The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-25

somebody that brings Christmas greet
! Ing or tokens of love or friendship
| thought once" she said, of throwing
myself out the window and having my |
| brains dashed on the sidewalk as an CD
! ject lesson 10 other girls Of the peiia1ty |
/ offs name but / did not nave 1he
| courage to make the sacrifice IN tad1
/ manner" A few men gave Inc sIiI
! dollar each and she eft This morning LOT
! her home fully intent on Tedee-nlnS ne
/ name and her character.
The saddest sight of ali, however. was
! q man who stood in the stairway lead
/ ing TO a photograph gallery watching
/ the crowds 90 by. He is reporter TO De
! one Of the rich men Of the town. II is
| an error. He IS not rich; Gla IS wealthy.
| He IS rich in nothing for he IS COM
/ raratively ignorant man and what is
| more D5tisble ne IS a bachelor, and
worse sa.iu he is an old bachelor. For
/ three hours ne stood in that stairway
| as cold as marble and toving none but
! himself He finally went TO his room,
stripped off his clothes and went 10
! bed. He may have had dreams but is 50
I taney were about money and interest and
( diminishing rents and high taxes and
i fOrecl0sing mortgages. He had no eX-
I pectat.on Of being awakened early in
che morning by the footsteps CT a child
or grand child slipping down stairs eau
tiOuSly to see whether Santa Claus had
Santa Claus mentioned he frowned; If
he thought Of good ST. Nicholas he
would hastily accuse himself of being
superstitieuS and at once Danish the
thought from his mind. Indeed he tried
to read a lecture TO an Eagle reporter
while in the stairway because the pa
peTs would not denounce what ne was
! pleased TO term the Santa Claus decep-
/ ton. Look at that man there" he said
! pointing 10 a. street railway employe
+ who had wife by his side and a bundle
/ Of toys in his arms Look at that
/ man. He has four children at home
/ and he is tonight deliberately spending
/ two weeks wages. and for what-sim-
/ ply TO encOurgt them in a superstition
III bet so IL the truth was known
( he is On debt for his rent" The cold,
misera BILE, repulsiye, practical worship
4 er Of the money god could see nothing
worthy in human nature that was not
directed towards rents and interests.
! He could not see that the Joy OF those
} four children in the morning was worth
/ two weeks Of toll. He could not see
that q father would sooner tod ten
weeks than witness mis- children climb
! ing cautiously down stairs a 5 O'Clock
! in the morning only to find their stock
; ingS empty-only to find that Santa
/ Claus did not love them. In fifty years
/ both the man in the stairway and the
! street railway man will sleep in the
same level. The bones of the latter wal
/ rest as well as those of the former and
1 on the books of the recording angel the
/ accounts of the man who was little
slowi n paying his rent because he loved
] his children will be as clear as those
/ Of a man who lived as a parasite on Ia
/ Dor and loved nobody.
WILL PLAY SANTA CLAUS.
This morning while happiness is
/ reigning supreme in many households
over the kind remembrance of Santa
! Claus and kind friends, the children
should remember the poor who will
doubtless find nothing in taleir stockings
If in fact they can find their stockings
at all.
If they will remember that they
might cause this to be the haDpiest
! Christmas ever witnessed by many
children in Wichita, by a little effort on
/ their part, they would find that by lend
/ ing happiness 10 others they would also
/ add happiness to themselves. If they
would see that some of their old toys.
/ dolls, or even a. portion Of their candy
was distributed to the poor, their gifts
would bring happiness today where on
/ ly sadness is known. It does not take
much 10 make a child happy, but the
( little should be done.
Major Burr said last night at the pO-
/ lice station: at makes me sad tonight
when think of the many, many homes
IN Wichita where the little inmates Will
awake on Christmas morning TO find
that Santa Claus has not remembered
/ them. 1t was not always so with some
Of them. In fact, 1 can call TO mind
/ ten families tonight in Wichita where
no Santa Claus Will come, and where
/ have taken a few of the actual necessi-
| ties Of life, when a few years ago the IA
Their and mother were loaded down with
! presents for their dear ones. Since that
/ time father has gone. and the poor wife
| who formerly did not know what want
/ was, is thankful now for the plaineSt
fair.
u know one family Of bright children
I'm the south pant OF the city where only
( a few years ago the father was pros
porous business man and was looked up
on as one of the most prosperous men il
. the city. L remember him telling ne
that he had enou-h laid up now 10 k17p
and educate his family. But in tar5e
I years from that time he failed in buSi-
/ ness. Poverty came. Everything was
sold aEsd last summer the poor man was
! laid to rest in the pOtters field. HIS
family is bright, but they are without
{ anything to live upon except what the
! Door woman makes at the wash tue.
/ / have secured aid for them from the
| county commissioners and il makes
me and when / think how the little
children will he disappointed in the
/ morning by finding their stockings en-
! PITY.
"Oh how much happiness could be
] caused in Wichita on Christmas If a
little dhoughfulness and sacrifice was
used by those who have and could spare
II would not take any great outlay,
only sTttle candy, nuts. doll, or some
! lIttle playShing. 1t would be JOY 10
1 many II they only knew that they had
not been forgotten.
Il could name n hundred sad Gnci-
dents in Wichita tonight. One family /
can call To mind who al one tine in
Wichita the father gave his check al
every call Of the hoard Of trade, TO help
Wichita along. And when the dauSh-
ter. who is now the mother OF three
bright children. was married. that the
wedding gift reached into the hundreds
/ Of dollars. who tonight is busy making
| rag dolls that her darlings might not DE
forgotten.
y wish the children in Wichita today
who have something to spare, be II ever
50 small. would bring Il 10 the police
station and leave their name and l VIII
see that some hearts are made happy
and VIII let them know who was the
friends who remembered them.
u never wanted 10 play Santa Claus
50 bad in my life as l do tonight, and II
YOU Will tel in the Eagle thai ] viii
drive my Old gray horse all day IN play
| ing Santa Claus. I know that when you
publish the reports Of my visits that
there VIII be many persons in Wichita
who viii realize that Il is more blessed
70 give than receive.
AS BEHEI4D IN THE WINDOWS.
: At no time in the past have Wichita
merchants shown more zeal in attract