Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1936, Page 4

THIEVES KEEP BUSY ON CHRISTMAS EVE Four Colored Men Push One Victim From Auto After Beating. Ohristmas eve was just as any other night to those who live by theft and violence, police reports this morning Indicated. ; In’addition to numerous burglaries and larcenies, two men and a boy were.robbed and purses were snatched from four women. Lonnie Smith, 1323 Twelfth street, told police he was walking in the 900 block of O street at dusk yesterday when four colored men loitering on the sidewalk seized him and threw him into an automobile. They drove to Ninth and Girard streets northeast, Smith declared, and there demanded ‘his money. He refused, and his assailants beat him with their fists, took his billfold containing $26, and then pushed him out of the car and drove off. Rushed to Emergency. Hailing a cab, he was taken to ‘Emergency Hospital where physicians said he may be suffering from frac- tured ribs. Fourteen-year-old Robert Redd, of 1001 Eighth street, was held up at pistol point by three colored boys near Fourth and N streets and robbed of $3.40, he reported. Another armed hold-up occurred at FPiset and I streets, where three white men robbed William Kimble, colored, 216 D street, of $16. Three of the purse snatchings were in the same neighborhood. The first report came from Susan R. McCauley, 2129 Florida avenue, who said she was walking in the 1600 block of Twenty- first street when she was struck with- out warning on the back of the neck and knocked down. Momentarily stunned, she did not see who grabbed her purse, containing $13 in cash, her glasses and other articles, and fled. Loses Money and Ring. ‘The next snatching was in the 1100 block of Twentieth street. Eva Snapp, 1007 Twentieth street, said a colored man seized her purse, which contained $5 and a $10 ring. The pocketbook of Daviette P. Ficklen, 2900 Connecticut avenue, was snatched by a colored boy about 15 years old on Florida avenue between Nineteenth and Twentieth streets. Police were told the youthful robber was accompanied by two other boys about his own age. The purse con- tained $4. The fourth victim of pocketbook enatchers was Lillian Lewis, 1527 I street, whose purse was taken by a colored man on Fifteenth street be- tween H and I streets. DECLARES INTENTIONS Rosa Ponselle Jackson Seeks Citi- zenship in Maryland. By the Associated Press. BALTIMORE, December 25.—Rosa Ponselle, opera singer who recently married Carle Jackson, son of Balti- more’'s mayor, declared her intentions of becoming a citizen of Maryland, al- though she was unable to go to the Court House. Msyor Howard W. Jackson said Miss Ponselle filled out the application while in bed, taking care of a “sore throat.” She gave her address as that of the home of Mayor and Mrs. Jackson, President (Continued From First Page.) others of the family were gathered in his bed room and making merry. Later there was a gathering about the family Christmas tree in the great hallways on the second floor of the White House, where toys and other presents for the children were either | hanging from the limbs of the tree or piled about its base. Unlike most of the modern Christmas trees, this one, in accordance with the wishes of Mr. Roosevelt himself, was illuminated with the old wax candles and re- flectors, instead of the present-day vari-colored electric lights. It was at the tree that Mrs. Roose- velt presided. ‘The President and other adult members received their Christmas gifts in the library. These more inti- mate gifts were exclusive of the hun- dreds of others received from admirers throughout the country, which will be opened later in the day. The great majority of them are from persons they do not know and are of small intrinsic value. Such presents of any great value will be returned. Many are articles which are handmade, such as muffiers, neckties, handker- chiefs, doilies, pictures and the like. ‘The President and Mrs. Roosevelt have received thousands of Christmas THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C.' FRIDAY. DECEMBER 3, 1986. - Lead Nation in Celebration of . Christmas Four generations of Roosevelis paused in front of the White House for a group photograph yesterday as they were on their way to Lajayette Park to watch the President light the commu-~ nity Christmas tree. Curtis “B The four grandchildren (left to right): e” Dall and Eleanor “Sistie” Dall, children of Mrs. John Boettiger; Chandler