River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-12-20
Clli.irpn's Christmas Club
b. ELLA $ SARGENT.

b ELLA 8 SARGENT.
Rom s.. Nicholas.
10 every girl and every boy in North
America, South America, Europe, Asia,
Africa and australia:
bly, Dear, Dear Friends. Doyou know
what "club" is2
hear your answering echo back from
III the cliffs and hills of our land, and
me sea Jreazs brings it to me family
IRON the countries far away.
You get q lot Of people to belong, aud
Won have a president aud rules, and pay
50 much to join, aud vote. and"
Yes, tkat IS it; you all know what a
''cu5" Is.
Now l want to write You about club
"a true cluh-g very proper and thor
ouehiy organized club, eleven months
Old; and you may believe every word,
for it an happened right here, in Port
land, Maine, less than a,year ago.
On Sunday December 10, 1882, a lady
3 ttinsj in Il warm, c0zy room, while the
wind Whistled about the house, rafting
the windows, and piling the snow fakes
III deep drifts across the steps and against
the fences, was thinking of the houses
up on The Hin ard down at Gorham's
Corner, and in Salem Lane, which had
no steam radiators, no glowing CRATES,
no double windows to keep out these
searching winter winds.
She thought, too, Of the little children
5n those houses and, as it was Decem-
ber, ofthe joyou day coming so soon
the day for giving gifts to all the world
Overland wondered If in those houses
little bare feet would spring ont of bed,
and dance across the Chimneys III the
dim dawn OF Christmas morning; If
numb, blue.tingers would eagerly snatch
down shabby, faded stockings; and find
that ST. Nidlolas had really been there;
if, later on, fathers and mothers, with
brothers and sisters, and babies in their
high-chairs, ''for just this one day."
would come gedly around dinner tables,
where plump Christmas Turkeys las at
one end, and plum buildings we're ready
for the other and huge stacks of oranges.
nuts and apples rose in the middle; and
if, in the evening there would be great
mysteries in the parlors, fragrance of
spruce. an exciting rustlIng Of paper
parcels, mothers slipping sIyly in and
out of doors with hands hidden behind
them, general scurrying about-lnd
then al eyes dazzled by a hund e twink
ing candles caught in the branches of
a graceful tree laden with toys
She won lered if in those houses would
90 up that wild shout Of glee, those ring
ing hurrahs and joyous clapping Of
hands she had so often heard And as
she wondered, she shook her head sad
y, saying:
They have never known these pleas
ures, they never will, Un.ess-9h. unless
somebody remembers them. Why can't
something be done? ! would work, but
one person can do so little alone. |
want a hundred helpers-where shall l
find them
She thought intently for few mo.
meGts, and then cried: Il know, The
children will do it, the Portland chill
dren-those who have happy homes and
ChrIstmas-trees, and play rooms full of
toys They will load 4 Christmas-tree
rs one was never loaded befOae; they
will spread a Christmas dinner which
cannot be eaten in one day; thew will do
1.-THE warm-heartcd generous Portland
children"
The bells from all the churches were
ringing for Sunday school. That was
the time-that was the place to find the
children. A number of notes were writ
ten, asking two or more girls and boys
from every Sunday-schOOl III the city to
meet at that house at five o'clock, on
the following Thursday afternoon.
Did they come?
Come? They did not know what the
call was for, save for whisper about
Christmas work; but they came; came
in pairs, in triOs' in Quartets and Quln-
tets-a whole SQUAD from the Butler
school; big boys with big hearts, wee
tots only four years old from the kin
dergarten- one hundred children ready
for anything,
on. | wish YOU could have been there
at the forming of that club.
4 lady came forward to speak to them
aud their voices were hushed in expec
tation. | can't tell you just what she
said, but her words were beautiful. she
spoke oftheir Christmas festivities every
wear, of their presents and their friends;
then of the unfortunate children who
had fewer some none OF these JOYS.
When she asked: "Does any one here
want to do anything for these others?
the thought that they could do anything
was new to almost ALTO many even the
wish VAS new; but ike one great heart
throb came their answer:
''Yesl |! 1. i. want to dosomething'
"Chilcren, what can you d1?'
A pause, and then one little voice
cried:
'Dive EN- a cent?"
That was the first offer, but it was fol
lowed by many another, GIVE EN-
eandvw GIVE 'em a turkey" "Giye EN-
coat''-each beginning with that grand
word, Give
The result Of the meeting was this:
To form acIub when should last for
ever and call it The Children's
Christmas Ciuh;' TO have It for its mot
10. "Freely we have received, freely
,,;xa "a playe the membership fee at
ten cents. So that no child should be
prevented from joining because he was
pqt .srich:" To make no distinction in
REGARD to sect or nationality; to permit
~ ioiu the club any girl or boy under
ei5hteen wears Of age who accepted It's
nrincjples which were: To be ready at
all times with kind words to assist chill
dren less fortunate than ourselves: to
make every wear in Christmas week a
festival of some kind for them; to in
stead of carelesslv destroying them; TO
save and, whenever practicable, put in
GOOD repair all outyroWn clothing; 10 beg
nothing from any source. but to keep as
the keystone Of the club the word
..Give;" 10 pay every year tax OF ten
cents. and to make their first festival IN
the civ Hal, on Thursday December
=. ISS2.
Then came the choosing Of officers,
with the idea that the chief officers,
should be grown persons. Ills honor
the mayor of Portland was elected pres
ident of the Children's Christmas Club.
Others, ladies' and gentlem II, were
chosen for vice president, treasurer sec
Yptarv. executive committee, etc, etc.
The children then dispersed to meet
aoa ii on Saturday, at Reception hall.
saturday morning brought to the hall,
first a meeting of grown persons, who
offered their stronger hands, wiser
heads and deeper purses IN the work
fhe children had undertaken; but agreed
tbst an that children could do should be
left to them. =,
fgd a great support these elders
form. who stood ready in the back
Ground to give Of their strength, whe
eTietly inclosed their willing contrlbu-
IONS to the executive committee, with
besf wishes for the Children's Christmas
Instead of one hundred children,
three hundred came to Reception hall,
eaeer 10 join the club. After addresses