The evening times., 1896-12-25
LADY SANTA CLAUS At WORK
Made Three Hundred Poor Chill
dren Happy This Glad Day.
TONS OF TOYS AND CANDY
Society OF the Christ Child Has
Grown From the Loving Heart of
an Invalid Grill undreds Belong
to the OrganizatiOn-HOw the
Labor Is Done.

| back streets and alleys this morning who
can produce convincing proof that Santa
Claus a woman and that she lives righ,
| here in town. Few know the way to heI
| big, beautiful home, but they write her
! letters, telling her just what toy OF gar
ment they want, and as sure as Christmas
eve comes they get them.
Wednesday n ton OF toys and hundreds
| OF garments were taken away in a wagon
from the big, beautiful home, each gift
tagged and bearing soine loving little
| message. A reporter called last night on
this gracious rival OF the furry saint OF
SaBtaland, and was ushered by a small
coiored Chesterfield into a little room
that was warm and fragrant and filed
with shelves of books.
After waiting just long enough to settle
the fact that old Santa could show moth
ing at his north pole to equal this pretty
spot for picturesqueness and comfort, there
enteredto the reporter a sweet faced youn <
lady, with Voice as CHEEKY sunshine,
who said that she had her sisters per
mission to tell about the Christmas pres
ents on condition that their names should
not be revealed. Then the reporter learned
that tie sister referred to was the real
found out the wants of so many little
ones and gratified them, she herself was
an invalid confined to her beautiful home.
History of the Organization.
at was about ten years ago." said the
cherry voice, that my sister commenced
her work by making complete outfit for
q baby born just before Christmas, whose
mother was very poor. Since then she has
clothed hundreds OF Christmas babies, and
others have joined her in her work, year by
year, until now she has regularly or
ganized society, with n roll OF 235 m.n-
bers, that includes every condition OF
women, from those Of highest social stand
ing to those who labor, manually, for tn .ir
daily bread"
The principal ends and aims OF the Societ V
OF the Christ Child, as the organization is
named. is TO provide proper clothing for
little ones under twelve years OF age; TO
give them happy Christmas, md to send
such as are delicate to the country for a
few weeks during the summer. Great care
is taken that onl Y the deserving should re-
ceive assistance from the society. The in
vestigation OF cases has revealed the fact
that among the poor their infants are
most neglected.; often having nothing to
cover them but the discarded and unhealthy
rags of the older children. Hence, the
suppl ying OF complete outfits for infants
has received very especial attention from
the society, and requests for them are
never refused when thecaseis found worthy.
Clothing for the older children, being
made up of such materials as will make
them more comfortable for the winter, is
given out only in December and January.
Last Years Work.
Last year, Notwithstanding the strin-
gency of the times, the society was able to
send out ! ,2SO garments. Included in
this number We're fift Y outfits for infants,
each outfit consisting of twenty -four pieces;
thirty-two children were aided by Il stay
of two weeks inthc country, and 26O Were
made happy at Christmas by gifts of toys,
books and useful articles.
The requirements Of the membership are
very simple, and consist in king an an
nual contribution in money or in sewing,
and by giying TO at least one child H1ppy
Christmas by supplying the little petit
TONERS desires as expressed in letters ad-
dressed to the Christ child at Christmas
Lady Santa cuts out every garment, and
under her direction the members inyesti-
gate cases and act as mail carriers, and it
is through them that the gifts are received.
Ii is desired to help those little ones who
are out of the reach OF organized charities,
and for that reason the societies OF both
Catholic and Protestant churches are called
on TO aid in a Judicious selection.
Il read letter that Lady Santa sent
Tuesday TO one member said the sister
to the reporter. 1T was from little
girl who wanted hammock and pair of
mitts; did she get them?
"Oh, yes; as soon as the letters are
brought to her, my sister sends one to each
member, and every present is brought
here, nicely wrapped and labelled, and for
warded at once. That hammock was Il
nice, substantial one, and large enough to
swing across room.
Piled With Gifts.
.'If you had come yesterday she went
on, laughingly, you could not have found
room to enter, for the gifts had been de
livered here, AMI we were crowded up with
clothing and toys. To show you how earn
est and good the members are. one OF them
gave up her own Christmas pleasure hy
going to a shoe store two days in success
sion, and staying there five hours each day,
while the fifty children we gave shoes to
were fitted. The money was contributed
by the various members, and she saw to it
that the children were properly shod.''
II wish l could see some of the letters,''
said the reporter with suggestivenessthat,
however, failed Of results.
Il wish he had some to sho W you, "saidthe
cherry voice. "But you see we send themto
the members. Some of them were funny and
very pathetic too. One little colored tot
wrote that If the Christ Child would gratify
her wish that she wouldtry to save her soul,
but she was so badthat her grandmother bet
her she couldn't do it. A pathetic case hap
pened last year. One member received a let
ter from little girl ill with consumption,
who wanted a work box with pair of scis-
sors, a thimble and thread. Being unable to
attend to the purchase she sent the money
instead.
1T was a cold, windy evening and was
very tired that day, bat my sister said the
title sick girl ought not to be disappointed,
SO 1 went down town and hunted the shops
for hours before could find the kind de-
scribed by tho child. I came across 1t at
last, and as soon as / reached home my
sister sent her maid with the package to the
shild's home, where she found two other |
little children watching atthe window. They |
mad been on the lookout all day while the
little owner waited in her bed. She wasl
childishly pleased with her treasure, and
laying it on her breast asked her mother |
please to let her take it to heaven with her
"She died that night ana you can't think
how glad was that had not disappointed
her at the very last