Roosevelt, daughter of Elliott, and Sara, daughter of James; behind them (left to right): John Roosevelt, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mrs. J. R. Roosevelt, sis- ter-in-law of the President; the President, his son Elliott and Mrs. Elliott Roosevelt, James Roosevelt, the President’s mother, Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt, and Mrs. James Roosevelt, wife of the President’s son James. LANG'S PORTRAYAL OF CHRIST IS HIT Kaindl, Who Is Nazarene in Tyrol, Says German Ges- tures Too Violently. BY the Associated Press. THIERSEE, Austria, December 25. —Aloysius Kaindl, who plays the role of Christ in the 600-year-old Pas- sion Play given in this Tyrolean vil- liage, has taken issue with Anton Lang, who enacts the same part in Oberammergau, across the Bavarian border. Kaindl, who, like the Nazarene, is a carpenter by trade, says the Ober- ammergau Christ is too authoritative, too much of a law giver. Pondering the attributes of Jesus as he saws a board or dives a nail, Kaindl has concluded that the Savior derived His power from love—that He led men gently, coaxed them, and only rarely gave vent to righteous indignation. Dislikes Vigorous Gestures, “But at Oberammergau I seem to see a different sort of Christ,” said Kaindl. “Anton Lang, who plays that exalted role, is an excellent man. But 1 sometimes question whether, despite honest effort to penetrate to the heart of the divine character, he strikes the right note. “The Oberammergau Christ gestures like Mussolini or Hitler. He is power and authority, “I think about it when I chisel & mortise, or look at the mountain top, and a voice inside me whispers that Christ was no arrogant decreemaker. His power was so vast, His understand- ing so infinite, that He didn’t need the angry word or the loud outery.” Brisk Business Expected. Kaindl, who is 56, has played the chief role here more than 150 times. He walks about the village wearing long robes, his chestnut brown hair | curling to his shoulders. The villagers | say that something of the spirit of the part he plays always remains with him. About 300 actors and a home-town orchestra make up the Thiersee Pas- sion Play company, which expects many visitors from the Salzburg music festival to see their performance. The Mary of the play is Frau Kathe Juffinger, proprietor of a little grocery. “There are many poor people in the neighborhood,” she saild. “And they seem to think that a storekeeper playing such a tender role at the village hall might extend credit read- ily. They're right. I guess I'm not a good business woman.” FIVE ARE FREED Judge Hedrick Releases Prisoners From Arlington Jail. and New Year greeting cards. Last year the number was in excess of six thousand and it is estimated that it will be greater this year. Two Children Absent. The President and Mrs. Roosevelt were fortunate this year in having nearly all of their immediate family gathered about them. Only Mrs. John Boettiger, who recently moved to Beattle, Wash.,, where her husband has taken over the management of & newspaper, and Franklin, jr., next to the youngest of the Roosevelt sons, who has been 11l in a Boston hospital as a result of a sinus operation, will be absent. Mrs. James R. Roosevelt, widow of the President’s only brother, was also at the White House, The President and Mrs. Roosevelt and others of the family will attend special religious services at the Church of the Covenant, interdenominational In ‘character, which will be attended by. representatives of 140 Protestant churches in this city. Rev. Frederick Brown Harris of the Foundry Meth- odist Church will preside at this joint service. Christmas dinner at the White House is not scheduled until 7:30 to- night. " This will be an old-fashioned Christmas dinner featured by a huge turkey, stuffed with chestnut dress- ing and covered with giblet gravy. In addition, there will be oysters, soup, celery, little pig sausages, cran- berry jelly, caulifiower, beans, can- died sweet potatoes, fresh pineapple salad, plum pudding, hard sauce, egg- By a Btant Correspondent of The Star. ARLINGTON COURT HOUSE, Va,, December 25—Five prisoners in the county jail, serving sentences of from one to two months, were released yesterday by Judge B. M. Hedrick w| permit them to go home for Christ- mas. Judge Hedrick gave another Christ- mas present—a suspended sentence— to the only law violator brought be- fore him yesterday. All offices in the Court House, ex- cept