lutir- m - Dli.C^Bi^R £ 5 . 19 :^. Good afternoon. Folks: Even if these are trying times the news from all over the world, is full of Christmas cheer. Let’s start our news summary with that little town in far off Palestine — Bethlehem. Well there it’s the same story this year as every year, throngs of pilgrims gathered at the cradle of Christianity. The N.Y.Herald Tribune tells us that last night the sky was bright over the Judean hills, bright with brilliant starlight, just as it ' s that n.'g..t, nineteen centuries ago, when the Savior was bom. Last night above the Church of the Nativity blazed a cross, a flame of electric lights in the darkness. \tidni ht mass was celebrated according to both the Greek and Roman Rites, and the crowded congregation broke into loud hosannas and halleluiahs * Nearby at the field oi the Shepherds a party of Americans of various denominations from Jerusalem, gathered around an open air fire anc sang carols, IKTRO - 2 At Home Pope Pius the eleventh spoke a message to the world over the radio. He declared a Holy Year for Roman Catholics everywhere. The year beginning with Palm Sunday, April End, 1938, will be a jubilee year dedicated to the celebration of the Nineteenth Centenary of the crucifixation and resurrection. The Pope expresses the desire that during that period the world shall stop devoting so much attention to conflict and antagonisms, and devote itself jso high spirituality, the fraternity of men and other good thoughts. yOri-UU They are celebrating a Merry Christmas down amid the immense plains and forests of South America, that is, in the Gran Chaco, xhsjc That isol" ted region where bitter fighting has been going on between the armies of Bolivia and Paraguay. There has really been a savage war down there, although no war has been declared. But today all was peace. At the urging of the Pope the hostile forces arranged a Christmas truce. today the •srevw sound of guns ana the shouts of battle were still while the fighting men celebrated the Feast of the Nativity. At Moweagua Illinois^ the folks spent an anxious hard-working Christmas day. There v,as a mine disaster on Christmas eve, and at last report© crews of rescuers were trying to dig xx their way to fifty-two miners who were buried by a slide of rock, in a Codil mine, 'she imprisoned miners are 625 feet below the surface. The rescuers have been fighting desperately. They ran into suffocating mine gas and had to go back. Air pumps cleared the shaft, and once more they started forward. At last reports ±hx± they were still digging. xgs hp ul.t***" t they succeed in saving the imprisoned, men. Ano then tn.ere*s a pathetic, tragical story from the xus outskirts of new fork. Two boys left home with packages of food sent by their parents to the Uhurch of the Good Shepherd. The food was to be given to the poor for Christmas dinners. After they had done their errand the boys went sliding on weakened ice. the ice broke and they were left struggling in the bitterly cold water. They tried to cling to the edge of the ice. tried to re' ch them. >=he threw a ladder on the ice and tried to crawl out,byxi but the ice gave wray and she had to go back. Fred Ward, and John Myers, whose father-in-law saw the boys, both jumped into the water and tried to crash their ■yvoy through the ice. Myers became exhausted and Ward pulled him ashore. They had to take Ward to the hospital. Louis Zucker, a park worker, started across the ice. It cracked and he was barely able to get back to shore. Harry Allen, a member of the laeht Club, tried to reach them from An Indian woman named Princess Maomi, who A Indian museum, saw them. She phoned for help and another side and he nearly lost his lit e oy now acroY/d had gathered, a crowd of men eager l tor the re. cue. Ambulances from hospitals came up. A policemen went across the Ice to the boys, jumped in, and held them up. Men In a boat started pushing forward, breaking their way * through the i@ with the oars. ihey could only advance foot by foot, i'he policeman, Louis Ettlinger, was becoming numb with the cold. He could hold on no longer. Just as the rescue boat approached he lost his hold. The men in the boat jczxfefei grabbed one of the boys. They threv/ a rope to the policeman but his hands Y^ere too cold, and he could not grasp it. They had to wind a rope around him to get him aboard. The other boy. Red MCQuire, sank and siannEXEEd disappeared. There was more heroism packed in those long. dragging minutes than in any story 1 have seen in a long time. r> REINDEER SINCE EVERY CHRISTAS TIME / HAVE BEEN ON THE AtR !