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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 1914)
WHJB!t AW AT FROM HOHH Tho Dee is The Paper r as fori if fo pii t be tssans wore than a raw says, eve The In saailea u yea. The Omaha UTTV JL BTTATTX THE WI1THEH JCV JLV Snow VOL. XUV-XO. Ki4. OMAHA, SATl'UPAY MOKXlXtt, PKCKMIIKK 'M, 1PI4. On Trains and at otsl Hswe Stands, B SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS. MUNICIPAL TREE LIGHTS UP MANY A CHILD'S HEART More Than Thousand Youngsters Axe Presented with Christmas Packages by Santa Claus. LONG HOW OF DELIGHTED ONES Hear Carols Sung and Receive Gifts that Bring Shouts of Happiness. MUSICAL PROGRAM FEATURE ISLAM'S CALL TO ARMS Proclaiming the Holy War by the Turkish priest, Sheikh-ul-Islam, in fro , the Mosque of Feith in Constantinople. Audience Joins in Songs of Christ inas Praise and Joy. GAY SCENE AT AUDITORIUM tlty Commissioners, Mmmtrr Lilian id UnnU (lam Bonnie tilve laungnlrri : ThrllliuK Tlinr. Over 1,00 little youngsters stood pa tiently but eagerly In line at Auditorium Christmas eve waiting their turn to receive their Christmas packages of nuts, candles, apples, oranges and other deli cacies dear to the heart of little ones. Juat 1,600 packages were distributed to grown-ups and little folk alike, and when tho last person in line, a tiny little girl with a black Bhawl over her head, drew her package, "Santa Claus," Boggle, found that hla pile had been completely exhausted. The occasion was Omaha's second muni cipal ChrlBtmaa tree. And you must hand a few boquets, or a Christmas poinsetta, or a wreath of holly to the city com mlssloners who handed out the presents and made the tree possible. When the city commissioners do anything they do it Just as the lady enters the cafe foun tain on New Year's eve with both feet. Music Before Santa, Preceding the disposition of the Christ inns sacks, a musical program was given I'.v arioua musical organizations of the c-itv. Selections were given by the Omaha Musicians' association band and the Omaha Music verein, followed by a rhap sody by the Omaha Symphony Study orchestra. Charles Gardner, vocalist at the Ak-Sar-Ben den, sang a Christmas carol and was an Instantaneous hit. Gardner's powerful voice rang out true throughout the entire Auditorium and tho crowd, which was in attendance, applauded un til he waa forced to advance to the front of the stage and proclaim in a very em barrassed tone, "Merry Christmas," be fore the remainder of the program could be oontinued. The Omaha High school glee club and the; Swedish Male chorus gave several elections. . :. v. . , ,.-..r,..-.-Adlie 81 Mc. . ... The audience was asked to join In the elnging of "Ades'te' Fldefcs'' and "HrU, the Herald Angels Sing," led by Prof. Cox and the Omaha Symphony orchestra. They did, and with a will, and the big Auditorium resounded as thousands of voices raised In the Christmas carols. Following this tho little tots, some ac companied by their parents and some bravely advancing alone, were murshalleil into line to receive their presents. Claude Bosste attired himself in the garb of the popular version of Santa Claus and handed out the presents. The little folks were hustled to the front of the line so as to bo sure that they were supplied before the supply ran out. But the supply didn't run out and everybody who was in line received a package. Old and Young There. It was a queer and unusual company tlmt assembled In that line. Ranging in ages from 3 to 83, they all were given a package containing the same articles. Color and race alike were served. Some of those In line were tattered and torn and manifestly the victims of a cruel circumstance, while others wero more prosperously draped. Those in charge u the distribution were a bit disappointed when apparently well-to-do Individuals thrust themselves greed ily Into line, but no word of protest was passed. Even though the commissioners had announced that the object of the municipal tree waa to provide a little Christmas cheer to those who are des tined to spepd a dreary holiday, fully 400 persona who didn't appear to need charity pressed forward. Nothing was aid and each received a package. hlldre.u in Readiness. The sight of the little lads and lassies In line waiting for their packages was a treat for sore eyes. Mournful little faces brightened perceptibly .when the call to form In line was announced. Dur ing the whole musical performance, from 8:15 until shortly before 10 o'clock, the little ones sat patiently In the front rows (Continued on Page Two, Column Four.) t?