those of Sheriff. Howard B, Fields and Clerk C. Benjamin Lay- cock, will be closed today and tomor- row. The clerk's office will be open until 1 pm. tomorrow. ; ROBBERS GAIN LITTLE Park Avenue Apartment Yields Trio $2 and Radio Set. * NEW YORK, December 35 (F)— Three men invaded Mrs. Alfred Le- fevre's Park avenue apartment yester- day and left with $2 and a small radio set after accepting her explanation that she had spent all of her money on Christmas. ‘The intruders, who forced their way in when Mrs. Lefevre answered the doorbell, overlooked two rings she was ‘wearing. “Well, T guess that's all she’s got” one of them said after searching the apartment. Steam Heat for Water Pipes. Simple ‘Narrative of Nativity Considered as Great Drama First Setting Is in Temple in Jerusa- lem, Nearly Year Before Sacred Denouement. BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT. Every one, of course, is familiar with the story of the birth of Christ as it is teld in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. The merest child is taught the sacred narrative in infancy, and the oldest man or| woman remembers it as long as life | lasts. Yet few persons, it may be | supposed, ever have thought to study the drama of it as it would be pre- pared for actual presentation on a) stage, as, in fact, it was played out 19 centuries ago, according to the affirmation of the Scriptures. So arranged or, more accurately, rearranged, the nativity begins ' in the temple in Jerusalem nearly a year before the sacred denouement. The first character is “a certain priest named Zacharias,” an elderly man who was “righteous before God.” To | him in the sanctuary comes Gabriel, the angel of the Lord. Zacharias, seeing* the heavenly visitor “standing on the right side of the altar of in- cense,” is troubled and afrald. But Gabriel reassures him, saying: “Fear not, for the prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name John.” Zacharias, however, still doubts the divine message, and it is necessary for QGabriel to explain his authority. The priest is struck dumb “until the day that these things shall be per- formed”—a punishment for his skep- ticism. Qabriel vanishes, and after tarrying in the temple so long that the people marveled at his tardiness, Zacharias, bankrupt of the faculty of speech, returns to his own house. There his wife, “well stricken in years” conceives and hides hersel! five months. Scene Changes to Galilee. Then, in the sixth month, the scene changes to Galilee and more particu- larly to the city of Nazareth, where Gabriel, “sent from God,” speaks to| Mary, “a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.” The pic- ture has been painted by some of the | greatest geniuses who have adorned the annals of art—Botticelli, Raphael | and El Greco among the number. “Hall, thou art highly favored,” is| “The Lord is the angel's salutation. with thee. Blessed are thou among women.” Puzzled, the virgin hears the celestial messenger forecast the birth of her Divine Son, who “shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest” Further, Gabriel tells the holy mother, “thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived & son.” The curtain falls with Mary con- tritely declaring: “Behold the hand- maid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.” For the next act the story is trans- ferred to the home of Zacharias, to which the virgin journeys following the annunciation. There Elizabeth's unborn babe “leaps” at the sound of Mary's voice, and Elizabeth herself reverently demands: “Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” St. Luke gives the complete text of Mary's response, s hymn of praise to God, beginning: “My soul doth magnify the Lord"— the Magnificat. A “footnote” says that the virgin “abode with her"--Elizabeth—“about Yuletide Observed Twice American Christmas for Twins Follows Santa’s Visit Per Bavarian Custom. Mjrie Lang, the 1f-month-old twin daughters of Dr. snd Mrs. ‘Anton Lang jr.,, of Washington and Oberam- mergau, are doubly thankful . their parents observe the Yuletide in ac- cordance with an old Bavarian cus- tom. That's because they can be sure dry|to count on two Christmas oelebra- tions each year. * —A. P. Photo. three months” and at the end of -that period went back to Nazareth. Then John the Baptist, forerunner of the Messiah, is born, named John rather than Zacharias at the insistence of his mother, and “grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.” Meanwhile