Evening Star Newspaper, December 26, 1931, Page 7

CHURCH WILL HEAR 1S YOUNG PEOPLE They Will Conduct Services Tomorrow at Caivary Bap- tist in Evening. Rev. W. S. Abernethy. vary Baptist Church, will preach to- morrow morning on “That Cluster of Keys in vour Possession.” At 8 o'clock the service will be in charge of the col- lege young people, the pastor spesking “Why Compromise.” Those having in”the program will be Othniel Iton, Bradford Abernethy, Ernest Haines, Dorothy Clore and Bruce Fowler. The pastor of Cal- world at L ¢ oW morning, assem! for the devotional going to the meetings. Jewels i) SRR hip groups will 1 11 o'cloc] ng in Bake ch various charge of bel W 2 McNeill Mr. J G. M royal ambassad Buzbee, A tea for college vou given in Burr o'clock. Mrs counselor, in The annual Chr ¥oung people's Wednesday 1 Dagaer, associate charge Walter Strong wWill cond g of the Christian En ¢Tuesday evening The church will hold a watch night service followed by the communion gervice T from 11 to 12 o'clock Prior to oclock gra Time ahd His Three Graces." wil given in Woodward Hall, followed & social “NEW YEAR” IS TOPIC H; superintendent, et the meet- avor OF DR. J. J. RIVES 01d-Time Hymns Will Be Sung-at Francis Asbury Methodist Church in Evening. J. Rives. pastor of Francis M. E. Churh South. Sixteenth < between 1 and Lamont streets, will preach tomorrow my . on the timely topic, “The New Year." ‘The informal services will be continued | in the evening with congregational singing of old-time hymns The Men's Bible Class will meet hurch auditort: JefTords 1l Was No More Sea.” Rev ‘The Young Men's Bible Class, led b Rossel E. Mitchell, will continue study and discuss B. Stanley Jone Tt Road Er gue will hold 1 missionary program at 7 pm Miriam Rives in charge of the xxi a o'clock. ip there a service the auditorium TOPICS OF SERMONS SELECTED BY PASTOR which in Dr. John C. Copenhaver to Preach | on “The Spiritual Panhandler” Tomorrow Morning. dler” will be the subjcct of the sermon of Dr. John c r. pastor of Epworth piscopal Church South, rect and North Carolina tomorrow at 11 ¢ school is at 9:30 am ice Dr. Copen- the subject of his ngs P " The Ep- haver will take sermon_ “First Tk worth League ser: pm. The community Christmas tree. planted on the lawn of the church, will be lighted during the entire week. A social will be held by the voung people and the Epworth League Thurs- day between 9:30 and 11 pm. afte which a watch meeting will ba held. will be conducted by the pastor. “PASSING OF OLD YEAR” TO BE PASTOR'S TOPIC Dr. Bernard Braskamp to Deliver Sermon at Gunton-Temple Memorial Tomorrow. At the 11 o'clock service tomorrow At the Gunton-Temple Memorial Pres- byterian Chu Dr. Bernard Bras- kamp will preach on “The Passing of the Old Year." The Christian Endeavor will meet in the chapel. The Young Peoples’ Society will have tea at 6 o'clock, which w followed by a meeting to discu topic, “What Things Make W Living? The senior topic Inderstan, Christ.” the intermediate topic. “Whay Prayer Means to Me,” and the junior topic, “Being Loyal to Our Faws Which We Know.’ A New Year eve prayer meeting will be held Thursday at 8 o'clock PASTOR GIVES TOPIC Rev. Freeley Rohrer to Speak on Societies “Christian Settlements," The pastor of the Metropolitan Pres- byterian Church, Rev. Freeley Rohrer, will speak tomorrow on “Christian Set-. tlements.” The Wvening program will be devoted to a pageant of story and song. It is an after-Christmas picture entitled “Bethlehem.” Mrs, P, F. Snyder will be the reader and Mrs Elsie Harvey Weaver, with the quartot will give the parts in song. The story will be illustrated with stereopticon pictures. 0 ASSISTANT VIIILL PEEACH Rev. Frank Clut Subject Will Be “The Transforming Light.” Rey. Frank Clutz, assistant pastor of Luther Place Memorial Church, will preach tomorrow at 11 am. in George- town Lutheran Church, on the subject, “The Transforming Light.” Christian Endeavor at 7 pm. Topic: “Learning From Experience.” At the 8 p.m. service the pastor, Rev. Harold E. Beatty, will preach and will be assisted in the service by Student Edmund Bieber. . Pastor to Give Coins. The Petworth Baptist pastor. Rev. Henry J. Smith, will present those who attend the evening service tomorrow with a new coin. The subject of the sermon is “The Poverty of Infirmity.” In the morning the subject is “Wind- Tossed.” The week will be given to the entertainments of the various groups. Mrs. Firmin's department will have its Christmas party on Monday; Bible school, Tuesday night: inspira- tional hour, Thursday night. The B. Y. P. U. is planning a three-act somedy for the middle of January. xeccises and rooms for in Society and | REVIEW: THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN EUROPE. Devotional Reading, Isaiah, xi—1-10. Golden text—"The kingdom of the world has become the king- dom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."