Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-25
THE RIVAL OF ST. NICK.
NOBLE DEPARTURE FOR THE
CHRISTMAS OBSERVANCE.


nnd Instructive Commemoration Of the
: Glad Day-Little Folk Won't Forget Il.
You never saw an old fellow look 50 utter
ly dumfounded and mortified as the worthy
fur-robed Santa Claus did this morning,
when he came jingling over the Alleghen-
nies and found rival Santa running the
Christmas business under his very nose.
Blue indeed did that nose turn, and fiercely
did the jolly Saints eyes fash when the
news came-ringing over hill and dale, that
Kaufmanns, of Pittsburg, without exactly
donning furs and garlanding themselves
about. with holly leaves had gone forth
through this city, as q second Saint Nich-
olas, and beaten the old-established Saint
all to fits When the bells of "merry Christ
mastide" chimed cheerfully over the house
tops, many child's eyelids opened to the
sunshine, all abIaze with bright expectancy,
and many a lisping tongue cried, Has
Kaufmann been here?''
For many years j. Kaufman 3 Brothers
have brought joy to thousands of infant
hearts, by their generous distribution OF
dainty Christmas gifts. Their love for the
little ones seems to be limitless. It never
slackens and never abates in the least de-
gree. Every Sunday school child in Pitts
burg and Allegheny gets this Christmas
present from Kaufman, and no one IS
neglected in the distribution. just month
since j. Kaufman & Brothers started in
on the great work they have brought to SO
successful and so agreeable conclusion,
books were the presents decided upon for
this Yuletide, and certainly the Kaufmanns
displayed much good sense in making the
selection. No better present could be i'm
agined for school children than these de-
lightful books. They last longer than other
gifts, and are of real value besides. Agents
of the Messrs. Kaufman went to the book
marts of all the great American cities, buy
ing all the picture books they thought suit
able for their young friends by the banks OF
the Allegheny.
Some two weeks ago the books began to
come in hundreds, and the big Kaufman
store on Fifth avenue and Smithdeld street
was soon filed to overhowing. Additional
storage room had to be obtained, and the
work Of book buying went on bravely.
When the books were stored awav requests
were sent out to the superintendents of the
Sunday schools in Pittsburg and Allegheny
and to all the towns in the vicinity for the
names and number of pupils enrolled. Then
began the distribution, a dozen men were
kept busy for week wrapping up and ex-
pressing the books to their destination, until
to-day all the names that have been received
have been provided with youthful and
beautiful book, one that is replete with
magnificent illustrations and stories, such
as will delight children s hearts.
So quiet has this book distribution been
conducted that few people outside of the
ministers and superintendents of the
churches and schools know anything of the
magnitude of such an undertaking. Over
$1,000 volumes will be given away al
together. The distribution is confined to
children Of no particular denomination, but
is common to all. The pastor of one of the
leading Fifth avenue churches yesterday
complimented the Messrs. Kaufman very
highly indeed on their benevoIence, and
their evident desire that all young people
should be happy in the season OF happiness.
This reverend gentleman also gave some
statistics bearing on the mammoth presenta-
tion.
''The smallest number of books, 25," he
said, ''go to the children of the Twenty
second Street Presbyterian mission school,
and the largest number to the Webster
Street (Cathedral) Convent, which requires
1900 to 20 around. The majority Of the
schools asked for from 800 to 500 each, and
there were books in plenty, and some lett
over. Never before has any individual or
single firm expended such q vast sum of
money tor the pleasure of the little ones as
have Kaufman Bros. Expense apparently
had not been taken into consideration. In
all so, 900 books were distributed at cost of
thousands of dollars. bnt the amount, vast as
It is, seemed but trife to these generous
men when they considered and compared it
with the happiness and the pleasure the
children experience in receiving the gift.
Never before have so many little hearts been
gladdened, and am sure the children will
never forget the men whose sole object in
e11oh m n an fa1 l.
to make the little tots" happy, at least one
day in the year. Too much praise cannot
be bestowed upon such Hberality and the
world would be far better off if we had more
such men,"
It is time-honored saying that "'Tis
better to give than to receive" and the
spirit which prompted this distribution gives
evidence of the kindly feeling OF peace on
earth and good will toward men" that Kauf-
mands' bear to the rich and poor alike of
the people in this vicinity. There is no
motive of selfgain in their distribution, and
if it was not for the out-spoken ioy of the
children in telling of their pretty books the
public would never know of the gener-
oslty that has been manifested by these peo-
pie. The books were all bought and sent
out to the different churches before even an
inkling had been given out as to what
was going on in their emporium Kauf-
manns' secret has leaked out; every bov and
girl one meets is talking about the nice book
they are going to get on Christmas. Letters
of thanks are pouring in upon them from
every quarter, and if the blessings of thous-
ands of men, women and children count for
aught surely Kaufmanns must be
fully repaid for the outlay of money, |
large as it may have been, when it |
brings so much happiness. The distribution |
=. Al. -Is l.. =
achievement worthy OF imitation by others, |
and it is to be hoped that, prompted by the |
good that has been accomplished, others |
will follow in the footsteps of such generous
men. What more worthy object can money |
be placed to than OF giving pleasure to |
others by the expenditure of a sum, large |
though it may seem to some, is but drop |
in the bucket compared to the fortune that |
has been amassed by honesty and integrity? |
1t was impossible to obtain full and COM
plete list of all the churches, mission schools |
and converts the Kaufman Brothers sup |
piled with Christmas books, as the firm was |
opposed to making any public display of the |
distribution through the columns of the news
papers They did not propose to make cap
ital out of charity, but from the ministers |
and superintendent it was learned that at |
least the following places had been supplied
with books for the little ones that were en-
rolled upon the school record:
The United Brethren Church, wilkins
burg; Forty-third Street Christian Church,
city; Trinity Lutheran Church, Woods Run;
st. Joseph's Church, ,Skarpsburg; st. Paul's
M. E. Church, Bloomfield; Thirty.seYenth
street Baptist Church; Church of God, city;
Union Mission. city; Denny NJ Z. Church,
city; Glenshaw Mission. city; Eighth o. P.
Church, Allegheny; Sixth o. P. Church, AL
legheny; McCandless Avenue Methodist
Church; Nixon Street Baptist Church, Al
legheny; Millvale Presbyterian Church; st.