- in p- )) -w 7.. JAPANESE DIET IS DISSOLVED BY MIKADO'S ORDER Popular Legislative Body Rejects Army Expansion Measures Pro posed by the Ministry. ! CLOSING SESSION DRAMATIC Debate Extends Far Into the Night, with No Prospect of Reach ing an Agreement. KAT0 DEPLORES THE WRANGLE Russian Women Still Have Thirteen Days to Do Christmas Shopping In Opening Address, Dec. 5, He Asked Members to Avoid Strife. The Weather Forecast of the weather for Saturday: For Nebraska Snow flurries; cloudy and rising temperatures. Tejnperatnre at Omaha Yesterday. Hours. Deg. 5a. m WARMER a. m 7 a. rn a. m a. ni 10 a. m 11 a. m 12 m 1 p. m 3 p. m 3 p. m 4 p. m p. m i p. m T p. m I! 7 7 . . 7 .. 7 .. a .. It .. T .. 7 .. 7 " I . . 7 .. V .. .. 3 ! CHRISTMAS TREE AT ! THE-WHITE HOUSE ! President Wilson Personally Directs Holiday Festivities at the i ., . Capital. ...... ' j i j-r . ' GRANDNIECEHEiGNS SUPREME J liltlle Ann Cochran l' Center of A t j traetlon at Home jof the t hief j Mxecntlve Gifts Sent j to Ihe Poor. j j 1 j WASHINGTON. Dec. 35.-Presld.-nt Wll- son aror.e early today to direct In I rerson' the Christmas festivities- at tho White House for his small grandnlece, Ann -Cnthran. ' A largo Christmas tree I wus erec ted In the library and the entire j family gathered there before breakfast to exchange gifts. .. After breakfast the ! president gave presents to the White I House employes'. During the morning several White 'House automobiles loaded with t lothing, ! fi nd and toys was sent Into" the poor (section of the city at .the direction of the j president who, In this way, paid a tribute i to the memory of Mrs. Wilson's interest I In Washington's poor. ! The president did not attenU church i this morning. Prof. Stockton Axson, i brother of the late Airs, Wilson, spent j the day at the White House. Others In ! the family group were Secretary and Mrs. jMcAdoo, Mr. ami Mrs. F. B. Sayre, Miss Margaret Wilson, Ml:j f'allie McAdoo, i Mrs. Edward Howe, Mr. Wilson's sinter; ! Mrs. Anno Cothran, his niee, and Miss .Helen W. Bonos, his cousin. The Christmas dinner was largely com I posed of gifts from admirers In different I parts of the country, ! The president saw no callers during the day and attended to but little business, j He received Christmas greetings from i thousands of people in this and other ' countries. j Uood Cheer In t.olhaiu. I NEW YORK. Do 25. Christmas ! dawned with a thin mantle of snow over the city. Ice for skating on the municipal ! lakes, tho weather sea.cnoble and with j the many ublic and private charitable I agencies prepared to extend comfort and j good cheer to the toor throughout the jcity. In church and cathedral and syna gogue peuce was the keynote of hcrmon . and hymmw I The Yuletlde spirit hovered afloat and ; ashore. Mtn on the big; German liners, lit port ut Hoboken since early August, and the families who Inhabit the barges i shared alike with the mcciy on land what ever orrerings came with Chr'stmas. For those In want the effe rings took r a terial form In clothing tnd food ilistrih. uted by the Salvation Army, the liowery Mission, the Children's Aid society a..d kindled organisation, and by the city In hospital and correctional institutions, (Continued on Page Two, Column Five!) VILLA AND ZAPATA ARE NEAR BREAK Reports from Mexico City Tell of Serious Friction Between Rev olutionary Leaders. EXECUTIONS IN PARTY CONTINtTE Villa, la Address to Business Men of Guadalajara, Says Convention ' Government Most Have. Money If it Is to Survive. KL PASO, Tex., Dec. Stories of ex ecutions in the patio of the penitentiary or by mysterious shooting In the streets were brought here today by arrivals from Mexico City. These Mexicans, who declined to be quoted, told of rumors current in Mexico City that partisans of Francisco Villa and Emlllano Zapata feared a break - between the leaders. These same reports credited many of the reported executions to Colonel . Rodolfo Flerro, a inember of Villa's staff. Julan C. Medina, a blacksmith, has been appointed governor of the state of Jalisco by General' Francisco Villa, according to advices reaching here from Guadalajara, the capital. Miguel Dleguez, '.the Car ransa appointee, who was deposed when Villa forces captured Guadalajara re cently, was a carpenter. During; bis recent visit to Guadalajara, General Villa sought