—Revelations, xi.15. Our Nation holds its position of pri- !macy and power today because of the !events we have been studying during |the past quarter When Paul was won for the Lord J-.us, our Master secured from the ranks of the enemies of His people the man whom he determined would become His ambassador to the Gentiles. He was a Jew by birth and also a Roman citizen. His boyhond days had been spent in Tarsus, the cdy ol his birth, which was not only a center of com c. but also of Greek cul- ture. He had been educated in Jeru- salem, where one of the leading He- brew scholars of all time had been his teacher. Although Christ had selected {him to ca the gospel into Europe, Paul started out on his third missionary ! journey determined to evangelize the flourishing and strategic cities of Asia." The apostle was “forbidden of the Holy Ghost” carrying out his pro- gram, so he came to Troas, a seaport community, where he was guided to enter the epoch-making plan of carry- ing Christianity into Europe. His deci- sion to follow the divine revelation re- sulted in Paul and his small band car- {rying “civilization into Europe,” when they started upon winning Macedonia for” Christ. That decision determined aracter of not only Europe, but ly our own land, whose first set- came across the uncharted ocean to establish a new civilization based unon Christian teachings and the prin- es of religious freedom. lthough Paul was directed by the v Spirit not to enter what is now Asia Minor, our last two studies were taken from the writings that the Apos- tle John rent to the seven churches in | “Asia"—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergemum, Thyatira, Sardis. Philadelphia and Lao- decea—after God had given him a revelation while he was a prisoner in Patmos, because he had been a faith- reacher of the Gospel in that e Paul desired to enter as a ary evangelist. His first letter sidered last Sunday in our study f the greatest event in history, that hristmas calls for all to consider every God's gift of his only begotten hanged the map of the world, the cter of men and the destiny of ns. One of our lessons: gave us a ge from the work of Paul in s. and another pointed out to us le's experience in Jerusalem, resulted in his_carrying out his an of preaching in Rome. Aside from e four lessons, all of them were nnected with Paul's missionary work Europe. Christianity Enters Europe. It may have been due to the apos- |tle’s requiring the services of a physi- cian that Luke was called to visit him professionally. Through him, in all probability, Paul learned of the need |of the Macedonians, which impressed ! him so much that he heard the call of the man from that land urging him to come over and help them. The provi- | dential leadings of God were so clear that the apostle lost no time in pre- paring to carry Christianity into Eu- rope. When the missionaries entered Greece they opened up the campaign to win that continent for Christ. Their convert was a business woman, who was converted in a prayer meeting |by the riverside where Paul preached [to the few assembled there the mes- of salvation. Lyvdia opened her me for their headquarters The next convert that we read about A Greek slave. whose gifts were utilized by her owners to increase their wealth Her conversion hit their pocketbook. so they raised a new fssue claiming that Paul and Silas were law breakers. Their revenge resulted in Paul and his associate being placed in prison, where they prayed and sang God's praise. Their prayers and songs atiracted the attention of the other | Prisoners, who saw in the earthquake | a divine answer to their petitions. The jailer would have committed suicide, if Paul had not stopped him. His con- version followed and he made a confes- sion of his faith. Paul never forgot this first European church and they supported him in his missionary work | generou. | _Leaving Philippi, we journeved with | Paul to Thessalonica and then to Berea. He persuaded many Gentiles to turn “from idols to serve the living and true d.” His success was so great in Thessalonica that he had organized a strong church there: when influenced by persecution, Paul moved on to Berea, there he found his fellow countrymen tested his message by searching the Old Testament prophecies to verify the Apostle’s message. His ministry reached several Grecian women and a number of men, who probably had been at- tracted to Judaism by its high religious ideals and principles. When the fires of persecution broke out there, Paul left Silas and Timothy in Berea to complete the work of organizing the church and | pressed on to Athens. His address on | Mars Hill failed to grip Athens, so we followed Paul to Corinth, one of the | most important cities in the Roman | Empire. In this commercial center, | noted for the corruption and the cos- {mopolitan character of its population, | F did a strong work, and received the protection of the Governor, who re- used to recogi the charges of his enemies that he was violating the law by his preaching. Among the episties that he wrote to the churches, where he had worked while in Corinth, the two letters to the