L.T. - SUMOCQ. F riday , DRCRMRER fc5. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Christmas news tonight is tranquil and peaceful In this country of ours the merriment of Christmas cam be judged by the report from the airlines — a report that tells of a rush of Christmas presents by air. All planes available were in service, and the heaps of presents were so big that they tore the seats out of passenger planes to make place for last minute Christmas cargo. Yesterday, our Christmas Eve tidings from abroad had a tone of worry and anxiety Instead of gladness -- th< old Vvorld rocking wit*, menace. But tonight even China with Its fantastic troubles and perplexities, gives us news in the Christmas spirit. CHINA This was a day of gladness in far off china, eelebrations in Shanghai, Hanohow and Nanking. a Merry Christmas indeed - although the slant-eyed celestials were not commemorating the Christian festival aspect of the day. There are Chinese Christians, of course, but the jubilation of the teeming millions did not concern the Star of Bethlehem, it didn’t even have anything to do with Confucius. It concerned_ Generailssimo Chaing-KaI-Shek. f ) For the head of the Chinese Central Government has been I released, set free by his captor, the rebellious Marshal Chang. Nanking announced today that the Generalissimo had left Marshal Chang’s headquarters at Sian and flown by airplane to Loyang — liberated, Ha is accompanied by his attractive Americanized wife. 1 She it was who had flown to Marshal Chang's headquarters of revolt - to plead for her husband. Strangest of all — we are told that Oeneral and Mrs. Cbaing-Kai-Shek are accompanied by the revolting Marshal Chang. All three will fly from L6yang to the government center at Nanking. g. The Marshal, 1*0 staged the revolt and seized government, is giving himself up to face the music the head of the CHIIU - 2 in yanking. It's one of those weird Chinese reversals, quite inoomprehensible on this side of the Paoiflo.^| The news up to this present moment does not maice clear ^ust how all this came about. The story is brief and fragmentary, saying that Marshal Cheiig has yielded unconditionally__ no oan- oessions to him. Although — that hardly seems probable. There must be some kind of settlement. Maybe all this oooes about because or Generalissimo's wife inducing the Marshal to free her husband and oome to terms: - Victory of a wife 's devotion, vr, maybe It was the mass mobiliza­ tion of ijanking troops ready for the attack. j.hey were about to start the storm of battle, the zero hour was at hand — when the Ma rshall released th e G© neralissimo* S o, for an ex plant, tion, take your pick — a wife's devotion, or a couple of hundred thousand bayonets. anyway, the last word tonight is that the incredible Chinese episode has oorae to a still more inoredible oonolusion. iieleased prisoner Chiang-K.ai-SheJc, his wij.e and rebellious Marshal Chang who seized him - all three on their way to .anhine. xhe CHlIlA - 2 news is that the CJ-eneralissimo has ^niaranteed his kidnappers safety in some way. And that’s likely. Also rumors and contradictions about ransom jsURGFE Today was uneveutful in the perilous European situation. The supposition that Hitler night choose Christmas to start something turned out to he unfounded, no word from Hitler in his Bavarian retreat. All quiet, but Just as nervous as ever I With France and Oreat Britain determined to Keep Hitler from intervening powerfully in Spain, we hear that jjondon has wooed and won -- Rome. There^ plenty of authoritative dope today to tell us that Mussolini has stepped to the side of his old antagonist, FOreigpi secretary .Anthony Eden. It is explained that the Duoe has no desire to see Hitler klok the international fat into the fire. Rome doesn't want any trouble. Rom© also doesn't want to see o-ermany get a powerful position in Spain and. the Mediterranean. The word is that Ambassador Biuo Grandi in tendon informed Foreign Secretary Eden that if there's trouble with Germany — It will not disturb the agreement whioh Italy has been negotia­ ting With Great Britain. That all-around understanding in whioh London and Rome are washing up the last remains of the Ethiopian M,, SUKOi^ - 2 dispute — forgive and forget. un tho other haJid there's a bit of inside dope which says that London is worried by the thought that if Mussolini should deoide to play a strong Fascist hand in ypain — nothing oould be done about it. If the Duoe should join in witn the Hitler- Spanish policy -- it would be too uncomfortable to contemplate. So the Christmas news finds the Koman dictator occupying a central position, with a balance of power, his favor courted by London and Paris on one hand, and by merlin on the other. That's what's known as a strategic advantage. The Spanish news tonight sounds familiar. At least, one word of it does — bombardment. But this time it's not only the bombardment of Madrid,—a terrific artillery blast — but also a bombing of Burgos — the rebel headquarters. And there's another novelty — the nationality of the air raiders - Amerloans. The Left ling government retaliating for a Christmas sve sky bombing of nadrid, sent a squadron of war planes to strike at iranoo's home town of hurgos. And prominent among ihe attacking aviators was: - the Yankee squadron, fhafs what they oall the groups - 3 group of American fliers serving on the Madrid side. And who was leading that raid.'