Evening star., 1935-12-25
CAPITAL OBSERVES
GAYEST CHRISTMAS
SINCE DEPRESSION
LaW-Abiding CeIebrators
and Ideal Weather Add
to Holiday.
DROP IN TEMPERATURE
SEEN FOR TOMORROW
Four Generations of Roosevelts at
White House-President At
tends Church Service.

Ideal weather and signs OF return
ing prosperity provided Washington
today with its gayest Christmas since
the depression cast a pail over the
holiday.
The Capital and the Nation en-
braced with fresh hope the task Of
comforting the needy and building
toward a stronger union. President
Roosevelt'S message of peace and
good will" was echoed in many parts
Of the country.
Celebrators in Washington last
night were more law-abiding than on
any Christmas eve in the memory Of
veteran police officers. Only % per-
sons were arrested, and there were
comparatively few traffic accidents
and injuries from other causes.
Colder Weather Due.
Meanwhile, the Weather Bureau
predicted light snow for tonight and
tomorrow, attended by colder weather
tomorrow and a minimum tonight Of
about IA degrees. Freezing tempera-
lures preserved the 3-inch snow which
blankets the slopes where Washing
ton children were coasting today on
their new sleds.
Four generations Of the Roosevelt
family were gathered in the White
House today for the holiday observ-
ance. The celebration began early,
just as in a majority of American
homes. as the Presidents 4-year-old
granddaughter, Sara, burst into his
room with childish shouts of glee. Her
purpose was to awaken him and get
her stocking, hung by the fireplace in
his bed room.
The visiting members of the family
had come to the White House in time
for the family Christmas eve dinner
and the annual presidential reading
of Dickens Christmas Carol" They
are the Presidents mother, Mrs. James
Roosevelt; his siSter-in-law. Mrs. J.
r. Roosevelt; his sons, John and
Franklin, jr., and Sara and her
parents.
Everybody had to have breakfast in
time for the Christmas church service,
always attended by the presidential
family.
They motored to the Foundry NJ. z.
Church to attend special Christmas
services, under the auspices of the
Washington Federation of Churches.
And then came lunch before the
busy family could start on the main
business of Christmas-the opening Of
packages. There were hundreds Of
them. Doormen had been taking them
in for days. The mail bags were
crammed.
Relatives of the Roosevelts were in
vited in for the dinner tonight, first
big strictly family function to be served
from the new kitchens.
Few Officials Here.
Aside from the President, few high
officials were in the city.
Vice President and Mrs. Garner
spent the day at Baltimore with
Silliman Evans, former Fourth Assist
ant Postmaster General.
Speaker Byrns, frankly tired Of
'tgadding" after his recent trip to the
Philippines, had no plans aside from
spending the day with Mrs. Byrns at
home.
The cabinet members were scat
tered Secretary Hull laid aside
arduous State Department duties fo-
a Christmas trip somewhere on the
Carolina coast" Secretary Morgen-
thau left the Treasury behind for the
holidays at his Dutchess County,
N. Y, home, and Secretary Perkins
was visiting friends on Long Island.
Out of town also was Secretary
Ickes. He visited an old friend,
Archibald McCrae, at Williamsburg,
Va.
Among those spending the holiday
at home here were Secretary Wallace,
Secretary Swanson, Secretary Dern
and Attorney General Cummings.
President Opens Celebration.
The opening of the Christmas
celebration was sounded by the Presi-
dent yesterday evening in Lafayette
Square as he lighted the national COM
munity Christmas tree and sounded
chimes which carried via radio the
message to the country that the
Christmas observance had begun. The
sounding of the chimes in snow
blanketed Lafayette Square was the
signal for community and home trees
all over the Nation to spring into light.
In a brief Christmas message, de-
livered from a covered stand in front
of the glowing community tree. the
President pictured Christmas as q
celebration cementing all Americans
and all nations in feeling of mutual
good-fellowship and understanding.
He pointed to the statues of German,
Polish and French Revolutionary War
heroes in lafayette Square as types Of
the diversity Of blood to be found
among the American people, but
pointed out that the spirit Of Christ
mas knows no race, no creed, no
cline, no limitations of time or space"
"The spirit of Christmas" the Presi-
dent said, "breathes an eternal mes
sage Of peace and good will to all men.
We pause. therefore, on this holy night,
(Seo CHPTSTMAS PAGE 81