Evening star., 1924-12-31
LITTLE FOLK VISIT
NEVER, NEVERLAND
Stars Guests, Numbering
225 Children, See "Peter
Pan" Picture.

Two hundred and twenty-five boys
and girls from st. Joseph's and ST..
Vincent's Orphan Asylums spent two
hours in never. never land" this
morning as the guests of The Eve
ming Star. They were the first con-
tingent of more than 500 children in
the various institutions of Washing
ton who will see Sir James M. Barrie's
story Of child life, Peter Pan" in
motion picture form at the Columbia
Theater today, tomorrow and Friday.
Saturday the carrier boys of The Star
will attend in a body.
The institutions invited by The
Star for these performances of Peter
Pan" are old friends of this news
paper. they having been guests OF its
annual outings to Marshall Hall in
the past two years.
700 Guests Mt Time.
Manager Mark Gates OF the Colum-
bia, with whom The Star has a spe-
cial arrangement for entertaining its
! little friends. is able to accommodate
only about 200 children on each Of
the foregoing mentioned mornings.
The many homes and institutions
were canvassed yesterday and plans
drawn up for getting the children to
and from the theater. st. Vincent's
and st. Joseph's were selected to at
tend today. efforts having been made
to get these two institutions together
because there are many little brothers
| and sisters between the two homes,
resulting in pleasant reunions.
Promptly at 1915 o'clock two spe-
cial cars of the Washington Railway
and Electric Co pulled up in front
| of the Columbia Theater with a cargo
of 140 little girls The cars had
called for the children at Fourth
7 a ND Vnay IN ms
were routed through the city TO the
door of the theater. On conclusion
of the performance an inspector Of
the railway company was at the
theater to learn the exact time the
picture ended and, going to Twelfth
and G streets. he signaled two spe-
cial cars. which had been waiting
at the Treasury. These cars again
picked up their happy cargoes and
conveyed them direct to the insti-
| tuition
Lads March Like Soldiers.
The St. Joseph's delegation of boys.
50 in number. marched down to the
theater from their home, 924 II street,
In as orderly a manner as a company
of soldiers a attention. AS the main
entrance of the theater was crowded
with children who were guests Of
other organizations. the So manly
| little fellows were taken in the side
entrance and just before they went
in were photographed by Star
photographer. The ease with which
! this big bunch OF boys was handled
| by the sisters in charge was inter-
eSting.
After they had been seated in the
mezzanine floor there was a wait of
but few minutes before the show
atarted There had heep a coostapt
| buzz ever since the st. Vincent's girls
entered the theater, augmented by
the st. Joseph's boys and other chill
Gren. This buzz was changed to a
roar as the words Peter Pan" were
thrown on the screen, and then the
children settled down for two-hour
visit in Never Never Land"
1t had been planned TO distribute
some souvenirs to The Stars guests
| this morning, but the sudden change
| in plans from next week as was
| originally proposed. to this week,
prevented them from being received
| at the theater on time. However,
| some toy balloons from Chapin-Sacks
arrived on time, and they were given
to the sisters in charge for distribu-
tion when they reached their
respective homes.
The children didn't seem to mind
| this, as Peter Pan" had far greater
effect on them. All day yesterday the
walls of every institution invited to
attend rang with Peter Pan" and
| from those in charge of the children
| II was learned that some of them find
| 1t difficult to live down their anxiety
| over the possibility of seeing Peter
Pan" moving about on the screen.
Famous Players-Laskey Corporation,
| which produced this 10-reel Paramount
| picture, selected Betty Bronson, the
| beautiful I7-year-old girl, for the title
role. made famous years ago by Maude
| Adams She was chosen to star as the
| mythical lad, Peter Pan, over all the
! famous motion picture actresses and
| actors In the country, and has won
fame and fortune overnight. Her
piouant charm. her vivacity, her win
| ming smile and her desire never to
grow up, but remain boy and have
| fun. went right to the hearts Of the
| children in today's audience.
Tomorrow morning 1877 more children
will attend the performance. They
represent the following institutions:
| washington Home for Children, 1715
| Fifteenth street, 1S; Swartzell Metho-
| dist Home for Children. 201 Ritten-
house street, 10; Jewish Foster Home,
3213 Q street, Al: Episcopal Home for
children, Anacostia. d. c., 48, and In
| dustrial Home School, 80.
|