the loan of 1,000.000 pesos from tho people Of the state. The major, part of this sum, it is said, will be. supplied by the church party, which (Continued on Page Three, Column Six.) German Crown Prince Sends Picture and ' Pipe to Each Soldier BERLIN, Dec. 26. (Via London.) The crown prince has issued tho following address to his troops in the field: "The celebration of Christmas in France is in c'losest contact with the enemy. Such a c-elebration none of us is likely to forget. I wish for all members of my brave army the blessing of God until we have with ' the good luck of a dutiful soldier established a peace of which we and our beloved fatherland may be proud. "My grandfather, Crown Prince Fred crick William, on Christmas, 1870, sent to every man of his brave army, your futhers and grandfathers, a pipe with his picture. J do the same. May this humble token to my loyal companions In arms be a souvenir of our common Christ mus celebration In Germany's greatest days." BUSINESS MEN TAKE HAND The Trj to Compose Ilf ferenres Brrsuae Crisis In War Time Would t rente t nfavorable I iiiiiresNf on. TON III. Dec. 2.Y The Imperial Diet was dissolved today. The House of Rep resentatives rejected the army expan sion Pleasure proposed by the govern ment. This led to the dissolution of the house. The closing session of the house was dramatic in the extreme. Tho debate ex tended all through the day and on into the night. The house was unable to compose Its differences and there was no sign that the debate was approaching its end. when shortly before 10 o'clock It was announced that Fmperor Yoshlhlto had exercised his royal prerogative, dis solving the Diet. Huron I'rars Compromise. Considerable opposition developed In the House of Representatives to the bud get for 1915, which showed an estimated expenditure of 586,000,000 yen t78.000,000) and a decrease of the revenues of 140, 500.000. Recent dispatches from Toklo have stated that there was good reason to be lieve that unless the house adopted the budget It would be dissolved by the em peror. The Merchants' association and liiirou Shibusawa, president of the American-Japanese association, and Duel Na kano, president of the Toklo Chamber of Commerce, took steps a ftw days ago to urge the Diet and cabinet to reach a compromise in the hope of preventing dis solution of the house and collapse of the ministry. They urged that a crisis In time of war would create an unfavorable Impression abroad. The oppositionn leaders declared that proposals for In creases In the army would be rejected. kSmprror Deplores Wranglt, The Diet was convened on December 6. Baron Kato. minister of foreign affairs, In an address at that time, appealed to the Diet to lay aside political strife. In view of the unsettled International sit- uatloa.' it "was the- emperor's wish, ha said, that the session should not be marked by political wrangling. There were indications, however, that the opposition could not be plarated so long as tho government Insisted upon Its program, and it was evident that the struggle would center around the ques tion of Increasing the army. The pro posal to add two or more divisions to the Army in Korea caused the collapse of the last Salonjl ministry, and it was felt that on this occasion the army ques tion was likely to lead to either the col lapse of the cabinet or the dissolution of the Diet. PKTROOHAD Vla T.ondonV Doc. 2.V Whlle all the western world Is celebrat ing Christmas, the Russian goes blandly Hlwiut his business, still having thirteen clays In which to do his Christmas shop ping. This Is due to the Julian calendar, which sets back Russian time nearly a fortnight behind the rest of Christendom. Probably in no other warring nation has the war brought such a marked change In the observance of the holiday season. Religious ceremonies, always the distinc tive feature of the Russian Christmas, alone will be unchnnged, and doubtless will be observed with more than usual fervor. The Christmas feasting vT former years, the Animated street and cafe life which customarily turned the holiday season Into n carnival lasting well on toward the new year, will bo lacking. This Is Petrogruil's first Christmas without Vodka. Families broken up b.