25 Dec 1916
Page 1
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Newspaper
The Mobile Item
Location
Mobile, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Dec 25, 1916
Page
1
Peace on earth and goodwill marked Mobile's Christmas as residents donated meals to the city's poor. Inmates of the poor asylum, hospital, and jails received generous dinners, while orphans were special guests at the Mobile Lodge of Elks annual distribution with entertainment and gifts.
The building was specially decorated with a central tree and illumination. Orphans from Protestant and Episcopal and two Catholic homes attended at 10 oclock for a musical program with local vocalists. Industrial Gardens school boys sang a song written for the occasion, Santa Claus helped welcome the orphans, and many Elks and others witnessed what attendees called a highly successful Mobile Elks charity event.
Sheriff W H Holcombe funds and coordinates Christmas dinners for all county jail inmates both white and black. Over fifty prisoners at police headquarters also receive meals. Dinners are served at the Poor Asylum City Hospital Hanan Home Boys Detention Home Benevolent Home and the Colored Old Folks Home under Rev A F Owens with contributions from Mobile business and professional men. Special church services mark the day Catholic masses All Saints dawn communion and Lutheran services.
In Statuary Hall Washington memorial services were held for Inez Milholland Boissevain a young suffrage leader who died last month in Los Angeles. Women in suffragist colors led by a choir marched from the Congressional Library to the east front and through the rotunda to Statuary Hall. Alice Paul national chairman of the Congressional Union marched bearing the flag Inez Milholland carried in a New York suffrage parade six years ago. A memorial resolution praised her for preaching the solidarity of women.
London dispatch describes Reuters report on parliamentary session in Bucharest as war developments influence government decisions. The brief notes rising tensions in Austria Hungary region and shifts in Austrian policy amid the conflict.
CA Lewis owner of the launch Lillian says the boat was destroyed by fire Sunday night near the mouth of Tensas river. He and three companions escaped to a row boat and reached the city two hours later. An explosion of gasoline caused the blaze when a crew member lit a cigarette.
Despite bad weather the Bienville Square Christmas tree lighting drew a large crowd. City Commissioner Pat J. Lyons switched on the lights at 6 pm as Dr Horton played organ accompaniments to carols led by Mr. J. H. Wishead and the augmented choir. Reverend Gardiner C. Tucker delivered benediction and urged the Lord's Prayer. The tree will stay lit 6 to 10 pm nightly all week, and groups may use the tree.
Thousands of sacks of first class and parcel post mail are blocked at Chicago railroad terminals. Delays spread to incoming and outgoing mail with trains carrying four to five extra coaches. City post office head Leroy Steward warns mail will be two to ten days late nationwide.
Paris Herald reports Frank J. Gould has given 100000 dollars for rebuilding the English Protestant church at Mateohe Fitte where a prominent American colony sustains thoroughbred stables and interests in the area.
A U S volunteer succumbed to illness while serving on the French front after becoming ill en route in an ambulance. The death highlights the perilous conditions faced by volunteers aiding wounded soldiers in World War I.
Associated Press reports December 25 forecasts cloudy skies with possible rain and strengthening east winds, especially in southern portions, signaling a broader weather change across the area.
The Birmingham Board of Trade endorsed Mobile as the site for a government shipbuilding plant or naval base. James Tinder announced at a special meeting that two resolutions urging the Navy committee to consider Mobile were adopted and would be sent to Alabama lawmakers in Washington.
Charity Hospital doctors said Mrs. Gertrude Stoddard of Mobile was sinking fast after jumping from the ninth floor of the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. She never rallied, and Boston man Charles H. Jones who accompanied her checked out and has not been linked to the incident.
Mrs. Alice Bennett marks her 105th Christmas at her Brooklyn home surrounded by many descendants from Brooklyn and Philadelphia. The elderly woman reportedly turned 106 yesterday and was helped by a reader to finish the morning paper before walking five blocks to church and back.
In Mexico on December 25 Columbus reports a Fourth of July like celebration at Cerignade camp. About 4,000 soldiers enjoyed a Christmas Eve fireworks display valued around $200, a turkey dinner and a mass, as the camp’s morale rose despite the punitive expedition.
More than twenty oil men from Texas and Oklahoma are registered in Birmingham hotels and will travel to Cordova to visit the newly discovered oil field near there.
New York December 25 The American Railway Association announced measures to ease freight congestion by reducing car accumulation at Pensacola Mobile New Orleans Galveston and other Gulf ports. Detroit will also be addressed in the plan.
