Evening star., 1941-12-25
Capital Pauses
In War Work 10
Winston Churchill
And President Talk
At Tree-Liehting

Washington, the center Of the
world effort to crush the Axis,
paused today to celebrate Christ
mas.
President Roosevelt and Prime
Minister Churchill of Great Britain,
who are comforting here, gave their
blessing to the Christmas celebra-
ton last night in the course of cere-
monies attendant on lighting Of
the Nations community Christmas
tree.
Both appeared on the south
portico of the White House to speak
to crowd of some 10000 Washing
tonians gathered on the lawn. Mr..
Churchill appealed to the Nation
to observe Christmas for the young
ones" Mr.. Roosevelt suggested that
Christmas trees lighted throughout
the Nation would be symbol and
a memorial to Americans who are
fighting abroad.
Family Gathering Missing.
For the President and the Prime
Minister, this was in many ways a
lonely Christmas. For the first
time in his lifetime Mr.. Roosevelt
passed the holiday without family
aSsemblage.
His mother, who had always been
with him at Christmas, was dead.
Most of his children were away
with the armed forces and his
grandchildren, therefore, were not
at the White House.
Mr.. Churchill was far from home
and doing his best to make him.
self comfortable. as he explained,
by an American fireside. They
like many others in this city-felt
the curtailment of the Christmas
Day keenly.
Only One Child at Tree.
At the family Christmas tree this
morning, the only child was 8-year-
old Diana Hopkins. who with her
! father, Harry Hopkins, lives at the
White House.
Instead of the row of Christmas
| stockings that always have hung
from the Presidents mantel, there
was one sock. In it was a rubber
| bone for Fala. the Presidents Scottie.
The dinner to be spread before
the President and his British Wis
itor today starts off with oysters
on the half shell and clear soup
with sherry. The menu includes
roast turkey with chestnut dressing
and giblet gravy, beans, caulifioWer,
casserole of sweet potatoes, cram
berry jelly, grapefruit salad and
cheese crescents, plum pudding with
hard sauce and ice cream, cake.
slated nuts and assorted bonbons.
The President touched the
switch which lighted the red, white
and blue Christmas tree on the
White House lawn.
The sun had just set when the
President and Mr.. Churchill made
their appearance.
When the ceremonies drew to a
close, the throng began to move to-
ward the gates of the White House
grounds to the music of a choir
which sang Christmas hymns
Unprecedented precautions were
taken by those charged with guard
ing the President and Mr.. Churchill.
Several thousand persons lined
the curbs around the White House
before the gates were opened
shortly after 4 pm.
Enter One by One.
Then. the crowd was admitted
one by one. Each person filed
through a booth. lined with an elec-
trical device which, it was reported,
would show an alarm if any guam
tity of metal passed. All those en-
tering the grounds were required to
check their bundles outside, and
hundreds of Christmas shoppers had
to leave packages in tents at the
entrance.
The process Of entering the ground
was necessarily slow and, when the
ceremonies began an hour later.
there we're many who had not got
ten in.
The crowd was kept at a distance
from the White House and when
the President and Mr.. Churchill
appeared on the porch, searchlights
were trained on the grounds. The
binding lights made it almost i'm
possible to see the two state leaders.
When the ceremonies had been
completed, it was found that the
gates to the grounds were closed. 1t
was some time before the signal
was given to allow the onlookers to
leave and it took almost half an
hour of jostling TO get through the
two gates.
Scouts Extend Greeting.
The United States Marine Band
furnished the music and the invoca-
ton was offered by the Most Rev.
Joseph Corrigan, of Catholic Uni
versity. Commissioner Guy Mason
introduced the President.
Louella Boyd, Troop 95. Girl
Scouts of America. and j. Robert
Thrower, jr., of Troop 104. Boy
Scouts of America, expressed the
Nations wish for happy Christmas
to President and Mrs. Roosevelt.
When the President and Mr..
; Churchill had concluded their
remarks, members of a massed
, choir sang Christmas carols. The
, benediction was pronounced by the
Rev. DR.. Oscar F. Blackwelder, and
!, the Marine Band closed the cere-
monies, playing the British and
United States national anthems.
Worshippers gathered last night
in Capital churches to observe the
! yuletide. Catholic midnight masses
were celebrated at the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Concep-
ton, Catholic University; the Fran
ciscan Monastery in Brookland. st.
Matthews Cathedral and st. Pat
rick's Church.
At the Washington Cathedral, the
candlelight service last night was
Illuminated only by the tapers in the
great choir and the candles carried
, by the choristers. Holy communion
was celebrated this morning. climax
! ing with a festival holy communion.
The annual Christmas carol service
will be at pm. Sunday.