*VE TOLD SOIL TH t NG ABOUT THE GREAT WR^ff'oF THE RE 110 EER ACROSS A THE ARCTIC '. va STES OFNORTHERN CANADA, THAT TREMENDOUS JOURNEY HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS, THE HERDS OF GAME HAVE B EE n J d ECR EASI NG ALOIG THE SHORE OF THE POLAR SEA, TO THE WEST OF HUDSON BAY, AND THE ESKIMO HUNTERS ARE IN DANGER OF STAR VI (C AsjrHEIR FOOD SUPPLY HAS BEEN SLOWLY 01 MlNUISHING, THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IS TRYINGTO HELP THEM, AND THEY THOUGHT OF THE FAMILIAR OLD REINDEER, SANTA CLAUSES CHIEF HELPER, WELL, THE REINDEER HAS ALREADY I MM!GRATED TO AMERICA, YEARS AGO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IMPORTED A HERD TO WESTERN ALASKA WHERE THEY PROCEEDED TO MULTIPLY RAPIDLY, THE ALASKAN REINDEER MAGNATES ARE THE LOMEN BROTHERS, WHO Wt HERDS OWN VAST MXXH8 OF THE ANIMAL, K AN D SO WHEN THE CANADIAN AUTHORITIES DECIDED TO BRINS REIMS EER TO THE ESKIMOS WEST OF HUDSON BAY THEY NATURALLY APPLIED TOCARL LOMEN, THE REINJEER KINO, AND SO IT WAS ARRANSED * TO SEND A HERD OF .REINDEER FROM W ESTERN ALASKA ALONG THE SHORE OF THE ARCTIC NXX OCEAN -- A T HUS AND MILE TRIP, AND YOU, TH A T1S A MIG HTY) Mid TY STIFF JOURNEY, TO CROSS UNKNO REINDEER — 2 LANDS, S&M F THL BLEAKEST and MOST KiSXSKSBXMSS FORBIDDING STRETCHES OF TERRAIN IN THE WHOLE WORLD, THEY KNEW THE REIND EER DR I YE WOULD TAKE YEARS, BUTTHE ESKIMOS HAD TO BE FED, AXKXXH3KKK I A VETERAN jtRET ND EER DRIVER, A LAPLANDER FROM THE CHARGE HOME OF SANTA CLAUSES GOOD FRIEND, TOOK GSISGe OF THE DRIVE, 'X ON EACH SUCCEEDING CHRISTMAS WE HAVE FOUND THEM FURTHER ALONG, THEY HAVE BEEN D RI V tt€ MONTH AFTER MONTH, EXCEPT IN SPRINGTIME, WHEN THE RE 110 EER CALVES ARE BORN, THE HERD HAS MULT I PL S EDjREMARK ABL Y, AND THE WORD THIS CHRISTMAS IS THAT THEY ARE NEAR IIG THEIR GOAL, THE OLD LAP LANDERHAS FACED STORM AND BLIZZARD, ONCE HE AND HIS HELPERS WERE ONLY SAVED FROM STAR VAT I ON WHEN AN AIRPLANE BROUGHT FOOD TO THEM, AND THERE WAS MUTINY WHEN THE HAR DHSI PS BECAME ALMOST UNENDURABLE, BUT XMKXm* THE WORD DRIFTS IN FROM THE WfLDS QFJNORTHERN CANADA THAT THE HERD IS AT LAST NEARING ITS DESTINATION, WHICH MUST MAKE IT A MIGHTY MERRY CHRISTMAS FDR THE REINDEER DRIVERS UP THERE SOMEWHERE NEAR THE NORTH POLE, ■■■ hdtJLK* INTRO TO WILKIES '.I l ^ u.0 '. t ^. r^.nriT^as, r: mi i ci'ggg ^tlTO pi a b o \ii. 1 / JL U i.i a m.^-k totj ■ J. l F5^ r'-'^'il IJJ1 1 ^1! ; i i~ n~) rl rinnf.n 1 1 i in ill 1 f~, I SU'OpOSe the A 1 1 .M_hTi-iv ! 11 m-vn 1-'^ . _,m u Ls-^e ul! n1rl foremost living authority on the polar regions, both Arctic and Antarctic, is that eminent polar explorer. Sir Hubert Wilkins. Sir Hubert has traversed the polar regions in wooden ships, with dog teams, on foot, by airplane, and by submarine, - 2 »<X-Yvfc<x. CJ2eiAA^t -- <3r*vC^ ( ; I Many folks are wondering what he!r*# up to next. Well, the ambition of his life is to solve the weather problems of the world, and he believes this can best be done by establishing meteorological stations, outposts ior studying the weather, in the realm of the North Pole and' the regions around the Routh Pole. His last journey, of course, was a spectacular expedition he made to the north In his little submarine The Nautilus. Scientists say that It was a great success, ft was the ±Irst time a submarine had ever plunged beneath the polar ice. Sir Hubert learned many things on that expedition, and now, profiting I by the experiences of journeying north in the only submarine i V Ajv INTRO - 2 lie could get at the time, he is aem arranging to build a special undersea boat that will be aole to travel easily beneatn the icepackj^fc^k drifts across the Arctic Seas around