Thessalonians have come down to us. His letter to the Qalatians, written from Ephesus, and the epistle to the Romans we consid- ered in connection with our temperance lesson. Preaching in Rome. When persecution forced him out of Ephesus, Paul revisiced the churches that he had established in Europe, mak- ing a collection for the poor, that he carried with him to Jerusalem. Here Paul was mobbed, as a result of a com- promise effort, made to prove his love for his brethren and especially his lovalty to the teachings of Moses and | the prophets. The forces of the Roman overnment saved his life by their in- tervention. The captain of the guard, when he learned that Paul was a Ro- man citizen, cxtended every possible | courtesy and protected Paul by sending him under an armed escort to Festus. In making his defense before this pro- curator, the Apostle appealed to Caesar. Reaching Rome after a series of experi- ences that shad increased nis prestige with the government, Paul was permit- {ted to hire his own home, that became | his prison for two years. The Apostle counted this experience to be of God and used it in winning the soldiers. assigned to guard him, and all others that he could reach. Among |the number was a runaway slave, Onesimus, whom he sent back to | Philemon with a letter that shows the depths of the Apostle's affection for {both Philemon and Onesimus. Prob- |ably the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles may have been written as the basis of Paul's defense. After two years imprisonment, that Paul used to win Rome and the empire for Christ by sending his missionary messengers with letters to the churches that he nad organized, he was given his liberty. This he used by revisiting the churches and doing some evangelistic work in Crete and then in the west, until his ministry is said to have reached Spain. During his second imprisonment that came as & result of his efforts to chris- tianize Europe, Paul did not have the privileges that were allowed him during his first imprisonment. He felt his loneliness and the chill of the dungeon. This we saw in his letler to Timothy THE EVENING Sunday School Lesson By Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson. whom he urged to come quickly to see him. He evidently was putting up a strong defense by sending for & chiis- tian lawyer and an eloquent orator. When the end came, he had fought a good fight and waited with the faith of a conqueror to meet his Lord face to face, believing that He would reward the 'Apostle with the crown of right- eousness for his fidelity and_service. When he died, as a martyr to the cause of Christianity, Paul had planted it in | Europe and from the influence of his | teachings everything in modern civiliza- |tion has come directly or indirectly, ,through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity, through its introduction into Europe, has influenced the lives of men, changed the character of nations and turned the streams of civilization into new channels. /AT ALL SOULS’ CHURCH Pierce Hall Players and School Co-operating in Christmas Presentation. Grail," a combination of the Nativity story with the legend of King Arthur, will be presented in Plerce Hall, All Souls' (Unitarian) Church, Sixteenth and Harvard streets, tomorrow eve- ning. Pierce Hall Players and the church school are co-operating in_this presentation, which involves a large number of players and chorus. In the morning at 11 o'clock the minister, Dr. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, will preach on “The Soul's Prospect.” At 5 oclock Charles Trowbridge Tittmann, bass, will assist the organ- ist, Lewis Atwater, in a program of Bach music. Dr. Robert C. Dexter, secretary of the department of social relations, American Unitarian Associa- tion, will be the eaker at the book chat at 5:30 oclock. Dr. Dexter will review “Our Lawless Police,” a recent book by Ernest Jerome Hopkins cial investigator for the Commission During the week several parties for Wickersha! the different departments of the church ' school will be held. Thursday evening there will be a pageant service welcom- ing in the New Year, starting at 11:30 o'clock. This will presentation of John McCormack in the sound picture “Song o' My Heart. PASSING MILESTONES HOLLISTER'S SUBJECT. Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church to Have Lecture Series by Dr. J. R. Oliver. | At Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church “Passing_Milestones” will be the sub- ject of Dr. J. H. Hollister's sermon to- morrow morning. At 6:30 p.m. the young people are sponsoring a tea in the church house. All those who are home from college for vacation, all high school seniors and graduates. and all other young people In the church are invited. At 8 pm the Oberlin Men's Glee Club -will render a program of sacred | ! music. Provost William A. Wilbur of George Washington University will give a short talk. A watch night service will be held Thursday, beginning at 11 o'clock and closing at midnigit. { The Fireside ssion Group will have a dance for members and their friends Friday night in the Chevy Chase, Md., Library. Dr. John Rathbone Oliver of Johnrs Hopkins University will give a series of lectures beginning January 7 on the general subject, “Life Adjustments™ ‘These lectur: which will be given January 7, 14 and 28. will be frer Each lecture will be followed by an hour of questions. | TABERNACLE WILL HAVE | TWO YULE SERVICES Rev. H. L. Collier Will Preach on “Bethlehem’s Glory" and | “Infant and Emperor.’ | The Full Gospel Tabernacle, North Capitol and K streets, will have two | Christmas services tomorrow, when a | special musical program will be given by the chorus choir and orchestra. The | pastor, Rev. Harry L. Collier, will preach |at 11 am. on “Bethlehem's Glory,” and |at 7:30 pm. on “The Infant and the | Emperor.” The Sunday school will | meet at 9:30 am. and the Young Peo- i ple’s Soclety at 6:30 p.m. | " The annual Christmas service of the | Sunday school will be held Tuesday at 17:30 pm. A watch-night service will | be held from 9 to 12 o'clock Thursday | with a change of leaders every half | hour. | The annual all-day convocation and | fellowship supper will be held New | Year day, when the pastor will give | his New Year address and announce- | ments of plans for the coming vear will | be made.~ The Wednesday night meet- ing will be omitted, but the special | radio program over WISV will be held | Wednesday at 10:30 am. ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL MEMBERS TO GIVE PLAY “Christ Candle” Will Be Presented Tomorrow Night—Church School to Get Presents. St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Rock Creek Parish, will present its play en- titled, “Christ Candle,” under the di- rection of Miss Mary Boyden, in the parish house, December 28, at 7 p.m. Presents will be distributed to the members of the church school and the kindergarten and primary departments. The church school will hold a special Christmas service tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. ‘The Young Peoples’ Society will meet at 7 p.m. in the parish house. ‘The usual services will be held to- morrow, including morning prayer and sermon at 11 am. and evening prayer and an address at 8 p.m. The candidates Christmas party of the Girls' Frienly Society will be held in_the parish house December 30 at 2:30 p.m. WILL CONCLUDE SERIES Rev. R. S. Lloyd Will Preach on “The Wise Men."” Rev. Robert 8. Lloyd, rector of Georgetown Prepasatory School, will conclude his series of sermons on the Washington Catholic radio hour to- morrow. He will preach on “The Wise Men" at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Eighth and N streets, through Statlon WOL st 5 a'clock, Father Francis J. Hurney, pastor of the Immaculate Conception and direc- tor of these broadcasts, will preside. The blessing of the sick and other spe- clal Lourdes devotions will take place in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the church. STAR., WASHINGTON, l PAGEANT TO BE GIVEN | i “The Christmas Pageant of the Holy spg- | be preceded by a | D. C, SATURDAY, > ! Dl 26. 1931. Christmas and and perhaps the presence of Santa larger measure. such as they create can humanity ness, for never was there a greater abundant. relations with our fellow men. reality of our religion than that. Scholars Can Trace Early BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT. HRISTMAS is older than Chris- tianity. This is the verdict of conservative scholars who have traced back to their origins the | customs of the December feast of fellowship. Hundreds, if not thousands. of vears before Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem there was universal celebra- tion of the Winter solstice among the tribes of Asia and Europe. The mo- { ment when the sun turns back from the point of its greatest decline, the mid- | moment of the year, has a particular significance to primitive peoples. To them it denotes the victory of the sun over darkness; the return of the life- giving orb to health The German and Celtic tribes of an- | tiquity developed the festival of Yule to commemorate the return of w they called “the burning-wheel.” . Romans celebrated their Saturnalia, in |remembrance of the supposed Golden Age, from December 17 to 21. Slaves were allowed to enjoy the semblance of | freedom during this time; they were | waited upon by their masters and chose from among themselves a mock King to preside over their revels. The Ro- mans_also, on December 22, observed the Sigillaria, the feast of dolls, when a fair was held and dolls and other toys vere given to children. Finally, on De- mber 25, the Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the birthday »f the unconquered sun, was celebrated The Emperor Aurelian. about 270 or 273 AD. dedicated this last-named t to Mithras, the Persian sun god. Dedicated to Sun God. In Fgypt, too, the birthday of the sun deity was honored in December. The Hebrews had a feast of lights or feast of dedication, the Hanuca, the | traditional