AT THE INSTITUTIONS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16404, 26 December 1918, Page 10

AT THE INSTITUTIONS.

As usual, a special feature was made of Christmas at the Salvation Army Resctie Homo, St. Saviour's Orphanage, Jubilee Home, and Iho many othor institutions in and about the city. Spccial attention was, of course, paid to - tho dinner and tea, and at those- institutions in which children were housed, to the afternoon's games, while at practically all of them there were Christmas gift« in plenty. Owing to the general disorganisation following the recent epidemic, the* festivities at the Christchurch Hospital were not nearly on eo extensive and elaborate a ecale as usual, but still no pains wero spared to make the ' patients forget • their suffering, and to make i their Christmas as cheerful as possible.' To I the casual visitor the various wards.yesterday looked Qe far removed from a place of suffering as could be imagined. One an*J all were prettily decorated with blooips of all descriptions, there was a emile on the face of every patient, the ever-cheerful nurses looked perhapa more cheerful tljan ever, and on every side there was evidence that'the true spirit of Christmas was making its presence felt. • The children's and babies' wards looked particularly well. With their blue tiles and their prettily-quilted cots, theso wards 1 at any time emack more of the mtreery than | the hospital, and yesterday they wore, thoir ' gayest and most homely look. The babies, all smiles and bows, entered into the spirit of the day as only children can, and all day long their ward resounded with delighted laughter and blowine of trumpets. Each had its own little collection of toys, its bag o£ eweets and fruit, and only a bandage hero , or an arm in' a sling there brought home to the visitor that all these haopy little ones wero also little sufferers. There were not many inmates of the soldiers' ward, but eacli looked -leeply contented, and was no doubt ! comparing- this Christmas with the same day a year ago, when, instead of lying in a I cheerful ward, with smiling nurses around him, and every conceivable dainty within reach, ho was thousands of milc3 from home ; in momentary peril of liU life. A couple of enormous cake?, elaborately iced and dcco r ' rated, showc-J in themselves that the- "returned heroes had not been forgotten. As usual, tho lady superintendent. Miss Muir, entertained the members of the nursing staff at dinner, and incidentally the patient* dinner, in which all who werq euficiently well to get up took part, formed a very important part of the' Hospital Christmas. The festival was celebrated at Mount Mag•Jala by midnight Mass. and the inmate* wtre entertained during the day by the J'ev. Mnlher and c3:n nuinity. His Lordship Bishop Brodie paid a visit to the institutou' during the aft wr or. Midnight was ceU-'jrrtcd ! .~ the Rev*. .Father Graham 'si Nazareth Hons?, and throughout the <lav tLi inmstrc >vcrc tre.-tarl . to tho usnnl Christmis cheer b/ the K«v. Mather and community. His Lordship Bishop Brodie- addressed the inmates in the afternoon, and pronounced the bemwiictidn.