* TThy none other than our old friend__ Bert Acosta. Yes, that gay, and dashing and irrep re Bible Bert who was chief pilot on the Byrd flight across the Atlantic and who is a veteran of as much dare-devil flying as any other man in the world. Bert Acosta in Spain doesn't sound astonishing. He’s of an old Spanish family of California. I don't know ^ust why Bert is flying for the Left wingers. I've never heard him discuss his political opinions — never observed them to be Socialist or communist, or anarohosyndicalist — or anything red. But all you'd have to say to i ert would be there's flying to be done, there’s money on the line, and you'd see that familiar sight of aviation — Bert Acosta at anybody's oo Urals, i^nd which ever way that war goes, i hope they don't shoot nert down ENGLAND --- This Christmas in England the subject of royalty is of especial interest. The royal romance having resulted in a constitutional crisis, the succession to the crown came much to the foreground. So lt*s timely for Britain to receive a Christmas present in the form of possible royal heir, sixth In line to the throne, A daughter -- to the Duke of Kent and his Duchess, the former Princess Marina ot Greece, It's the second child, their eldest being a little boy. Prince Edward, In attendance at Kent House was Sir John Simon, Home Secretary, His presence was because of an old law that a minis- ter of the crown shall be on duty to prevent the intrusion of a possible foundling. So Sir John Simon was there, just as one of the ministers - and not as Home secretary, although that would have been appropriate KING- The ^uke of v/indgor oeletorated Christmas today - now how do^ you think; hold every thing i By officiating in the pulpiti The pulpit is a favorite plaoe for the iirohhishops of Canterbury and York, the vantage point from which they preach some of their fine flowers of morality about the conduct or kings. Maybe his ex-najesty was showing his aroh-npiscopal critics that he too knows what a pulpit is for, having just ceased to be head of the Chur oh of hngla nd . The former monarch made his church appearance in the stately city of Vienna. The Kothchild castle, where his is living, is not far away, yo the Duke drove to the English church in Viennna. He didn't preach a sermon, didn't attempt any lofty heights of ecclesiastical eloquence* He merely read the day's lesson xrom the Scripture. The news dispatch relates that he was ill at ease at first and fiddled nervously with his necktie, which is as he has been doing ior the last twenty-five years, xhen he recovered assuredly it was appropriate for uhristmas.. iiaybe the his equanimity and read the Christmas text i can't quote it, but Monarch read the Scriptural passage about* hov there was no ^OGm for them at "Che inn. MasMd; Ui£aiffi5fa£ V '• — KING!- - 2 Edward’s attendance at ohuroh today seems to dispute the conjecture that he might quit the ohuroh of England heoause of tne attacks hy the iroh-tishops. POPE ‘here were alarming rumors about the condition of pope Pius — after the exertion of his radio broadcast yesterday* A disturbed night — heart stimulants administered* But today came a reassuring announcement from the Vatican. The pontiff seemed betteiy£&&£9} and spent a happy Christmas. His physicians Ito still anxious, but at any rate they have no bad news to give* brisbank 111 any broadcast or the news an expression frequently Use4 in a different sense. Today — with another meaning. This morning I plolced up the new iork imerloan, aJid glanced at that familiar headline on the column oallefi — TODAY, oo familiar in nearly all the Hearst newspapers, — and elsewhere,_Arthur Briaba ne 'a oolumn, 1 read the first paragraph, a Christmas sentiment oharaeter- istio of Brisbane the optimist: - "Another Christmas has oome", it reads,''a birthday that means kindness and hope for many millions of human beings.' Yes, hope for millions — but this Christmas meant more than mere human earthly hope for Arthur .Brisbane» A fow hours later oarae the flash — "Brisbane had died". And iOday came to an end legendary figure of American journalism expired in his hew ^ork today — at any rate so far as its creator is