An estimate places 10 000 cars at Gulf loaded with freight mainly for export. C A Markham, president of the Minors Central Railroad, and A H Smith of the New York Central, head the committee coordinating freight handling for the south and will direct the work.
An early 20th century excerpt reports the Lokal Anzeiger’s reading of President Wilson’s peace note. It argues the tone shows earnest peace aims and refrains from backing any combatant power, urging careful assessment of his neutral state approach and noting possible German preferences for how to pursue peacemaking.
The Morris children and children of prominent officials presented a Christmas pageant at Ira Nelson Morris’s Stockholm home on Christmas Eve with involvement from Crown Princess Gustave Adolph and members of her party and cabinet.
Field Marshal von Mackensen’s Dobrudja army captured Isaktcha on the Danube and began attacking the bridgehead of Machin in north western Dobrudja. Engagements continue across Transylvania and Wallachia with renewed activity and Russian counter actions reported.
London dispatch notes another British victory over Turkish forces with further war material details released by the War Office. The brief confirms continued Allied successes and ongoing supply reports as authorities outline wartime progress.
AP reports Berlin says last night was generally calm on the Franco Belgian front with a brief artillery duel in the Wychaete sector and activity otherwise at usual levels. Austro Hungarian outposts repulsed several Russian attacks near Lysiets southwest of Stanislau. Macedonian front had no important incidents.
Lisbon reports the cabinet has decided to create a war committee and a public economy committee. Both bodies will have extensive powers, signaling centralized wartime governance in Portugal.
Berlin dispatch reports that after four weeks of fighting the Russians have gained only minor advantages in the Oituz valley and wooded Carpathians. The gains are offset by local Aus tro-German successes elsewhere as Generals von Arz and von Koevess hold positions and the mid-Carpathian front remains tense.
The pope expressed praise for the president's peace efforts in Rome with a December report noting Vatican officials and cardinals present. The dispatch from Det. 23 via Paria mentions delayed transmission of the remarks and papal stance on static, awaiting fuller details.
Mobile Captain D Antoni, famed seaman, received a gold watch from Mr and Mrs Alston of Tuscaloosa. They praised his saving of the yacht Mary Francis during the hurricane and heavy seas. He ferried the Alstons to Mobile on July 5, then they returned home by train. The watch engraved Captain Antoni true to the Mary Francis 1916 accompanied a Christmas card.
In New York on December 26 the battleships New York and Pennsylvania distributed meals and toys to 4,000 to 5,000 hungry children, funded by crew collections nearing 4000 dollars. The scene opened with the Tree of Light in Madison Square and included prayers for world peace. Salvation Army efforts, under Evangeline Booth's leadership, supported baskets of food, with overall Christmastide figures approaching 160,000 dollars.
Rep Gardner of Massachusetts urged a GOP conference to draft future policies and avoid merely opposing Democrats. He defended his anti Mann stance as a separate issue over international affairs, calling for timely Men. The move seeks concrete plans ahead of the next Congress.
Five accidents due to fireworks and firearms occurred during Christmas celebrations in Atlanta. At the city hospital, Ulric White, 14, was seriously wounded by a pistol discharge from a playmate.
Fragmentary note reports Swiss and Swedish actions in wartime mediation. Mentions German influence shaping notes and the Swedish government planning to approach belligerents as Swiss president remains central to discussions.
A foreign government voiced support for President Wilsons call for a decision fostering rapprochement among nations. Officials indicated willingness to engage in a constructive manner, with public statements highlighting desire for stable relations and cooperation.
The Journal of Geneva praises President Wilson for his note to neutrals and expresses cautious hope the U S will pursue a precise order to realize his aspirations. Neutrals like Swiss outlets echo warm regard for the president amid a dark Christmas mood.
The leaded report discusses alleged interference in the war by Britain and the United States. It cites President Wilson notes and presses Washington to address British contraband controls and German submarine sinkings affecting American lives. It notes ongoing government pressure and calls for a firmer stance.
A fragmented wartime report discusses Secretary Lansing and President Wilson weighing which side violated U S rights most. It notes uncertainty over Germany’s proposals and hopes for reconciling aims if events unfold, with focus on American interests and the war’s progression.
Pope Benedict appeals for just peace in a reception address to the sacred college. He urges hearing the voice of the appealing and reinforces a path toward reconciliation amid global tensions.
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