The Timely Record of Community Event. hore News )L.IX,N0.7. WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1921 TWELVE PAGES PRICE FIVE CENTS JCTRIC ROAD TO CHANCE ROUTE SOON to Illinois Comment Com- ^jistion for Pernlaalon to Con- struct Privstely Owned Route IECTION IS REGISTERED irty Owners in North Evanston Said to be Opposed to Route Through That Section The North Shore Connecting Rail- ed Co. has applied to the Illinois Enmerce Commission for permis- w to construct an electric railway > through certain parts of Evans- and Wilmette. .'his means that steps have been ken toward changing the route of Chicago, North Shore and Mil- lukee electric line through Wil- fette and Evanston. The name ....lecting Railroad Co." is that plied to the company organized construct the new stretch of track. Long Time Expected The move to change the route of _. North Shore electric line through i-anston has been expected for some ae. The North Shore line, it is un- rstood, has been refused an exten- on of its charter to operate over reenleaf avenue, which necessitates buying of a private right-of-way the electric line in this. village. :h the line thus entering Evans- at a different point the company Ishes to continue the line through i-anston at that point, on its own ht-of-way. ?he new right-of-way proposed by _: North Shore line would follow in |neral East Railroad avenue in VVil- ette, cross the Evanston line, and rn east in Evanston,'Wtween Isa- la and Central Mtrtekc, probably Jar Jenks street. It would then Intinue east to;a point where it juld join t?_e present north-and- ith tracks of the company. It â- Mild be about a mile and a half length. With the approval of the Illinois jmmerce Commission secured,- the >rth Shore company must then ob- permission from the City coun- of Evanston and the Village ^ard of Wilmette to proceed. If this granted, the property along the fcw right-of-way must then be offi- illy condemned and acquired by the jimpany. Residents Object [Officials of the North Shore com- iny say they cannot make predic- ms as to the immediate steps that hg^taken, except that the plan go through the regular channels, id if the necessary permits are ranted, the work of construction will igin at_once._ The.: cost of the new they say, will depend on the due assessed on the land to be ac- id for the new right-of-way and le prices prevailing for materials Hid labor when the work is being lone. •â- ;'•;, There has been considerable objec- Jio'ii to the new line through Evanston »n the part of property holders near ' e proposed right-of-way and others. petition was presented to the City council at its meeting on, June 21, J921, protesting against the new line the route contemplated. Mayor 'earsons said at the time that the ity was opposed to the project. Officials of the Chicago. North >hore and Milwaukee fine believe the thanpe would be an advantage to the rns affected and to the service of _ electric line in every way. 'It is always better to run electric ines over a private right-of-way than Her a public street," said officials of company recently. "By means of jthis new line we are getting off the public streets and will be better able jto opiate our trains and serve the Public than on the streets." COMMUNITY XMAS PROGRAM SATURDAY Community Tree, Gift of Congrega- tional Church, to Be Center of Big Village Celebration Saturday evening, December 24â€" Christmas Eveâ€"Wilmette will cele- brate its first Community Christmas. At 7 o'clock the villagers will gather about the lighted Community Tree on the Village Green to sing carols, ushering in the joyous Christmastide. This week Village workmen placed the great thirty-foot giant of the north woods. Today and tomorrow a group of citizens, under direction of the Community Service association, will bedeck the branches with vari- colored lights which are to burn from dusk until dawn throughout Christ- mas week. The tree is a gift to the village by the First Congregational church. Two years ago the Congregational church started the Community Christ- mas idea by placing a tree on the church playgrounds, the incident was repeated last year with such success that the church trustees considered the plan for a real Community Christ- mas Tree. The tree on the Village green was secured from the Wiscon- sin forests, presented to the village and the matter of Christmas Eve exercises placed under supervision of the Community Service association. It is expected the Community Tree idea will become a permanent feature. Remember, the Communinty Christ- mas celebration will be held at 7 o'clock Saturday evening 1 Burglars Loot Home Twice In 6 Months Completely Ransack H. M. Pottit Home at 303 Groenleaf Avenue in Sunday Afternoon Raiding Party Burglars last Sunday evening com- pletely ran- acked ih.? iâ- '. *V!, -• Pettit home at 303 Greenleaf avenue, taking everything they could carry away, ac- cording to Mr. Pettit. It was the second time in six months the Pettit home was the scene of a burglar raid. The Pettit family came to Wil- mette last April. Two weeks after they had taken the residence it was ransacked by burglars who made a thorough clean-up. On Sunday evening, December 18, while the family was away between the hours of 4 and 11 o'clock, the house was again entered by cutting a pane in a rear door. "They took everythjng" sajcM!