Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-04
Cigar Ends.

Probably few people in this country are
aware that usually wasted substance. a cigar
end, Is utilized in Germany to a large extent.
and with even benehcent results.
We can imagine many OF our readers won
f aIering what can De he Object OF Collecting
~ explain that they are sold for the purpose Of
being made into SNUFF, and that the proceeds
of such sales are devoted to charitable pur-
poses. There Is in Berlin a society called the
"Nerein der Sammler Won Cigarren Abschnit-
ten," or the society of collectors of cigar cut
tingS, which has been in existence some ten
years and has done much good. Every Christ
mas the proceeds of the cigar ends collected
by this society and il friends are applied To the
purchase of clothes for some poor orphan chill
In 1876 about thirty children were clothed
by this society, each child being provided with
Of wocien Stockings, a warm dress and a
pocket handkerchief In addition to this,
large. well-decorated ChristmaS-tree is given
home n With good SUPPLY Of H fruit and sweet
meats. Altogether more than two hundred
poor orphan children have been clothed by
this society simply by the proceeds OF such
small things as cigar ends.
Tie success Of the Society at Berlin has in
duced further enterprise i'm the same direction,
be S called al the beatSches Reichs. Waisenhass"
umpelial German Orphan Home, where or
phans who are left unprovided for may be
The site proposed for this institution is at
Lair, in Baden, where there are a number of
snuff manufactures, and 1t is therefore well
Udapted to the scheme, which can only hope
NAV be successfully carried out
The system of collection, which is extended
over large part of Germany, is generally un
dertaken by one or two ladies or gentlemen in
each town. who collect now and then from
their smoking friends the ends which they have
been saving up. These collector either send
on the cigar ends TO the central society or sell
them on the spot and transmit the proceeds.
This latter plan. when IT can be worked, is
preferable, as saving expenses in carriage and
packing. 1t is proposed that the number of
children which each town shall have the priv
l!ege OF sending to the home shall be regulated
according to the amount which they have con-
trlbuted to the society.
To insure the success of the institution il
VIII be absolutely necessary for all to unite
and work together; each one must not leave il
Tor his neighbor thinking that one more or
less can make no difference. To show, how
ever, what might be accomplished by a
thorough unity in this matter, let us say that
there are at least some ten millions of smokers
in Germany; or, to be very much within the
mark, we will take only five million smokers
who will give themselves the trouble, if such il
Is, OF saving up their cigar ends; and assuming
that the cigar ends of each person during one
week are worth only a quarter pfeunig, (ten
pfenng equal one penny EnglSh,) We have a
total revenue for the year of six hundred and
fifty thousand marks or thirty-two thousand
five hundred pounds.
Now, these thirty-two thousand five hun
dred pounds, which, as rule, are thrown
away and wasted, can be used to provide a
home for at least thirteen thousand poor
| orphan children. Further, if the five million
smokers would contribute but once year the
value only of a single cigar, say in Germany
one penny, this would make an additional five
hundred thousand marks, or twenty-five thou
sand pounds, which would clOthe another ten
thousand children.
Now, We ask is it not worth while to be care
1ul in small things. and to save up these uSu-
ally wasted cigar ends, when we see what
great things might result? We can only con-
Guide by wishing success to this remarkable
institution, which has taken for its motto the
Elm Well or i'm the words of the old Scottish
lroverb, MANY little makes MCKEE
[ Chambers Journal