anniversary of the rededi- cation of the Temple after its recovery by the Maccabees. | 'In Norway there was Lkewise a De- | cember festiva ribed to Thor. The |lighting of the Yule log was once an almost universal occasion in Northern Europe. Among the Lithuanians and Letts the common words for Christmas eve literally signify “log evening.” | The ancient Eritons began their year on December 25. The chronicler Bede ys, “The ve night that is now so to us, they called in their tongue { Mothers' night, by reason, we suspect, of the ceremonies which in that night- long vigil they performed.” Our word “Christmas” is a relatively |new word. It means “Christ's mass" |or “the: mass or feast of Christ.” It [was not celebrate® in the first cent ries of the Christian church. “The Christian usage in general was to cele- | brate the death of remarkable persons | rather than their birth." The death of the martyr Stephen and the massacre of the innocents at Bethlehem commemorated long before the nativity of the Savior. | Exact Date Uncertain. The exact date of the birth of Jesus is unknown. Dr. David Foster Estes of Colgate University says, “The date of His birth cannot be given with cer- tainty as to day. month or even year” | But it is supposed that Jesus came into the world between 7 and 5 B.C.. There is & very ancient legend to the effect that there was peace throughout the Roman world at the hour of His birth, Christmas Lore.” says common belief that the nativity took place on the 25th day of the month, but which month was quite un- certain.” Clement of Alexandria, be- fore 220 AD., named five dates in three different months of the Egyptian year to which various persons assigned the occasion, and one of these dates corre- | sponds with December 25. “There was |in the third century a common belief that our Lord was born on the day of the Winter solstice. This does not seem to have rested on any record or evi- dence worth the name, but on a fan- | tastic interpretation of some prophetic | Scriptures, also on a notion that the annunciation and the crucifixion were both on the same day of the year, viz, the 25th of March.” A document, assigned to about 243 A.D., gives Marci 28 as the date of the nativity. Several modern scholars, however, believe that it must have been some time between the end of July and the end of Octo- {ber. The date October 18 is favored by several evangelical writers. It is cer- tain that Herod died in April, 4 B.C. Before the fifth century there was no agreement among church authorities as to whether January 6, March 25 or De- cember 25 should be observed. Farly Estimates Doubted. It is said that the earliest identifi- cation of December 25 with the nati ity is a passage of doubtful value at- tributed to Theophilus of Antioch, who flourished about 180 A.D. This quota- tion is preserved in Latin by the Mag- deburg centuriators. A passage in Hippolytus' commen- tary on Daniel iv,23 says that Jesus was born at Bethlehem on Wednesday, December 25, in the forty-second year of Augustus. But this passage also has been questioned as an interpolation of I much later date. ; The idea of celebrating the birth of the Savior was not popular in the early period of the Christian Church. Much evidence is available on the matter. As late as 245, Origen placed himself on record as opposed to keeping the birth- Pharaoh.” Even after agrecement had ben reached as to the approximate date of Jesus’ birth, there was no festival in His honor. There is no mention of any feast in the Calendar of Philocalos, 345 A.D., in which the first certain mention of De- cember 25 occurs. The calendar states that in “Year 1 after Christ the Lord Jesus Christ was born on December 25, a Friday, and the 15th day of the new mobn.” But December 25, I AD., was a Sunday, not & Friday. Polycarp speaks of His birth as hav- Ing happened on & Sunday, “when the world’s creation began,” but says He was baptized on a Wednesday as the analogue of the sun’s creation. Dite Believed Shifted. » atin authorities as early as S.’jfl.:g.l :re supposed to have trans- ferred the birthday from January 6 to December 25, then the Mithraic feast. The Syrians and Armenians clung to January 6, accusing the Latins of sun worship and idplatry. ‘Ambrose suggests that as late as the considered the human values as pre-eminent this year should be, for, after all, the story of the birth of Jesus makes us face again the fact that each baby born, whether in mansion or manager, has un- known possibilities, and we want to give the children a chance to cultivate those limitless potentialities which reside in them. hem makes this supremely the festival of childhood. The song of the angels has as its theme “peace and good wil).” these we should live and work unfalteringly today. Only in an atmosphere better time than now to emphasize the need for friendliness and helpful- suffering and the constant threat of war. from all that hurts and ruins life and to build up in men the life more Let us carry these basic elements of the