Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-24
CITY CHEERFULLY
! AWAITS CHRISTMAS
No One to Go Hungry or Cold
in Philadelphia Tomorrow,
Organizations Vouch
DINE THOUSANDS OF POOR
i'NIerry Christmas -

MERRY Christmas
That's an ola one Nothing new.
shout it-iust the same old glad cry
bringing "A world Of new cheer aud hope
and warmth every year.
The city looks like Christmas. II has
broken ont in red and green. And
smiles. And where there is 50 much .
holly and mistlctoe there must hr /
LOT of Christmas spirit
This Christmas * especially bright .
and busy and full OF expressions Of .
Kindness because ii is the first since .
the war las been over, actually as
well as in name" After the strain VI ,
3 two years of war aud waiting, Christ '
mas is going to bo like o'd times.
The city is finishing great and opCn
hearted preparations for tomorrow. The .
public has throngrd the stores for the
past month and bought more presents .
than for any Christmas Of the past.
Municipal and private societies are
planning to make this the happicst of
all ChriStnascs for those of the city
who cannot make their own happiness, .
the sick and the poor and the unfor
tunate. All the old customs Of bringing
holiday cheer into dark corners of the
city will hr renewed and new plans
for doing away with the greatest pos
Eible number Of bleak ChriStmaseS have
been laid. Right now. the new world
spirit Of giving Il thought and u dollar,
and an hour to the other fellows hap
pines is finding its fullest expression /
1T gives another new meaning to the
old merry Christmas.
Four Thousand TO Sing Carols
Like voices of the past Christmas |
carols will ring out at II IA tonight all !
over the city Four thousand trained !
singers will lead the community singing
organized all over the city ny the com
munity service. lu Rittenhouse Square
n special service has been arranged by
the Art Alliance, and in the various
community centerS there will he pageauts
and illuminated Christmas trees.
This afternoon the school children held
their Christmas entertainments They
wore their Sunday clothes and recitcd
pieces and sang Christmas songs.
tidgeting in their seats the while and
dreaming of the worlds greatest ''to-
morrow.
In all Of the hospitals Christmas par
ties will be held. some today and most
of them tomorrow. There will be gayly
decorated trees. crowds of visitors.
presents and special music. The State
Hospital will be decorated for the Oc
casion
The city Fairgrounds will have special
exercises and huge trees. singing and
sgames. This is the citys Surest way of
carrying Christmas into all the eager
little hearts III every corner and all the
places that might be missed,
Dinners and Baskets for Needy
The mems and womcn's : clubs of the
city will give Christmas dinners and
baskets TO the poor in all sections of
the city. The Rotary and Manufac-
turers' Clubs and many others have
collected money and looked up poor
fanili,s TO help out ON the Merry
(f6rlStmnS nrnnOSitinu MaDy
women's clubs are working in the same
way. !
No one in the city need go without
good dinner this year. The dinners will
be there for the asking.
The Salvation Army will hand out
Christmas baskets of food at 3 O'Clock
tomorrow afternoon at its headquar-
ters at Broad street and Fairmount ave
nue.. The Volunteers of America will
conduct similar holiday dinner cam
paign from district distributing head
quarters in all sections of the city.
Through the auspices of the Shut in
Society all the bed ridden and crippled
of, the city will receive Christmas gifts
of good things to eat. coal and other
useful articles.
Orphans Not Forgotten
There will be Christmas parties and
trees and presents of clothes and toys
IN all the orphans homes of the city.
aud the little children will be given the
best possible Christmas in their com
munity homes.
The Prison Welfare Society will make
the day as bright as possible for the
prisoners in the State penitentiary and
the other jails of the city. All the
prisoners will have a big dinner and
there will be special exercises and music.
There will be Il Christmas party in
NJ ,...y
for the poor kids of the city tomor-
row. They will get a look at Il great
decorated tree and receive candy and
little gifts,
Mother Moore. the good angel Of
the League Island Navy Yard, has
planned big parties for the Jacks"
who are in port or stationed in the bar
racks at the local yard, The boys are
not going TO be given any chance to
feel that the people of the city have for
gotten them.
Theatre Parties
The inmates of the Edwin Forrest
Home for Actors, at Holmesburg. will
be the guests of the Shubert manage
ment at the Christmas matinee at the
Metropolitan Opera House
This afternoon the members of the
''Ob, My Dear company gave Christ
mas party TO 1000 poor children of the
city at the Chestnut Street Opera
House. There was special program
of entertainments for tho small theatre
gosrs.
The police of the various districts
have been busying themselves in collect
log contributions in their districts and
making plansto help out the poor res =
idents in various ways tomorrow. Poor
families will be given food and other
greatly needed necessities.
Even the animals will be remembered
Tomorrow. The 5. =. G. A. will
sprinkle crumbs for the bird guests OF
the city aud viii provide Spreads for
the four footed tribes.