- the fortunes of w-ar are unaMo to reunite on the one occasion which usually brought home ward the absent members. Most foreigners who have resided for a long time In this country have fallen Into Ihe custom of observing the Rus sian holiday. Hence, for them, too, tho Christinas season Is Just getting under way. Here and there among the more recent coiners who, not withstanding the tardiness of the mails, keep in touch with tholr relatives In other lands, the Christ mas of the modern calendar Is observed today. Among tho few celebrations today was noonday dinner given to tho Russian wounded at the new American hospital by Mrs. George T. Msrye, Jr., wife of the American ambassador. Most of the patients are only slightly wounded, con sequently they wero able to gather at the table. They showed a pathetic eagerness to psrtake of the good cheer provided by the Americans. Tho only official observance of the day was a staff dinner by the British ambas sador. Sir George Htichanan. ! ARTILLERY FIGHTS i FROM LYS TO OISE French Official Report Tells of Num ber of Advances Made in Belgium, FORTIFIED FOREST CAPTURED Five Arrests Made In Connection with Alleged Opium Plot NEW YORK, Dee. 2o.-Wlth five men, Including several sailors, already tinder arrest here In connection with the uncov ering of what the federal authorities be lieve Is a wholesale opium smuggling; plot, the crews' quarters of Incoming vessels from England are being searched for fur ther evidence, according to report pub lished today. It was stated that a woman, declared to be the head of a conspiracy. Is on the Baltic, now nearing England, and that a wireless message has been sent to the White Star liner and a cablegram to the Scotland Yards authorities, looking toward her arrest In Liverpool. She Is said to have 120,000 worth cf opium with her which she and others found they could not smuggle Into this country owing to the discovery of the plot. The federal authorities declined to dis close her identity. RELIGION AND WAR MIXED INLANDERS Correspondent Describes Early Morning Scene in Edifice at Furnes. OVER 18 MILLIONS FIGHT Oil BATTLE FIELDS OF EUROPE Mighty Mass of Men Engaged in Death Struggle of Nations Upon Christmas Day. FIERCE COMBATS EVERYWHERE One of Greatest Conflicts Known to History Raging from Prussia to Carpathians. RESULT NOT YET APPARENT Warfare in Western Zone Seems Just as Furious and No More Decisive. Five Attacks In Araunne anil trin ity Are Repulsed and French Positions Are Sirrnittli-ened. Comparative Local Hreord. 114. Is) 13. 112. 1911. Highest yesterday s 1 4: 21 lowest yesterday 4 8 28 11 Mean temperature 6 14 ?-' 1 Precipitation 01 T .Ou .00 Temperature and precipitation depar tures from the normal: Normal temperature 24 Deficiency for the day IK Total exc9aa since March 1 nO) Normal precipitation 01 inch Deficiency for the day til Incii Total rainfall since March 1.... 2"). W) inches Iietlclency since March 1 Scinches Deficiency for cor. peiiod, 1H13. 6.3s inches Deficiency for cor. period, 1SI2. 4.11 Inches T" Indicates trace of precipitation. I A. WELtJU. Local Forecaster. Mrs. Turner Pays A Visit to Omaha; Was Mrs. Brandeis Making a flying vUit without advance notice, Mr. and Mrs. Charles W, Turner spent part of Thursday in Omaha, coming almost straight from London, where they had sprung a surpriso party by being married last summer. Mrs. Turner made the trip to see her father, Ben Bdelman, and to attend to personal business matters, and while here called up by phone several of her Iriends who used to know her as Mrs. Hugo Brandeis. As far as (an be learned the visitors left again on ai evening train, expecting to stop over la Chicago on their return to Nsw Turk. Berlin Paper Warns Against Feeding of Grain to Animals BERLIN (Via London). Dec. 2.V-The ! Norddeutsche Zeltung Issues a warnlni; ) against using grain to feed animals, ea- j peolaliy rye, which is needed for bread- I stuffs.- It says the e tn 1 . ire's food supply' must be carefully husbanded to guard against a possible shortage, which would force upon the people a difficult problem. Professors of economy In Berlin uni versity Issued a similar warning a few days ago. They drew attention to the nutrltltlous qualities of potato meal and advised greater consumption of milk prod ucts and pork. They suggested limiting the consumption of beef and wheat and pointed out that conservation of these resources was necessary to frustrate England's pUa of starving Germany into submission. Signal Operator Is Frozen to Death VALDEZ, Alaska, Dec. 26.