Christmas spirit into the new year and consecrate ourselves to the practical manifestation of them in our Nothing will more certainly show the . How Old Is Christmas? We Know Today Beyond the Birth of Christi- anity Itself—Many Ancient Customs Survive. were | T. G. Crippen, in “Christmas and | “There was a | day of Christ, “as if he were a King | Human Values BY REV. W. L. DARBY. The Christmas celebration is over for most of us. have had our quiet family gatherings, with an exchange of gifts. churches we have helped to make the children happy with trees and songs In our homes we In our Claus. The Salvaton Army and the missions have ministered to many, both young and old, in various ways, Groups of young people have sung carols in the hospitals and other ‘insti- tutions and distributed gifts to the thousands unable to spend the day in their own homes. Thank God for all such blessed ministries! This Christmas people have been more thoughtful than usual. Money has been more scarce and i has been spent for practical purposes in Because we are in the midst of a time of distress we ‘That is as it The Babe of Bethle- For attain its best. Never was there a need than in this day of world-wide Jesus came to save the world Beginnings of the Festival papacy of Liberius (352-356) the nd- |tivity “was observed together with the marriage at Cana and the feeding of | the 4,000, “which were never feasted on | any other day but January 6. Chrysostom, in 386 or 388, says that the feast of December 25 was known mr the West, from Thrace: to Cadiz, {rom | the beginning. There is little doubt | that it originated in|the West and | spread to the East. In 353-361 it was | commemorated by Constantius and his court. Basil of Caesarea (died 379) adopted it. Honorius, emperor of the West from 395 to 423, persuaded his mother and his brother, Arcadius, to introduce the festival in Byzantium. In 400 AD. in Rome an imperial re- script included Christmas with Easter and Epiphany es a feast on which the theaters must be closed Some Eastern Christians serve January 6. It is noteworthy that the Christian | Church adopted many of the ancient | pagan customs relating to the feast of | the Winter solstice as well as the actual | feast itself The Christmas tree, for example, has been traced back to the Romans of an- tiquity. It came to America by way of Germany and Great Britain. Ancients Gave Presents. The custom of making presents at Christmas is derived from very ancient usage. It was a Teutonic invention. In Latin countries gifts were exchanged at New Year The decoration of churches with mistletoe and holly is likewise a pagan survival | Nativity plays and pageants trace back to a pre-Christian era. The sports of the Lords of Misrule in England are supposed to be an inheritance {from the Saturnalia of heathen Rome. Father Christmas or Santa Claus is identified with St. Nicholas or Nicolas, | and also with Knecht Rupercht and Robin Goodfellow. Grimm says that in some parts of Germany Knecht Nicolas | is merely an attendant on the real gift- | giver, who 1is sometimes the infant| Christ and sometimes Dame Bertha. but who is also frequently conceived as | an ugly dwarf, called Krampus Carol singing by waits. strolling street | musicians. is an old British custom. | The first Christmas cards date from about 1846. The setting up in Latin churches of a Christmas creche is said to have been originated by St. Francis. In England the observance of Christ- mas was forbidden by act of Parliament in 1644. Charles I revived the festival, but many of his subjects, particularly in the North, refused to abandon the| Puritan view of the feast. The early| settlers of Massachusetts did not keep Christmas. Interesting works on Christmas are Miles' “Christmas in Ritual and Tradi- tion.” and Crippen’s “Christmas and | Christmas Lore,” both of which are| generally available. still ob- | | PLAN TREE AND CAROLS Dr. Arthur Jennings Jackson to Preach at Union Methodist. Dr. Arthur Jennings Jackson, director of the department of religon of American University. will preach at 11 oclock tomorrow in the Union Metho- | dist ~ Episcopal Church, Twentieth street, near Pennsylvania avenue. An informal Christmas service, with a lighted tree, will be held at 6:30 o'clock. The choir will sing Christmas carols. Mrs. Samuel Lasica will read “The Shepherd Who Did Not Go.” by Jay Stocking, and a group of Christ- mas poems. “GOD OF HOPE” SUBJECT | Dr. James R. Taylor to Preach at Central Presbyterian. | At Central Presbyterian Church to- | morrow morning the pastor, Dr. James | H. Taylor, will preach on “The God of Hope.” 1In the evening Rev. G. Wilbur | Shipley, who has been assisting the | pastor, will preach. There will be a | fireside meeting for the young people | and the Christian Endeavor Society wiil give a pageant entitled “No Room in | the Inn.” The Christian Endeavor Society is sending out baskets to worthy families. (CHURCH SCHOOL TO UNITE Christmas Program Planned To- morrow at Albright Memorial. | At Albright Memorial