New-York tribune., 1921-12-24
Clubs and Settlement
Houses Begin Festivities
and Season Will Be
in Full Swing To-day
Salvation Army Ready
Will Have Biggest Christmas
Tree in City; Employees
Give Bonus TO Poor

Through clubs and settlement houses
Yesterday afternoon the festivities be
gan with trees and parties in many in
stitutions. and by to-day the season
will be in full swing
The largest celebration will be under
the auspices of the Salvation Army at
the 9th Regiment hrmory, on West
Fourteenth Street, where the biggest
Christmas tree in the city will bios
som with 5000 gifts for poor children
Last year, owing to the hard times,
the Salvation Asmy provided no gifts
for children but bags full of candy and
other good things TO eat This year,
however, there will be toys and candy
both. and enough for everybody. Mrs.
Finley Shepard and other friends Of
the army will assist Commissioner
Thomas Estil and Commander Evan
gelne Booth in the distribution. Four
th housand baskets of Christmas dinners
will be distributed at the armory to
Manhattan families and l,0oO baskets
for Brooklyn families at the Social
Welfare Center, 2S Raymond Street.
Army Center Dinners
All the army's centers will have
Christmas dinners for the hungry, who
have only to present themselves at the
doors to be fed without further par
ley. A plea for ast-off clothing was
issued last night by the Salvation
Army workers, who said there was
great suffering as result of the cold
weather.
Word received from Inwood at
o'clock said that Santa Claus had al
ready arrived at the home of the New
York Society for the Prevention Of
Cruelty to Children. One hundred and
fifty youngsters stood at the windows,
watching the red jacketed visitor work
his way up the snowy hillside, and
they flew to let him in at the front
door rather than the chimney, for time
was precious and there were lots of
presents to distribute After st. Mich
olas had gone there was an entertain
ment supplied by Edward +. Albee and
followed by Christmas carols round
the big tree at dusk
At the other end of the city children
from the Home for Seamen's Children
on Staten Island were the guests of
the Maritime Exchange Each child re-
ceived the present for which he had
asked, and, in addition, box contain
ing candy and fruit.
Big Bill' Edwards, former Collector
OF the Port, presided over a Christmas
celebration at the School Of the Build
crs, 1875 Vest Seventy Street.
Mr.. Edwards played Santa Claus for
four hundred little folk, children of
the unemployed, who had been invited
by Mrs. Genevieve Behrend, principal
of the school. committee on enter
+o.r rro,y;InJ Oh ie+1, n g
tree. and former Commissioner Ed
wards distributed the gifts, attired in
q Santa Claus makeup.
Employees Provide Cheer
Two Christmas trees, one for boys
and one for girls, were provided by
the members and employees of the
Kendall Products Corporation at the
Palm Garden, Fifty-eighth Street and
Lexington Avenue, the employees hav
ing agreed to give the money usually
assigned to Christmas bonuses to 500
poor children and their parents. There
we're presents for each child and din
ner baskets for each family. contain
ing chicken and all the necessities for
big feast In addition each mother
received muf'lers, stockings and gloves
for all the family.
Roller skates for 900 children were
QlSUElUul6u at tut CcltOIdtiOit 4Si Li4C
unemployed at the School of the Build
ers, 1856 West Seventy-second Street.
John Drew, Big Bill' Edwards and
Morris Hillquit helpd in the celebra-
ton, for which Mrs. Hugo W. Behrend
was sponsor.
Camp Fire Girls have collected 500
dolls, which will be distributed through
Bellevue and Allied Hospitals.
The Huwanis Camp Fire~Girls went
out into the poorer sections OF the city
yesterday afternoon and found forty
children who had not been invited to
any other party They were taken to
the Girls Service Club, at 1873 East
Nineteenth Street, where they were
given toys, candy and a supper.
kiwanis Club Gifts
The Kiwanis Club, in accordance
with it's custom, delivered Christmas
packs yesterday afternoon to the
children in seven hospitals, 1900 chill
the girls, doll a book and candy; for
the boys, a game book and candy
Disabled veterans and their children
will be the spe cial charge of the Amerl-
can Red Cross. At the Polytechnic
Hospital the Red Cross will place
Christmas tree in every ward, and a
well-illed stocking at the foot of every
bed. Sweaters, mufflers, socks and
candy will be given to 26S eX-service
men at the Manhattan State Hospital.
The Red Cross Club, at 129 East
Thirty-ninth street will keep open
house for week for Federal board
students who cannot go home for
Christmas The men themselves have
planned an elaborate program OF DIM
ners, smokers and entertainments.
The Broad Street Hospital held its
Christmas celet ration yesterday after
noon. There also was an elaborate
program of carols and recitations by
the children of the New York Insti-
tute for the Education of the Blind at
Ninth Avenue and Thirtyfourth Street.
Five hundred disabled ex-service men
attended a dinner last night at the
BiItmore, under the auspices of the
instructors and students of the Lincoln
Institute for Vocational Education.
Most of the big hotels will have Christ
mas dinners for their employees.
The Russian Famine Fund Christmas
tree entertainment held at Town Hall,
121 West Forty-third Street last night,
concluding the Russian Famine Fund
campaign, netted together with checks
and cash received by the committee
yesterday. q total OF S17,780. Miss
Anna Haiaes, chief field worker for the
Quakers Society in Russia, who ad-
dressed the gathering, said the sum re
ceived would save the lives of 1,742
Russian children.
U. S. Envoy to Give Dinner