Evening star., 1948-12-19
City 10 Mark Holiday
With Prayer, CaroIinq
And Many Parties

The spirit Of Christmas will en-
brace the city with prayer, caroling
and the Joy of giving as a multi
tude of parties and sacred cere-
monies scheduled for the holiday
week get under way today.
In the churches, the timeless
story OF the Birth of the. Child in
Bethlehem will be retold today.
The joyous songs Of Christmas
will be heard at candlelight services
in the Memorial Chapel at the
Army Medical Center at S pm.
Three Army chaplains will ofIiciate
at the ceremony.
And over the air from Washing
ton will 60 the Christmas greetings
of children from many lands in the
14th International Children's
Christmas Broadcast to the Nation
and the world.
The broadcast will go on the air
from the Shoreham Hotel from 5 to
$50 pm. under auspices of the
Greater National Capital Commuit-
tee Of the Washington Board of
Trade. The program will be heard
and seen locally over Station WMAL
and WMAL-TV. 1t will be carried
on the Nationwide network Of the
American Broadcasting Company.
U. S. Is Represented.
The United States will be repre-
sented on the program, in which
children Of the diplomatic corps par
ticipate by Alben Barkley Truitt,
grandson of the Vice President-elect.
Fifteen teen-age girls will partici-
pate in candle lighting ceremonies
at the All Association Christmas
Vesper Service in Barker Hall,
Seventeenth and X sts. NV. Carols
will be sung by an all-girl chorus
Of 80 and a male chorus of rs voices.
Hot wassail will be served in the
lobby of the hall to all comers be-
tween SIS and 6:15 pm.
Santa Claus will be on hand to
distribute candy to all the children
present when the big Christmas tree
on the Edgewood Playground, Third
and Evarts streets NE. Is lighted
today at 8 pm. There will be carol
singing and music by the Wash
ington Boys Club Band. The Christ
mas party will be sponsored jointly
by the Recreation Department and
the Metropolis View Citizens Asso-
ciation. Harry Wender. chairman of
the Recreation Board, and Milo
christensen will participate in the
program.
Mrs. Vinson to Participate.
Mrs. Fred Vinson, wife of the
Chief Justice, will distribute cloth
ing outfits donated by Washington
residents to 500 underprivileged
children at ceremonies around a
lighted Christmas tree in the Cen
trail Union Mission, 613 c street
NV. today at 2 pm.
"One World at Christmas" will be
the title Of pageant which go
children. ranging in age from to
IL years, will present this afternoon
at Friendship House. 6ls D street
S.E. The youngsters will present
skits representing the participation
by different countries in the cele-
bration Of Christmas. No hint of
the cold war marring international
relations will be introduced in the
skit and 1t Is purely coincidentall
that the Russian scene will be the
entrance of the Snow Queen.
Girls ut the Phyllis Wheatley
YWCA will adopt" needy family
ut the annual Christmas vesper
service In the administration build
i'm, eoi Rhode Island avenue NV.
d 4:3o pm. Gifts will be presented
10 the adopted family at the party.
District choral groups will sing
Christmas carols for homeward-
bound workers and shoppers from
8 to $50 pm. tomorrow and Tues
day in the triangle at Thirteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue.
The National Lutheran Chorus
will sing tomorrow and the Roose-
welt High School Chorus on Tues
day. These Christmas serenades
will be given under the auspices
OF Radio Station WTOP and part
OF the programs will be broadcast.
The Ivy City Citizens Associa-
ton will light its Christmas tree
as part Of program to be held
Wednesday night at the Bethesda
Baptist Church, Capitol avenue
and Kendall street NE.
The tree, on the church lawn,
will be lighted at tbs pm. by
Mrs. Elsie Randolph, the oldest
inhabitant of the neighborhood,
the association announced. Be-
fore the tree lighting there will be
community singing on the lawn,