|lr^ (Cljrtatmaii £itr \ A Story *T_P *3n» *Wf TP *flP ,"1bf *WP ^iP *Tl By Bertha Harwood-Arrowood (North Shore MacDowell Society) The streets never seemed so thronged with gay sightseers and shoppers as on this Christmas Eve. The windows displayed trees be- decked with glistening ornaments and toys. Old Santa Claus was mak- ing a crowd of childrenâ€"and grown- ups who had not forgotten they were once youngâ€"happy with expectation. Talking and walking dolls and other mechanical toys were displaying their charms. Every merchant seemed to vie with his neighbor in attracting the Santa Claus buyers, but the dark- ness grew more dense, the pocket- books lighter and, as the various cars passed, each stopped to draw from this busy thoroughfare its load of hu- manity and freight, for this is one night that to be without bundles is to miss some of the enjoyment of the occasion, and to stumble over boxes or be bruised by an occasional poke from a cart handle or something quite as sharp, becomes a real delight, for it means the happiness of some child, and everything is greeted with a laugh. The Peachtree car was filled even to its standing capacity, but the ladies, unaccustomed to this mode of travel, made light of their situation and the very atmosphere was merry. Gradually the crowd in the car diminished, all were now seated and a better oppoortunity given to view one's fellow-passengers. In one group the shoppers were laughing over the state of their pursesâ€"several having found barely enough money to pay their car fare, but it was the laugh of amusement, no thought of regret there. In another corner a discussion ,,0ku dol.lsl,was-4;»J|,iing„place. Amidst this group was a woman of great wealth and a close observer of human nature. She had upon her lips the words, "My little girl thinks Flossy"â€" As she said this her eyes rested upon a man opposite, and the sentence was finished mechanically; she had .lost the enthusiasm of a few moments before as she saw turned upon her EIGHT ORPHANS STILL AWAIT XMAS HOSTS Only a Few Children from Lake Bluff Remain Unatsignecl For Christ- ma» Entertainment Here CHARITY BALL TO ATTRACT VILLAGERS NEXT TUESDAY ft appears that, contrary to accept- ed opinion, there are some residents Th nif tte w^° are not millionaires. there arc, in fact,°some who are in Jctual want. It is with the object of â„¢eetin? their needs that the Catholic woman's club of Wilmette and the *avenan club have arranged to give 5 joint Charity ball at the Ouilmette \VtTJ ch,b on December 27- t- two active organizations in- rested in- its success, the occasion apises to be a notable social <vent. «> order not to harass the busy man J»o apen/ls as little time as possible btu SOc-!tl1 fri^litics, the dress regu- *tIon w«» be "go as you please." Pettit in a telephone conversation with a representative of The Lake Shore News. "About all the clothes I have are those on my back. They cleaned us out, went through trunks, dressers, bureau drawers, and took everything they could possibly carry. When we returned home the house was wide open and a sorry mess in- deed." "Why cannot we have better police protection? We feel so terrible about the thing that we are almost prompted to move back to Chicago," he said. The loot was estimated roughly at more than $3,000. TIME TO~RENEW CONTRACTS FOR ASH-REFUSE REMOVAL Christmas Monday draws near and eight of the kiddies from the Lake Bluff orphanage remain to be taken into Wilmette homes for a few hours of Christmas joy on December 26. All of the one hundred and twenty or more children who are to be brought into Wilmette homes by the people of the Wilmette Methodist church, have been selected in groups of two, three or four, with the exception of the eight listed as follows: Richard Purkisa ........ .. ,t Alice PurkUi..............12 Josephine Latka ...........14 Helen Latka ...............12 Mary Maxfield ............15 Robert Braymon ............7 George Dunn...............8 Gilbert Dunn ...............9 It is sincerely hoped that these re- .maining children will have been plac- ed in Wilmette homes for Christmas Monday. Mrs. Gilbert St an sell. Phone Wilmette 2584, will be glad to assign these children. The orphans are to be brought to Wilmette Monday morning in special cars on the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee railway that will leave Lake Bluff at 9:30 A. M. Automobiles provided by the Methodist church will convey the kiddies from the sta- tion to the homes to which they have been assigned. After the day's enter- tainment the children are to be re- turned to the Village hall at 5 o'clock, each family being responsible for the relunFof its assigned guests. Churches Announce Christmas Programs Churches of Wilmette Plan Special Programs on Sunday and Dur- ing Christmas Week APPEALS FOR HELP FOR WILMETTE POOR Mrs. Lillian D. Northern, Local Social Service Worker, Says Poverty is on the Increase, in Wilmette NUMEROUS CALLS FOR AID Asks Donations of Clothing for Economy Shop; Says Wilmette is Giving Splendidly (Continued on Paj<e 5) "Balunitis"â€" Not A Disease, Butâ€"Read On Contract, blanks for removal of ashes and refuse from homes and places of business, by the village, are bow ready at the Village hall, accord- ing to Village Manager Schultz, and householders who desire »this reason- able and efficient service, are asked. to renew the contracts before De- cember 31, the date of expiration of the 1921 contracts. This service is utilized by a majority of the householders and business places and is found to be generally more satisfactory than the method of securing private service, according to those who have used both. • BRAVE THE STORM Foreman White of the Village Street department, and three other stalwarts braved the severe storm last Friday night to remove a tree which had been felled by the wind, and blocked traffic on Sheridan road. One motorist found the tree a stumbling block. The workers soon cleared away the blockade. dayligTit~b1jrglary Burglars Tuesday afternoon entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Southworth at 165 Hinman avenue, Evanston, and obtained $700 in jewel- ry. The Southworths formerly lived in Wilmette. _-__J------- By Terpsichore___________ Come all ye residents of the village, dance and make merry, at the Christ- mas party of the Community Danc- ing class, Tuesday evening, December 27, at the ByrOn C. Stolp school. Tenth street and Central avenue. Class lesson from 7:45 to 8:30, when the fun and dancing of the evening will begin. There will he favors for the ladies and favors for the gentle- men and plenty of refreshments for all. An added feature will be a new j game that will have its initial appear- j ance, to be introduced by Vice Chair- man Pruden, called "BALUNITIS." ! This in itself will be well worth the price of admission, but we are assured there will he no extra charge for the entire evening's entertainment. Miss Jeart Richardson will lead the class in their lesson while George Arns orchestra will furnish the music for the evening. A special invitation is extended to the young people who Wilmette churches are preparing for throngs of wo/shippers on Christ- mas Day. In every church in the village plans have been announced for special serv- ices of song and devotion particularly appropriate to the Vulettde season. In Sunday schools and church serv- ices the spirit of Christmas will pre- vail, special programs of music have been arranged and the sermons will touch upon the significance of the day.___ '* . In all the churches, also, there are 'to be other special Christmas pro- grams on the days immediately pre- yed ing"_TTd^during^Crrristmas^weelcr The Church Page, in another section of this issue, gives the complete Christmas programs in the various churches^______ â- " â- MERRY CHRISTMAS INDEED, SAYS COMMISSIONER MOORE No reason why the people of Wil- mette should not have a merry Christ- mas. Health, philosophers through all the ages have informed us, is the most highly prized possession in the gift of humankind and, Wilmette sure is healthy. Not a report of serious contagion in the Village since November 20, says Health Commissioner E. E. Moore, who looks after the health of the village in general, and in the pub- lic schools. The epidemic of scarlet fever, preva- lent in the extreme west of the vil- lage and in Gross Point, has been "cleaned up," according to Commis- sioner Moore, and it appears like the Christmas carollers will not have to tne young pe.opie wno many ca„s to rnake fo ide Chrjst. have returned home for the holiday -njas cheer for «sjlut_jns>» season. The committee also wouldf Here's for a merry, healthy Christ- j like to have all residents of the vil- | mas j ! lage who have friends visiting them reserve Tuesday evening, the 27th, for ! the community dance and make this I the largest gathering that the Old [-School House has ever had in our j,village, either winter or summer. j ^Please remember the admission fee ' is so