festlvltles s After the distribution to the sol
 diers at the huts, the duly selecte. ' impcrsonatory of Santa Claus VII '' fare forth cn Christmas day to car
 rv the fighters gifts to the chlidrel
 of France. Toys had been provided e in abundance on the theory that thf f boys in khaki. unable to celebrate ,- with their own families, would fln' 'e happiness in frightening the lives 'i these little ones of another land.
 Soldiers choruses, drilled by sons
 directors, will sing carols in tn
 camps early Christmas mornlhs I. Special religious services will fol . low in the huts, with the chaplain a of every denomination invited to pre- IT side. Appropriate addresses Will b 1:al,