concerned. xhe almost apartment, in a lofty sky--soraper far above fianiiattan island whose glories he had so oft extolled. In another paragraph of Brisbane s u hristmas column, his last oolumn, x read --"Happy is he who today oan bring smiles to the faoea or children and to the faces ol of care-worn mothers. BRISBANE - 2 24 wt^this Christmas Arthur Brisbane brings, not smiles - but sadness. An irony, perhaps. He lived a great iin life. His father was a famous figure of his time, one of the earliest pioheers of Socialism in the United States. His son inherited a concern for human welfare. He earns to prominence in the fabulous newspaper days of Joseph Pulitzer, when editors battled mightily for causes. He was one of Pulitzer's brilliant young stalwarts. Then William Randolph Hearst made his own slashing entrance into American journalism. Opposing Pulitzer he took from his rival a whole staff of able men headed by Arthur Brisbane, As editor of the New York Evening Journal Brisbane rose to great fortune* His salary was reputed to be a quarter of a million a year, on top of which he made a fortune in real estate investments. Becoming the author of the immensely successful column TODAY, he ranked as the Dean and most successful of American journalises I recall him well, saw him often at public affairs ^kfes-national conventions and such. He wsi always sa^ in the press section^ in among the other newspapermen, his typewriter BRISBANE - 3 front of him, and he pecked away as industriouely as the moat hard-working of the young reporters. It seemed to be a point of pride with him, at the height of career and success to play the part of simply the reporter, the working newspaperman. Now, for Arthur Brisbane — this earthly today has become that other tomorro_w. FISH Suppose that tor years your great ambition was to catch a sailfish, and suppose you landed one on Christmas? That would seem like a merry Christmas all, right — although it might not be so entirely merry, as C, r , Gutemuth of the Indiana Game Commission can tell you. With his wife and another man he was fishing off the got coast of Florida and jgxactfjt a magnificent strike --a sailfish, one of the fightingest of its kind. After a he landed thwiiMrttesaaa Just at that moment of triumph a sudden storm A hit, A huge wave swept over the boat, and all three of the fishing party were swept into the sea. The boat drifted away jle before the wUid, andAthey were left struggling in the storm- swept ocean. It didn't seem like such a merry Christmas just then -- as they fought to kwajai keep afloat, boat came along and picked them up. At last reports tney were trying to locate their drifting fishing craft, in it the sailfish the ambition of years. 0'IKCITS A few days ago the news oerrlea su apt lt.em of romanoe __ not the courtship, but the marriage of Miles Standish. the old time Miles had a friend to do his courting, ana the result was that Miles never married rrisoilla. ahe saying to the friend - "fffcy donlt y°u speak for yourself John-, ..he present day des­ cendant of that bashful soldier of old did his own oourting, spoke for himself, not only for the girl, but also to the at ate lyepsrtment in v/ashirgfcon. Diplomatic xiepresentative Miles otandish is an American consular official in nurope * Having spoken to the girl and heaidher murmur TTYes,r — he was up against the fact that she was a foreign oitizen. remembering that recent State Depart­ ment rulingy The one forbidding an American diplomat to marry a foreign woman without express permission from Washington! //ell, there was the modern and anything but bashful Miles in love with a girl and up against a stone wall, i/hat did he dor ^end tor some tTohn Aldenv NQi He wrote to the state Department, told them about his engagement, and handed in his abdication royal for resignation, ne said the diplomatic burden is too great with­ out the woman j. love. Washington responded by sending back the resignation and giving permission. oIRCtrS - 2 That lilies ^tandish story soundea exceedingly pat and pointed. i,ut how about hia one — today s romance? j.*rom Oklahonui we hear of the wedding of narnum and Bailey. Karl Bamum and Inez Bailey, iind that's no mere accident of names. Bridegroom ana bride are or the families of those two renowned circus kings who established x>arnun ana Bailey's. The greatest show on earth, x^arl narnum is a grandson of a nephew of phineas T. Barmun. Inez Bailey is a grand-daughter of a nephew of ^ames A. Bailey. Appropriately enough the couple first met in the box- offioe-wagon of dhe oircus. In the course oi time kr. Barnum said to jiiss Bailey, "'/ill you be mine". And tonight we can reflect that the wedding of Barnum end Bailey is as appropriate as Santa ulaus on Christmas. And now I think I’ll Ringling off, and 30 hOIJq UHTIIi MONDAY