the drama moves to its apex. Caesar Augustus has com- manded “that all the world should be taxed.” and Joseph and Mary, obey- ing his orders, proceed from Galilee “into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem"—the prop- er place for a prince of the house of David to see the light of day. But the town is crowded, and there is no room for the holy family at the inn. Joseph, for lack of better accommoda- tion, accepts shelter in a siable. An ancient tradition affirms that cattle stood by while Mary labored. But again the scene changes, this time to the court of Herod the Great, King of Judea, a man both clever and cruel. Three wise méen—the Magi— are brought before him inquiring: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.” The consternation of the ruler at such a question may be imagined. “All Jerusalem with him” was trou- bled at the threat inherent in words so prophetic of revolutionary altera- tion of the dynasty. The King cun- ningly appeals to the strangers to aid him in finding the child, saying: “When ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.” Led by the star, the Magi start for Bethlehem, while | Herod confers with his council on | steps 10 be taken to fend off the fore- | shadowed peril. The slaughter of | the Innocents is the safeguard de- | cided upon. Every infant in Bethle- | hem “and in all the coasts thereo! from 2 years old and under” is mur- dered. ‘ Shepherds Behold Star. Before that tragic massacre, how- ever, another & ‘—the definitive por- | tion of the play—has been concluded. Shepherds on the hills above Bethle- hem behold the Magi's star, but are granted still more miraculous notice when Gabriel “came upon them” and “sqid unto them, ‘Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David & Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be & sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in & man- e St. Luke adds the poetic touch: “And suddenly there was with the sngel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory t0 God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' ™ The shepherds hasten into the city. And there they find Mary, Joseph and the Holy Child. The wise men kneel with their gifts before the manger cradie. ‘What ensues—the flight into Egypt to avoid Herod's assassins, the beauti- ful incident of Simeon and Anna, etc.—Is another story. But even the final tableau on Calvary is not more compelling than the simple, unaf- fected narrative of the Nativity. The difference is that between joy .and sorrow as the human heart responds to their appeal. — Coal Town Made Happy. HERMINE, Pa. (#).—“M Christ- mas” means just that to this Western Pennsylvania cosl town—the town will have a few more months of life instead of being condemned to aban- donment. The Océan Coal Co. changed its mind about halting operations and ve the miners their jobs ghd homes or another thre¢ months sa a Christ- mas present. PROGRESSIVE WON TONEW DEAL AINS Representative-elect Ha- venner of California Hails Roosevelt’s Program. Special Dispateh to The Star. SAN FRANCISCO, December 325 (N.AN.A).— Representative-elect Pranck C. Havenner, only Progressive party member of the California dele- gation in Wi n and one of the few members of that party in Con- greas, will leave for the National Capi- tal Saturday. Havenner’s recent request to Wash- ington that he be listed as & member of the Progressive party caused consid- erable speculation among the Capital City newshawks. But it shouldn't have occasioned any. comment. The fourth district Representative-elect has been registered in the Progressive party for some time. He ran as a Progressive party registrant at the Au- gust primary, when he won the nomi- nation according to the California election la “I merely followed the law,” Hav- enner said today, “and stated my amli- ation with the party I am registered in. I am somewhat in the same position as was Senator Hiram W. Johnson the first time he was elected to the United States Senate. He was listed as a Progressive Republican, since that was the way his name appeared on the ballot in California, I could not claim to be & Democrat, since I am not now nor ever have been & member of the Democratic party. I have not changed my party registration, and I continue to be en- rolled in the Progressive party.” Several members of the House of Representatives from Wisconsin are registered as Progressive party mem- bers. Havenner was one of those who Wwas registered in the Progressive party years back and participated in 1934 in the revival of the party in Cali- fornia, so that it qualified for a place on the ballot. Asked as to his own plans in Con- gress, Representative-elect Havenner said he had no definite program as yet except that he intends to support the San Francisco Junior Chamber of Commerce’s reconstruction program for the Great Presidio Reservation of the United States Army here. “In’ the main, I shall follow the Roosevelt program, principles I am in sympathy w " he declared. (Ccpyright. 