The Portland daily press., 1886-02-09
Fraternity Primary.

AS was coming down the primary stairs
the other evening, / caught sight of our little
Joe-a scrap. of boy, with gray eyes and a
pinched little face, regarding me most wist-
fully from over the top of an immense pair
of mems boots, in which his small personal
/ ity seemed quite lost
''Please, can | have pair Of rnittens?" he
said thrusting out his small, red hands,
droll contrast to the apparent size of his
feet.
We had only two pairs of mittens left to
bedivided among all our mittenless boys,
and they were far too large for him, so the
only comfort could give little Joe was to
tell him that hoped some more mittens
would be sent in.
Later in the evening when had just fin
ished tying great warm scarf sent us by
Mrs. Storer, round little fellow, in such a
manner as to take the place, as far as posi-
BILE, Of both coat and underfiannels, and
was putting ON my own warm wraps to go
| home, | looked up and met the reproachful
| gaze of my lorlorn little friend.
1t was impossible to resist the pathos of
| his eyes, and boots, which | 'hink would
have melted the proyerbial heart of stone.
So as the primary cupboard was quite bare,
l. bUUh ulilI HOilG Will U16 anu cllCSI6O HIS
soul with gingerbread and a scarf-the very
last.-and saw him shuttle contentedly home.
we shall try to get him pair Of moderate
of mittens? And if some one will give us a
little money to buy him a shirt-it takes a
very little at the rate which Mr. Rines kind
ly deals with us,-then little Joe will be
quite respectable and able to face the cold
bravely.
Perhaps you think we ought to look out
for this small boy ourselves, and SO we
should if there were not under our roof
about 200 more, equally destitute of warm
clothing, and they all have little brothers
and sisters at home in still worse plight; so
badly off for clothes in fact that Mr.. Beals,
the truant officer, tells us that he has either
to leave them to the influence Of their miser-
able homes altogether, or force them to
school half naked.
These are the cases which we wish to in
vestigate, and, where it is wise, to help, but
our hands are tied for lack of means
We are thankful for the moral support of
many who believe in the work, but would
that our well wishers felt Inclined even if
they are already subscribers to the Fratern-
ity, to give us a little extra help in this hour
of need.
We want warm clothing of all kinds. and
especially three or four dozen stout socks
games and picture books some paper. dolls to
| their eager promise to "be very good indeed,
| if we will please let them in, and we very
| much want toy building blocks and a few
| old rocking horses.
You have none of these children's stores,
and yet own to a soft spot in your heart for
| our neglected street boys, and would like to
see them cared for in body and soul? Then
| will you not putyour hand in your pocket and
find little odd change to leave in care of any
of the following members of theprimary com
| mittee? Be sure it will be most gratefully re-
| ceived, and conscientiously spent: Miss Ba-
con, No. 45 Park street; Miss NIilli1en, No.
| 142 State street; Miss Fox, No. Sc Spring
! street; Miss nj. S. Daveis, No. II Free street.
| We offer hearty thanks for the following
donations:
Miss Gerrish books; Mr.. Edward Webb, games
and mittens; Mrs. g. Daves, mittens; Mrs. NJ.
Butler mittens Mrs c. Jones mittens; Moses A.
Fife, mittens; Mrs. Wood, clothing; Mrs Kotz-
SEMINAR, clothing; Mrs; Weston clothing; Mrs +.
Bachelor, boots; Mrs. J. P; Whitney, clothing
and magazines; Mrs. Cavazza, scarfs Jessie j en-
ME, Nathan and Ephraim Kimball, OF Hiram nit
tens Annie Thompson, Hiram, mittens.
ONE OF THE PRIMARY COMNITTEE