Evangelical | Church, Fourth and Rittenhouse streets, | the church school will combine for the Christmas story and Christmas music will feature all service tomorrow. The, sermon theme will be “The Christ' Child and Me.” In the evening at T o'clock the Christian Endeavor and prayer service will he held. For the evening service at 8 o'clock Henry Van Dykes, “The Other Wise Man,” will be used as a screen sermon. This whole service will be thrown on the screen, songs. hymns, prayer, scripture lesson and announcements, CHURCH PARTY PLANNED Sunday School at Highlands Bap- tist Sets Date for Tuesday. At the Highlands Baptist Church, the pastor, Rev. Newton M. Simmonds, will preach on, “Substance or Shadow?" tomorrow morning, and the evening there will be a candle-light service. The church school will hold its | Christmas party Tuesday evening. The | committee in charge has R. H. Bona- vita as chairman, Christmas Progr;; Planned. Rev. Homer A. Kent, pastor of the First Brethren Church, will preach at 11 o'clock tomorrow on “How to Live the Christian Life During the New Year.” At 7:45 pm. a Christmas pro- gram will be given which will be com- posed of Christmas music, a pageant and speaking. Sunday school will meet at 9:30 am, at which time a Christ- mas program will be given by the pri- mary department of the school. Young People’s Christian Endeavor meets at 6:45 pm. Activities in Local Churches Volunteers of America. | “The Perpetual Christmas” will be | the subject of a sermon by Lieut. Col. Frank H. Wise, regional commander, at | the Volunteer Mission, 471 Pennsyl- vania avenue, tomorrow at 3 o'clock. | A program of Christmas hymns sung at the Christmas party of the Volun- teers yesterday will be repeated at to- morTow's service under the direction of Lieut. Jennie Ingram. French Service. Dr. Florian Vurpillot, pastor of the French Congregation, which worships at St. John's Church, Lafayette square, every Sunday afternoon, will preach to- warrow at 4 pm. on “Reste Avec iR Bible Hall. | Watch night and New Year services will be observed with special speakers and breaking bread service from 9 to 12 o'clock on Friday. Special services at 2 pm., with Rev. Jerome De Fontes of Baltimore, Md., a5 speaker. In the evening at 7:30 o'clock Evangelist Evelyn D. Becker of Frederick As: sembly will speak. Delegations from nearby assemblies will be present. | | Centennial Baptist. i “Is It Hard to Follow Jesus in Wash- ington?” is the subject of Rev. E. Hez Swem tomorrow night. The 11 o'clock morning sermon subject is, “Said She, Sit SHIl!” The Baptist Young Peoples' Union—and there are several so- cleties—convene at 7 pm, and the | Sunday school at 9 am. | Metmpolitan A. M. F. | The minister, Dr. William H Thomas, | will preach tomorrow, at 11 o'clock, on “What We Carry With Us” A mas meeting. under the auspices of the Natfonal Association, at 3:30 pm Address by Jeflerson 8. Coage, recorder of deeds, on “The Development of American Citizenship.” The “Holy | Child” will be rendered by the seni choir at 8 pm., Mable Flegler ma- donna Church school, 9:30 am Christian_Endeavor, 6:30 pm.: watch meeting Thursday night, 10:30 o'clock. Friendship Baptist. Rev. Theodore R. Peters w tomorrow at 11 am. The past H. Whiting. will preach a sermon to the Interdenominational Ushers' Union at 3:30 pm. A Christmas musi- cal will be rendered by three choirs and men's chorus at 8 pm. Cecil B Demilles “King of Kings’ wilj be ex- hibited at the church December 30, at 4 pm. and 8 pm. Revival conducted by Rev. W. F. Pisher of Chicago will begin eDcember 31, at 8 p.m. Good Will Baptist. The pastor, Dr. James L. Pinn, will preach tomorrow morning on “Tre Sig- nificance of Emmanuel.” In the eve- | ning the Sunday school will present a | Christmas program. The B. Y. P. U will have a special service at 6 p.m. Cleveland Park Congregational. A New Year service will be held to- morrow at 11 am. with a sermon on the subject “Abba-—A New Year Medita- tion.” The pestor, Rev. George Farn- ham, will occupy the pulpit. The church school will meet at 9:45 am and the Christian Endeavor Society at 6 pm. Third Baptist. Dr. George C. Bullock's topic_tomor- row at 11 am. is “Makng A Record” and at 8 pm., “How To Overcome the “ART OF FORGETTING"” IS SERMON’S THEME Dr. H. H. Harmon to Preach at National City Christian Church Tomorrow. At the Nationa] City Christian Church | tomorrow Dr. H. H. Harmon will speak at 11 am. on “The Art of Forgetting The evening service will be devoted to Christmas music. The service will open 7:45 o'clock with a group of carols played on the tower chimes and will be followed by an organ recital by Robert Ruckman. The vested choir, augmented by an antiphonal choir, will also render well known carols and in addition some of the clden Slovenian and Hungarian Christmas melcdies. The church school will be held at 9:45 am. and the Young People’s meeting at 6:45 p.m., a&s usual A'party will be held at 9 pm. New Year eve in the Vermont Avenue Church, to which all members of the congregation and their