1936, by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc ) CHARGE ANSWERED BY FATHER DIVINE Evangelist Asked to Show Cause Why He Should Not Be Cited in Contempt. NEW YORK, December 25 (#)— Asked to show cause why he should not be cited in contempt of court for testifying that he never bothered with money because he depended on Provi- dence to supply his needs, Father Major J. Divine answered volumi- nously yesterday with more than 100 pages of affidavits. Bolled down, the Harlem evan- gelist's legal documents set forth that his peace mission movement was & co-operative endeavor in which de- votees bought and paid for all prop- erties and he neither owned real es- tate nor accepted gratuities. “I bear no record of things per- taining to this life,” he deposed. “I have dismissed from my vocabulary the custom of keeping any literary record of anything. * * *” ‘The proceedings grew out of an unsuccessful effort by Mrs. Nina I. Bayless of Aberdeen, Md. to collegt & $6,000 judgment against Father Di- vine for injuries suffered in an auto- mobile accident. Divine called the judgment “illegal,” because he said he neither owned nor operated the bus that caused her injuries, Former followers who told of trans- ferring their assels to him were de- scribed In the papers as “disgruntled and malicious persons.” Supreme Court Justice Samuel I. Roseman reserved decision on the contempt moticn. TRAPPER RAISES DUCKS Rare Wood Specimen Produced in ¢ New York. SAVANNAH, N. Y. (#).—More than & half century ago s young hunter chanced upon & rare wood duck’s nest in a tree overhanging a river near here, brought home its dozen eggs and hatched them under & hen. From this setting the man, Foster Parker, now more than 30 years old, has developed what is believed to be the only wood duck farm in America. PFederal and State governments have given Parker permits to raise the fast-vanishing wood duck, and in the more than half century he raised them he has never sold one except to so0s and parks for exhibition purposes, —— TIssues Eggnogg Warning. DALLAS, Tex., December 35 (#).— Eggnogg, County Health Officer Hore ace E. Duncan said in an interview, is a concentrated food and should be partaken of sparingly to avoid dis- tress. Result: Friends have called Dr. Duncan and said never mind about attending their Christmas eggnogg perties. INSTANT STARTING WITHOUT DRAIN ON THE BATTERY 5ewiO-W~-20-W (% % & WINTER MOTOR OIL * % « LUBRICATES AT SUB-ZERD THIS WINTER make sure you use AUTOCRAT . .. it's the one winter metor oil that will flow instantly and lubricate fully' at any SUB-ZERO temperature. Missing POLICE HUNT HEIRESS AND GIRL WORKER. ELIZABETH BUTTERFIELD. Police of eight States yes- terday joined in the search for Miss Butterfield, 28, Minneap- olis department store heiress, missing two days from Cos- cob, Conn. Miss Butterfield only recently recovered from a nervous breakdown. VIVIAN LEE. The 17-year-old youth ad- ministration worker is the ob- ject of a widespread search since she mysteriously disap- peared last Friday from Pine- ville, Ky., following a high school banquet. She is a for- mer University of Kentucky student. —Copyright, A. P. Wirephotos. LOW RATE LOANS CUARANTEE URGED 21/, to 3 Per Cent Capital Held Necessary as Aid in Home Building. BY the Associated Press. NEW YORK, December 25.