the «i7»w4g, Pole. But while he is working on that ambitious plan, he is generously helping two friends who are also Arctic explorers, a quiet, inconspicuous part in the Ellsworth T) Trans-Antarctic Flight Expedition. E'hose two modest end pi?i explorers, Lincoln Ellsworth and Bernt Balchen, are getting ready to fly across the Antarctic continent, exploring regions that are still unknown. Bir Hubert Wilkins is iww assisting them and preparing to go south on what will be his fifth participation in an Antarctic expedition. Well, Bir Hubert, the man who has spent so much of his life amid the ice of the polar regions, is helping me_ celebrate Christmas. In a few minutes we are going around the comer to see if we can find some turkey. But beioi & we do that. Sir Hubert, would you mind telling us about some Christmas experience you've had? a ‘wu ■ INTRO - 2 RETAKE lis could get at the time, he is now arranging to build a special undersea boat that will be aole to travel easily beneatn the icedrifts across the Arctic Seas around the Pole. But vdiile he Is working on that ambitious plan, he Is generously helping two friends who are also Arctic explorers ^ He is a quiet, incorispictious part in the Alls worth Trans-Antarctic Flight Expedition. Those two modest gr-pootrlfeaHg* explorers, Lincoln Ellsworth and Bernt Balchen, are getting ready to fly across the Antarctic continent, exploring regions that are still unknown. &±r Hubert Wilkins is assisting them and preparing to go south on what will be his fifth participation in an Antarctic expedition, Well, Llr Hubert, the man who has spent so much of his life amid the ice of tie polar regions, is helping me celebrate Christmas. In a few minutes we are going around the corner to see if we can find some turkey. But beiore we do that. Sir Hubert, would you mind telling us about some Christmas T-m'A X UX ix XXX XXXXX tX'>" X1? uxx K X t X Full Ci.PTAlH TiT>»i. .1 i, ;- - - ^ P. r^y ri- n-j-|n. &-1 ■'X Ol’—;;ej±==jM6±ate=aTa I i^tv'h; w-T n it'.'ij.!...r 1 . 1 —I. L.^irT-,] 11 nJ-U., UA 1 '~' Tl Hi^ jr'i ii^'Ti,Lua "iTgi, j.i'ir< n 1 ro-ijrri ..tru* ,'rir i.ui-j-.-jj rif Mag jm I Sssfc^there is one Christmas I certainly v.ill never forget. In fact the most adventure that was ever packed in any one day of my whole life befell me on Christmas day twenty years ago. Two other chaps and I accepted the job of representing Santa Claus, not on the ground, but in a balloon, over London, we inflated the balloon beside a gas tank. Then we climbed into ± h the basket,- and up we went. ~ cold, strong wind was blowing, and as we swung upward the wind, bumped our basKet against a high steel structure and almost spilled us oub. \ C^^sjr\ cJhzspsi./] The plot of the piece was, that one. of us^representing Santa, with his heavy load of candies and toys, was ro jump come down with a parachute, from the clouds. The idea was to CAPTAIN W. - £ ky f land .in Hyde Park, '.iell , our balloon went ue and up to an altitude 01 five thousand feet. Vve rose right through the clouds. But the clouds were broken and we could tell where the park was. So suddenly, over the park Santa, with his pack and his parachute > j uraped. Our balloon, relieved of all that weight, shot upward, the basket swung violently. We grabbed the cord A. to release gas so we would come down. But the cord fouled on a A laniard, and we were unable to let out any gas. So up and up we shot to an altitude of sixteen thousand feet. On Christmas day it is mighty cold at sixteen-thousand feet. We were almost frozen to death. At that altitude we drifted across England^to the sea, then back to land again. All we could do was wait for the gas to escape slowly. Miere was no. other way for us to get down. he stayed up all day, and finally, during the night we came down and hit the ground vith a bump. Over fields and across hedges that gas bag dragged us. Our basket caught in trees and ditches. Finally, our clothes torn to ribbons, our CfiPTAI^ \ . * - S bodies scratched and bleeding from head to foot. we managed to anchor the balloon. that had happened to Santa Claus? .the chap who had jumped out a mile in the air, over London, with the cand7 in. , and toys on his back? he landed in London, But because of the A -- cTVY high wind and his awkward load, he landeo j.nEiTTk isa his headl He was carried to a hospital. But the children of London got their presents. —o— Well, Sir Hubert, that sure was a hair raiser. and....by the way... cheer in our hearts more than material vr^n 1 th. oir pa&s i-- 1.