-Francla E. Johnson, aged 36, of Meadow Valley, Wis., United States signal corps operator at Connellys, Alaska, waa frozen to death Wednesday night on the trail near his post. He left Donnellys lightly dressed, on horseback, for a relief cabin on the military telegraph line to Install a stove. Johnson's body was found near a large rock, about which he had tramped down the snow In his efforts to keep warm. Apparently his horse went through an overflow and the rider, be coming wet, started for safety and was overtaken by a snowstorm. FAMOUS FOOT BALL BACK LOSES LEGS IN BATTLE (Correspondence of the Associated Press.) DUNKIRK. France, Dec. 12-Jean faujolle, a famous French International foot ball player and track athlete, who was mentioned early In the war for a charge which won him the military midal, Is In a field hospital with both legs amputated. The bones were shat tered by a shell. AVhen Caujolle recovered consciousness and learned the extent of his wounds, ho dl 1 Uited a letter to his superior offi cer, asking that he be sent hack to the front as a typist. Caujolle was adjudged last year by sev eral English critics to be the finest foot ball back tn Europa, PARIS, Dec. 26.-The following official statement was Issued this afternoon: "In Belgium there have been Intermit tent artillery battles. From tho Lye to the Olse. on the evening of December 23, we gained the fork of the roads from Loos to Rutolre and from loo to Ver tnelles. "To the northeast of Albert we took possession of a portion of the village of La Rolsaelle, situated to the southwest of the church, and of an advance trench to the south of that village. "To the north from itoye to Llhu, near Lihons, we also have made some prog ress. These various attacks, undertaken with great spirit, have everywhere con served the ground already gained. "To the south of the Olse our artillery has demolished the defense works of the enemy In the region of Ballly and on the plateau of Gouvron. "On the Alane and In Champagne thore have been artillery battles and several German attacks have been re pulsed. To the north of Puplgneul (near Berry au Bsc) notably, a slight advance of our troops has been followed by a strong- counter attack, which has com pletely fallad. Frejsea Capture Forest. "In tha region of Perthes and Mesnll- le-Ilurlus our progress of previous days has been followed up and strengthened. To the north of Mesnll we took posses sion of a forest strongly prepared by the enemy, and to the east of trenches captured by us December 23. To the northwest of Mesnll, to the east of Perthes we have driven the enemy from tbe fragments of trenches which he re occupied, and we are now masters of all his first line of defense. "In the Argonne, In the forest of La Orurte, at Bagatelle, Fontaine Madame and St. Hubert we have repulsed five attacks and strengthened our front. Be tween tha Argonne and the Meuse, ' In spite of the snow and the fog, we have made progress on the Boureullles-Vau-quols front "In the region of Oulsy and the forest of Forges our heavy artillery, by sub duing the batteries and machine guns of the enemy, has enabled our Infantry to make a leap In advance. "On the light bank of the Meuse tbe Germans bava bombarded the south cor ner of the forest of Consenvoye, where wa are established. In the forest of Allly and Apremont our artillery has forced the enemy to evacuate several trenches. "In the lower Vosges we have advanced to within 1,600 metres of Clery, on the Vesouse river. Hermans Hurled nark In Poland. "In Russia, on the left bank of the Vistula, the Germans have been hurled back from one of the positions which they occupied on the right bank of the lower Bsura and they have been rein forced at another point. They are con tinuing their attacks on Bochaczew and are trying to debouch from Bolomow. To the east of Pklernlewlce their night attack waa repulsed, with heavy losses to them. They have launched several fruit less attacks to the west of the river Rawka and are vigorously reslming the Russian offensive on the north bank of the Pllira. In east Prussia and near Przemysl and on the front In the Carpathians no essentlsl chsnges have been noted." Dr. Liebknecht Is Enrolled in Army PARIS, Deo. 26. Dr. Carl Liebknecht, the German socialist leader who was the only member to vote against war credit at the recent session of the Reichstag, has been enrolled tn the Herman army, acocrding to a dispatch to Humanlte from the 8wlas frontier. This move was de rided upon, saya the dispatch, after his protest against war in the reichstag, aa the best means to stop his