—Assert- ing the Nation faces a “critical hous- ing shortage,” Clarence M. Woolley, Standard Sanitary Corp.. proposed private loans at low interest rates for home construction, Experience of other countries has shown that capital must be available at not more than 2!; to 3 per cent to provide “decent” housing for peo- ple - with incomes of $1,500 or less yearly, he explained in a year-end review of the building industr “If capital could be tracted through a Government guaranty of 80 to 90 per cent of the private loans made for such construction,” he argued, “it is quite within conserv- {ative reasoning to assume that adequate capital could be made avail- able for construction at least in com- munities where the deficiency is most acute.” He predicted slum-clearing enter- the Federal Government would un- dertake the guaranty. Interest in housing programs has been sharpened in building circles by expectation of a renewed drive in the forthcoming session of Congress for Federal aid to a long-range plan of groups. ‘Woolley noted that in the six years ended with 1936 new housing facilities were provided for only 348,915 fami- lies, compared with new homes for 2,644,000 families in the six-year period ended in 1928, based on Government figures for 257 cities. “This indicates a shortage of ap- proximately 2,300,000 homes,” he said. Elderly Women Predominate. There are twice as many aged women in England and Wales, the lat- est census figures show. chairman of the American Radiator & | yesterday a Government guaranty of | prises would develop “promptly” if | home construction for low income | JOYOUS PILGRIMS FILL BETHLEREM Celebrate Birth of Christ With Prayer and Song in Ancient Church, B) the Assoclated Press. BETHLEHEM, Palestine, December 25.—The church bells of this hallowed town summoned pilgrims from many lands today to celebrate with prayer the anniversary of Christ's birth. ‘The ancient Church of the Nativity and the adjoining St. Catherine’s Church were thronged with worshipers in this little town, six miles from Jerusalem, which since the second century, has been considered the birth. place of Jesus. Starry skies brightened s warm Holy Land night as the faithful en- tered the churches at midnight to hear the white-bearded Latin patriarch celebrate the pontifical mass. While they waited in the ancient streets a Church of England choir sang Christmas carols.. The congregations included travelers from far corners of the earth, camel drivers, water carriers, townspeople, British soldiers, government officials and their wives. Many of the soldiers had been hur- ried to the Holy Land in recent months to quiet the still-smouldering disor- ders growing out of the Arab strike against Jewish immigration. Numerous armed police and soldiers circulated through the crowded village, where, throughout the day, large crowds attended other services. Many waited reverently after the mass to watch the sun rise above the hills where the three wise men, guided by the Star of Bethlehem, went to worship the infant Jesus. After the mass the aged patriarch took the image of the Christ Child from the high altar and led & proces- sion through the Church of the Na- tivity into the grotto which is regarded as the actual place of Christ’s birth. Then, with the church bells chim- ing & joyous melody, he placed the image in a manger, where it is to re- main until Epiphany, January 6. ) SLAIN BABY FOUND Denver Dwelling Basement Vic- tim Dead More Than Year. DENVER, December 25 (#).— Gus Economy, deputy coroner, said the mummified body of a baby. strangled with a heavy cloth, was found yes- terday in the basement of an East Denver dwelling. ‘The infant, Economy said, had been dead more than a year. He said the sex and age could not be ascertained. The body was clad in a nightgown and wrapped in a heavy sheet and a strip of oil cloth. Economy said E. C. Francon dis- | covered the body while repairirg the dwelling, vacant since October 10, Wants Gift of Legislation. HARTFORD, Conn. (#)—Wilbur L. Cross wants only one Christmas pres- ent. “I would like to be assured the Leg- islature will give me the major part of the great constructive program con- tained in our platform,” he said. Saddlery and Repairing of Leather Goods G. W.King,Jr., 511 11thSt. N.W. Psychic Message Council 1100 Tweifth St Corner of 12th ai GROUP MEETINGS DAILY Accredited Message Bearers Personal interviews for spiritusl neip and guidance may be arranged by a visit to the Council House or Telephone Metropolitan 5234. N.W, 2 | Repair...Remodel See J. Frank Kelly, Inc., for LUMBER—MILLWORK PORCH ENCLOSURES FENCING—ROOFING HARDWARE—PAINT Invest your extra Christmas J. FRANK ELLY SUDDEN SERVICE Lumber & Millwork 2121 Ga. Ave. NOrth 1341 Closed Tomorrow Our Annual Store-Wide After=Christmas - SALES begin Monday at 9:15 AM. See the Sunday papers for news about this event that all and awaits! It drastic reductions. Washington knows brings deep and Use Your Charge Account, or Open One Now RALEIGH Whadington's D HABERDASHER Fut Mos's W Stwe 1310 7 510027 3