small for the entire evening's entertainment that we hate to men- itno it. NUF SED. CLEAN UJ» THE ATTIC What is a white elephant to you may be the exact thing that some- one is wishing to buy second hand. Sell It To Their. through the classified columns of your local newspaper. : READ THE CLASSIFIED ADS- someone's "white elephant" may 'be just what yon wamV CHRISTMAS CHEER The human touch, Christmas cheer, the spirit of Fellowship, call it what you may, our Village trustees have that. Tuesday evening they voted every Village employe a nice Christ- mas gift represented in a crisp ten dollar note. .Also, the Village hall is all decorated with holly wreaths, and mistletoe in the police depart- ment. Girls, form a Hmrat the rig INJURED IN EXPLOSION C. P. Dubbs, 1221 Greenwood avfe* nue, was injured* recently in an ac- cident at Alton, Illinois, when an oil still of the Roxana refinery exploded, killing one man and seriously injur- ing several others. Mr. Dubbs was able to return to' Wilmette shortly after the explosion, which occurred during a test, it is said. There are those in Wilmette who, as Christmas approaches, are actually in need. . â€" 11 lie in ploy men t, sickness and kind- red unfortunate circumstances have left in thejr wake the customary hard- ship and privation, and Wilmette's Social Service worker, Mrs. Lillian 1). Northam, and the Visiting Nurse, Mrs. Emma Stopka, are receiving an increasingly large number of calls for aid. "Right now," says Mrs. Nortluun, "1 have great need for a boy's mack- inaw, size 16; a coat for a woman, size 38; boys' shoes for 12 year olds; an adult's bed, with springs, mattress and warm bedding. The Philan- thropy department of the Woman's club has placed in my hands two beautiful comforters, but there is still need for many other things for those who are in want. Appeals For Aid "I would like to ask the people of Wilmette to clear out everything they have that is not needed in their homes," she says, "and to give the things to Economy Shop. No one, not associated with the work, has any conception of the enormous good done by this wonderful agency. Not only the needy but many who', wish- ing to make a somewhat meager in- come stretch to its utmost, go there to buy. Give, give until it hurts and know what it means to be really happy. I would not need to ask to have things sent to me if Economjr Shop could only be kept supplied, for 1 can go thexe, and help.myself wit.h the things that are needed by the destitute. "Wilmette is giving, and giving generously," Mrs. Northam assures. "Never in the six years of my work in Wilmette has the giving been so spontaneous. Churches have called mo. People from all parts of the village have called to ask for some family that they might help. With the co-operation of the visiting nurse, Mrs. Emma Stopka, I have arranged for eighteen Christmas baskets, toys, etc. One man called to tell me he. had $50 .to give to some worthy family/ One class of little boys and girls in 4he^-Congregational churchâ€"school are not only giving a Christmas bas- ket to one of Wilmette's invalid "shut- ins," but they have determined, also, to meet at her home and sing Christ- mas carols. She, in her joy, when told of the proposed visit, expressed the wish to have her house scrubbed and cleaned for the event. Arrange Theater Party "I often feel that the reason for much of the poverty is lack of recre- ation. These people work, go home to bed and get up with the same old thoughts and dreary frame .of mind. The very thought of the drudgery keeps ^hem down and in almost constant despair. If they could only have°a little pleasure once in a while it would be different. I have approached the Logan School Parent-Teacher association with this problem with the result that a Christ- mas theater party has been arranged, and the Village theater has opened its doors to admit, without cost, as many of these unfortunates as <can be acommodajted within the audi- torium. "Of primary importance," says Mrs. Northam, "is the right kind of giving and the right' kind of aid. Giving without knowledge of the require- ments orf a family or individual may hinder rather than assist. The logical plan, she emphasizes, is to give through the recognized and author- ized charitable organizations which, in Wilmette, are ^represented in Economy Shop and the Board of Local charities. ~ ,. FAY VEHICLE TAXES Illiiette-Vrnage Vehicle taxes "are due and payable on January 1, 1922, according to an announcement made atJ Village hall this week. The date of payment has been set for January 1 instead of March 1, the time of payment in former -years, so that the village vehicle-tax paying time will conform with the date of payment of the state vehicle taxes. Payment is to be made at the Vil- lage offices.