opposition, a trial on a charge of high treason being considered too dangerous an expedient. FUNERAL AND SOLDIERS' MASSES Two Services Maid Bide by aide While Men lu Aisle Are Repair ing; Merries to Be Used In FIcMlnar Later, Ft 'RN ES. West Flanders, Thursday, Dec. 24 (Via London, Dec. tS.) While waiting for an automobile to take him to the battle front, a correspondent of the Associated Press entered at dawn today the church of St. Nicholas, the great clock In the belfry of which towered above the historic square In Furnes. In stead of the small group of villagers that he expected to find listening to the Christmas masses, he saw 1,000 Belgian soldier cyclists ramped on the floor. Around the dlmly-llghted altar In the apse, a pathetic family group waa gath ered about the coffin of a small child. While the clergy Intoned the funeral mass at the side of the church a speolal mass for soldiers was being oelebrated with rows of mud-covere.1 men from the trenches kneeling before the altar. Bicycle la Aisle. Down the center of the church a long row of bikes were stacked, soma of tha owners of which buelod themselves In re pairing their battered maohlnea. Most of the men In the church, however, slept, huddled for warmth In a thin layer of straw covering tha stone flagging of the floor, apparently undisturbed by tha sonorous notes of tha great organ which now pealed through tha church. A few soldiers had procured their morning ra tions and they were eating their break fasts of black bread. War and Religion. The scene was almost overpowerlngly Impressive In Its mixture of war and re ligion and yet their existence side by side In this region where religion In the his toric past haa been so intimately con nected with war, did not seem Incon gruous. The great tsnera at the ltr provided the only light beyond the gray streaks or dawn which filtered through the oaken doors, and the ancient mmr. goylea on the open beams were lost In ooscurity. one altar was decorated for Christmas with Its imaana of tha i.hi. of Bethlehem arranged about It, and here tha younger Hnlslan sniriUra fath ered In reverent groups while a priest cnaniea a Christmas mass of "peace on earth, good will to men." Duty Call, at Times. Priests came and went, townspeople hurried to early mass and than awav tn thelr work, while the exhusted soldiers siept on. Now and then a non-commissioned officer would arouse a few m.n and they would slip quietly away with tneir bicycles on one of those expeditions which, for daring, haa made the ru. corps the moat famous of the Belgian army, As the rising tin Armr thm , . n shadows from the church the roar of uerman guns beginning an attack on Nleuport awoke the ..h .. -wa-xsuf svs IIITJ great church became an animated scene or military activity. The religious ser vices, however, went on as before. ALLIES UPON THE OFFENSIVE Use All Means to Force Germans to Give Up Ground. Many Persons Dead In Great Landslide ROME, Dec. 20. (Dels vA 1-14...,., rains caused a landslide today at Valmon tone, a city of about 4,000 Inhabitants, thirty miles southeast of Rome. Part of the city was covered bv the l.nd.HH. many buildings collapsed. Forty persona were Duriea beneath the ruins. In the surrounding country the rivers have overflowed their banks, causing large losses to property. New South Wales Seizes All Wheat SYDNEY, N. S. W.. Dec. 2S.-(Vla Lou- don.) The government has seized the en tire stock of wheat of New Houth Wales, excepting the amount needed for seed supplies for the farmers. This action is aimed at speculators, who, taking ad vantage of war conditions, have been seeking to Inflate prices. The government has fixed a price for the wheat of fle shillings (SI 20) per bushel. COTTON SANTA "MAKEUP" CAUSE OF BOY'S DEATH CHICAGO. Dec. 25. Vern Millard Olson, 11 years old, died today of bums re ceived Christinas c"e while playing Santa Claus for the amusement of his younger brothers and sisters. The boy found a roll of cotton in a closet and used the material for a wig and whiskers, in making up for Fanta Claus. He then lighted a candle and rushed Into the room where the family guests had assembled. In running about the room the lighted candle IrnlM ih - ton and he was fatally burned before me names could be extlngulsc hed. MANSLAUGHTER VERDICT OF JURY AGAINST HELM PIERRE. S, D.. Dec. 25.