~i n i points out that when you get down to rock bottom, you don11 have to have so very much to live and be happy. ’"'Most of us eat too much, n he says. "A man* s clothes need not cost an awful lot. An old pair of cants and a shirt open at the neck may be an excellent costume for a fellow who wears a laugh hh in his eyes. ltf s a queer thing that some men and women have actually made themselves poor in order to find hapciness. One of them was a young man named Francis, son of a rich merchant, ug had been a gay spark, a dandy, proud of his fine clothe s. Then one day he took off these things and exchanged them for a beggar's rags. Of course everybody thought he was mad. But he went around among the poor and sick and was always merry. ue had a good voice, and he was always singing. \jll- xo _ 9 H.e had a great; gift of laughter and laughed most of all when there was very little food in his stomach and when he had to sleep on the bare earth, he was never cold because of some inner fire of love. He was an Italian from a town called Assis*i.« Well, that does provide a thought. For most of us, Christmas is the day when trifles make us happy. There is more joy on Christmas in the gift of a necktie or a half dozen handkerchiefs than things much more substantial on another day. Maybe this Christmas spirit is something like the happiness that glowed in St. Francis of Assisi, who found the greatest cheer and joy in the smallest of possessions. ^ 1 nugvj-at„ In these eastern American States the weather has scarcely been Christmas-like.— warm ancf balmy, with the snow melting \ rapidly, President Hoover is on a fishing trip. 'iSae^told him the fish 'eP|(f^bit&i!*s like tigers, but somebody must have made a mistake* They wfrrehfH; bit£j*it at all. So,instead of a fish A ■ course for his Christmas dinner, the President had an oyster fry. j/W" —t./. t) l]4ci- Ana even in Russia Christmas was celebrated _ not officially^ of course. 1 'he Soviet government is opposed to all religious festivals and the atheistic Communists have been conducting xst a special campaign against Christmas. Santa Claus was banished from the country as a counter-revolutionary. Just the same, plenty of people, specially t&s Americans, celebrated ^ietide today with the old familiar spirit. And then there’s another odd development that’s quite in keeping with Christmas, fI'he New York Herald- Tribune today print a story that the widow of Lenin has come out in favor of fairy tales. Such matters as Jaek and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella have hitherto been considered much too frivolous for the serious-minds of Soviet children. All these charming and imaginative matters have been banished irom the scheme of Communist education. But now a few doubts seem to have crept into the solemn souls oi the Bolshevists. Ana Lenin* s widow has come out with a deiense 01 fairy tc^les.^^ii^^ is the Assistant Commissar of Public Education, which gives her a voice of authority and, more than that, she is the widow 2— of the man who founded. Bolshevism, and who is worshipped almost as a saint in the Soviet Republic. She declares that the little ones in Russia have been getting too much serious dry-dust stuff about tractors and electrification and five-year .'STcS i I plans and Communization. 'Macfc^they are bored stiff. She declares 1 it is time to go back to older methods of instructing children. She thinks that what the youngsters need and what they certainly would enjoy is something with a touch of fancy — like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Well, you never can tell. After the Communist wizards have accepted Goldilocks and the Thee Bears they ■sfrfrfct may, have to admit Santa Claus A *• - . I 1