friends are cor- dially invited. The program and re- freshments will be in charge of the Alpha Christian Endeavor Society. The tower chimes will welcome the new year with several selections. The church night suppers and mid- week praver service will be postponed to next week ‘AT CLOSE OF DAY’ TOPIC OF REV. CLIFFORD H. JOPE Ninth Street Church Congregation to Hear Pastor Christian Tomorrow Morning. Rev. Clifford H. Jope, pastor of the Ninth Street Christian Church. Ninth and D streets northeast. has selected | for his subject tomorrow morning “At the Close of the day.” The choir will | render special musical selections. The Christian Endeavor Societies, Alpha, Intermediate and Juniors, will meet at | 6:45 pm. At 7:45 pm. the choir and | orchestra will give special musical leadership in the singing of the Christ- mas carols and Rev. Jope will give a stereopticon lecture on the carols. The Timothy Bible Class will hold its regular business meeting Monday evening at the church. The Alpha Christian Endeavor Execu- tive Commijtee will meet Tuesday eve- | ning at the home of Misses Doris and | Mildred Bishop, 5714 Sixteenth street, | to make plans for the next quarter's work of the society. PLANS STORY-SERMON Rev. Frank ‘SA‘NTQK__“IHI Deliver Yule Message for Children. At the Georgetown Presbyterian Church tomorrow morning Rev. Frank S. Niles will preach at 11 o'clock on “The Christmas Inn.” There will also be a Christmas_story-sermon for the | children. The Young People's service at 7:30 pm. will be led by Miss Meta Dean Scantlin of American Universi The topic will be: “Shall We Learn Prom the Experience of Others?” Tuesday evening at 7:30 o'clock the Sunday school will give a Christmas | pageant in the church, and this wm‘l be followed by a Christmas party in Cissel Chapel for the children and friends of the church. On New Year eve there will be a watch night service in Cissel Thapel. PLAN MIDNIGHT SERVICE —— Christ Lutheran Church, Sixteenth and Gallatin streets, will hold its first New Year eve midnight service in its new church from 11:30 to 12:30 o'clock. A feature will be the singing of “Silent Night, Holy Night” by the congregation simultaneousi= in Eng- lish, German, French, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Estho- nian. Under the direction of William R. Hamill, ‘ musical program will be Pdlld-‘ A—7 “WASTED TALENTS” 1§ PASTOR'S TOPIC World.” Sunday prayer meeting, 6:30 to 7:30 am.; Bible school, 9:15 am Junior_Christian Endeavor Socicty, 4 m.; Intermediate Christian Endeavor Society, 5 pm.; Senior Christian En- deavor Soclety, 8 p.m.; prayer mecting Tuesday, 8 to 10 p.m., and young pco ples prayer meeting Thursday, 8 to pm. Peoples Congregational. ‘What Is My Church Worth to Me?" will be the sermop theme of Rev. A. F. Elmes tomorrow morning. Young pco- ples service, 6 p.m., and Miss I. Wat will open the discussion. On Tuesda the Sunday school will have its Christ mas exercises and baskets for the poc also will be distributed by the Deacon- esses Board. Watch meeting service December 31 at 9 p.m. Rev. R. L. Wood to Preach Tomorrow at Petworth M. E. Church. Rev. Robert L. Wood, pastor of Pet- worth Methodist Episcopal Church, Grant circle, will preach tomorrow morning on “Wasted Talents” In the cvening the symbolic candlelight serv- ice, “Send Out the Lig be held |at 8 o'clock. Precedi is gervice the Epworth and Intermediate Leagues will meet for devotions. Sunday school Is at 9:30 and men’s Bibl at 10 o'clock The Christmas the children of the cra ners' depart- afternoon Plymouth Congregational. At 11 am. tomorrow the pastor, Rev. William Herbert K: will speak on “The End of Time.” and at 8 pm on “Sketches of @urope.” Church school, 9:30 am.; Y. P. 5. C. E, 6:30 pm.; watch meeting Thursday at 10 o'clock. Mount Zion M. E. The sermon tomorrow. 11 am., be by Edward G. Carroll of Yale vinity School. ~ Church school am.; Methodist Brotherhood At 8 pm. a special service of old hymns with a brief m, pastor, Dr. Julius S. Ca night service Thursday will Di- Table for the he Rev. and Mrs young people of mal party in the par: evening The eign Mi home of son street 1 receive the rch at an info nage Wednesday of the Women's For- 3ty First Baptist Church, West Washington. ington. e B L ‘ ning at & o'clock Rev. M. A. Newsome of Portsmouth e ir Va. will preach tomorrow morning and evening. Bible school. 9:30 am; Ju- nior Endeavor, 5 pm.; Senior En- deavor, 6 p.m. New Bethel Baptist, Christmas services will be hel morrow. Rev. William D. J pre: on school, 9:30 a.m ; se choir. Cl pm. WILL GIVE YULE SERMON Dr. F. W Perki s to Preach at special songs ian Endeavor, National Memorial e Asnact f D; Vaughn Class. ol The Vaughn class of men at Ca Bapt irch will_observe a Chr.stmas service tomorrow at 9. sharp. There will be a special mas address by former Judge Ja Britt. together with Christmas m the class orchestra under the di of Chester Hutchinson and sei the Petworth Baptist Church quartet St. Mark's Lutheran. 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