-(8perlal Tele gram.) The Jury In the case in circuit court at Fort Pierre In which A. P. Helm was charged with the murder of O. C. Hunter, the Northwestern railway station a (tent at Midland, brought in a verdict of manslaughter In tbe second degree. SOME ADVANCES ARE MADE Gain. Accomplished SHabt ana Only Against Stubborn Opposition and Counter Attacks of Teutons. LONDON, Deo. 25. The bellig erent armies in the field of war today number all told nearly 18,600,-, 000 men, or 28,000,000 with all re serves and "new" troops counted, according to a French, statistical), Yves Ouyot. The expenditure required, he estimates at an average of nearly $2.50 dally per man, or about 311,000,0(10,000 for one year of warfare. A single year of tha present war, he thinks, will cost about the same amount of money as tha total expenditure for all the wars of tha previous fifty year. Engrd lu Fleroe Battle. Instead of the Christmas truce, which Pope Benedict endeavored to arrange. Christmas finds the armies of the bellig erent powers engaged In fierce battles on both the eastern and western fronts. In the west the all lee' hammer la tap ping at tha German entrenchments, try ing to find a weak point, while In the east the Russians, who have been driven back from tha Austrian and Get man fron tiers, seemingly nave oeen Drougnt Te bay behind livers, which offer them natural lines of defense gnd, turning, hftv AAunter tli.lrMl. Hm . miIm n man forces. Drive Rusa Over Rivera. ' The Germane, In their rush towards Warsaw, under direction of Field Mar shal Von Hindenberg, drove tha Rus sians over the Bsura and Rawka rivers and they themselves succeeded In cross ing these rivers: but, according to the Russian official report tonight, the Ger mans there reached the main Russian Una and were routed. From this report It Is gathered that the Germans directed their main attacks against the Russian front, which lies along the banks of the Bsura river and thence southward to the Plllca river, but without success. Along the rest of tha front south to tha Carpathian mountains the Russians claim similar victories: but on the east Prussian frontier the Germans apparently have turned the scales on their adver saries and, after hawing retreated to their own territory, resumed tha offenstve and again are back in Mlawa, whence they originally tried to outflank tha Russian forces north of tha Vistula and work their way to Warsaw from tha north, geek to Eater sir Back Door. tovon now It Is possible that tha Ger mans hava resumed tbelr outflanking taotloa, and while keeping tha Russian center busy by making frontal attacks, are hoping to get into Warsaw by tbs baok door. All that Is oertain at present Is that tha two armies, whose numbers can only be roughly estimated, are engaged in one of the greatest battles of the world's history on a front which extends from east Prussia to tha Carpathians and in which the advantage sways first to one side and then to the other. Military experts ear that one of tha advantages the Russians retain Is that they hold the right bank of tha Vistula as far west as Plock and thus oan pre vent the Germans from using tha river for keeping their army supplied, and along the whole of the rest of the front they have rivers and streams to fall be hind when hard pressed. This, however, will all be changed, the experts say, when the rivers freese and tha armies can be moved over them as easily as overland. Warfare lu West. Mining and sapping, artillery duels, at tacks ana counter attacks and, In fact, every meana of warfare la being em ployed In Belgium and France by thai allies In their effort to force the Ger mans to give up their present lines of defense. Some advance has been made. but only against stubborn opposition and counter attacks, which succeed occasion ally In recovering the ground that the allies have taken at great coat. England this morning experienced an . aerial attack when a German aeroplane, coming from tho Belgian coast, flew over Dover and dropped bombs in tha garden of St. James' rectory, which is in, front of Dover Castle. No damage was dons. QUARREL OVER DOLLAR ENDS IN TWO DEATHS SOLON SPRINGS, Wis., Dec. . In an argument over the payment of s II account, Louis Kurllla, aged SS, a farmer living six miles west of Solon Springs, today, murdered Fred Dickinson, aged 30. a blacksmith, by shooting him with a shotgun. After the shooting Kurllla at empted to escape in his farm wagon, but wss overtaken by a deputy sheriff and a posse. As he wss about to t e ar rested he shot himself with the samu gun and died an hour later.