Evening star., 1943-12-26
Capital Celebrates
Christmas With Joy
And Hope for Peace

come, the Nations Capital yesterday
turned its immediate thoughts tc
the men and women in uniform in
its midst as it celebrated its third
wartime Christmas.
Holiday parties at service clubs
and at the Army and Navy Medical
Centers were a medium through
which many an individual and
organization could express gratitude
to members of the armed forces.
Cancellation of Government leave
and requests for civilians to avoid
unnecessary travel kept most resi-
dents in Washington for the day
many spending their first Christmas
away from home.
Travel Fairly Light"
Both Union Station and bus ter
minal officials reported a fairly
light" day in spite of the fact that
travel in and out of Washington
always is heavy. Although carriers
were loaded, the increase at Union
Station was not as great as hereto
fore over a holiday, it was reported
at the ticket Office.
Airline holiday traffic was slowed
up yesterday because of numerous
cancellations of flights due to un-
favorable weather conditions, it was
reported. Plane traffic shows little
f1uctuation because of the holidays
however, it was pointed out.
While Capital residents remained
at home, for the holidays a number
of servicemen from nearby posts
came to the Capital for the weekend
Enjoy USO Lounge.
For many of the men in uniform
the days festivities began and ended
in the USO lounge at Union Station
Entertainment there included a
magic show and musical selections
on the accordion. The USO
hostesses also served light refresh
ments, such as cider, cakes, fruit
and nuts.
Some of the visiting servicemen
organized sight seeing parties but
many others just sat about and
wrote letters.
Thousands of letters went out
from here today" an official re-
ported.
One of the popular features of
the day at Walter Reed Hospital
were gift" distance telephone
calls donated by various local Or
ganizations. Many of the conva-
lescents also were busy all day pre-
pairing for a Christmas pageant put
on last night in the Red Cross
recreation room.
Santa Calls on Patients.
Santa Claus had called the night
before, presenting each patient with
a stocking filled with small gifts.
In addition each man also received
Christmas packages, with gifts
ranging from games to watches.
A free" snack bar at the Saliva
ton Army USO Club attracted sew
eral hundred servicemen during the
day. Many remained for the
Christmas party, which was typical
of others held at USO Clubs
throughout the city.
For many Washington residents
the traditional Christmas Day serv-
ice sponsored by the Washington
Federation of Churches was the
high point of the day Held for
the first time at the Washington
Cathedral, it was attended by Off
cials headed by Vice President and
Mrs. Wallace and including Secre-
tary of Navy and Mrs. Knox from
the cabinet.
Peace Duties Outlined.
DR.. Edward Hughes Pruden, pas
tor of the First Baptist Church, who
left sickbed to deliver the SER
mon, urged his hearers not to make
the mistake of believing that world
peace is something for which world
statesmen are alone responsible
while we are profoundly CRATE
full for all progress that may have
been made toward peace at the
recent conferences in Moscow, Cairo
and Teheran," he said, I'VE must
recognize very frankly that confer
ence, treaties and military victories
can only result in re-arranging men
as they are; and that men can be
disarranged just as easily as they
can be re-arranged.
Jesus lived in a world remarkably
like own own" DR.. Pruden con-
tinued. HE was born into con-
quered, occupied country. He faced
the very problems with which we
q ro confronted foJoy uou,o,or u
demonstrated wisdom we have not
yet learned. He did not speak of
a new order or a new world but of
new men"
1t was the first service in the past
10 years sponsored by the fedora
ton, which President Roosevelt has
not attended The President spent
Christmas at his Hyde Park home.
Christmas 1943 found fewer men
than usual on hand for the annual
dinners held at the Gospel Mis-
sion and the Salvation Army. AL
though many of those who were
once destitute have found their way
into the service or into war Jobs,
about 200 showed up for the dinner
at the mission, which followed
noon service in the chapel.
The group at the Salvation Army
was augmented by a sprinkling of
men who had received their dinner
tickets from Judge Brice Clagett at
Municipal Court. Thirty-four of
the SO drunk and disorderly defend
ants who appeared before him in
the morning received an unexpect-
ed Christmas present from the
Judge, who released them with
warning not to repeat their Of
fenses.
He then inquired about their din
ner arrangements for the day. To
those who had no plans he offered
an invitation. accompanied by tick
cts, to attend the Salvation Army
affair.
Central Union Mission, which has
been converted into a club for serv-
icemen, held Christmas supper
and party for men in uniform.
Few were more grateful for the
holiday than employees of the city
post Office who had handled the
largest Christmas mail in history
here. The maiOrity were off for the