The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-20
A Waste of Energy.
Philadelphia Times.

Philadelphia Times.
This is the season when women's thoughts
instinctively turn to charity and the huge
amount of work it entails. Fairs, festivals
and concerts, whist parties and every con-
ceivable form of entertainment calculated
to draw dollars and cents from the depths
of pocketbooks are being devised for the
winter, and their promoters are already be-
ginning to wear the anxious, worried look
which means a nervous strain. How hard
they work over these things nobody knows
as we'll as they and their families. The
strength needed to carry the burden of ev-
eryday life is put into this charitable work,
and the good people at home patiently bear
the discomfort which comes from over
wrought nerves, and all because it is char
ity.
the good motives which underlie all this
work; | am in the closest sympathy with
it, But have not the members of our own
families some claim upon us? Ought we
not to give them a little of that charity
which is wearing out our nerves? If we
would but think the matter out calmly and
SO arrange our finances that we could spare
just a little bit of money for our charity
work and save our strength. just the few
pennies which the piece of fancy work we
devoted to the last fair cost us the world
would be a more comfortable place. l don't
suppose 1t is any use to wish that women
who pay anywhere from 80 cents to $1.5O
for tickets to entertainments which bore
them would give that much cash for the
charity a the bottom of them. They won't,
because they have been educated in the be-
lief that they must have an equivalent for
their money. They really mean we'll enough,
but they can never be persuaded to give
that amount of money outright. They would
see thousand and one ways in which to
use It.
I am going to tell you of few ways in
which you can help, and wisely, too. Save
every garment which you do not need and
give it where it will do good. Don't cut Off
the buttons before bestoWing 1t, because its
next wearer needs fastening as much as
you did. If the buttons are expensive and
you see a way to use them again in your
wardrobe, keep them by all means, for
that is true economy, but replace them with
something that will do as well. have seen
women collect odd garments, cut off every
button, remove every scrap of ribbon, even
to the collar and belt, and then give them
to a. family utterly unable to spare penny
to replace them. although they found the
garments useless without these accessories.
Do you call that real charity? l should say
not. True charity would have urged women
it in a. wearable condition. There is lots of
comfort for somebody in much of our cloth
ing when we are done with it, and giving 1T
to proper persons is an act OF charity which
ranks with the preparations of the finest
fair ever given. If you can't give clothing,
give food when you find a hungry man or
woman or child, and the good Lord knows
that there are many such. l have written
before of the kind-hearted proprietor of
large boarding house, who saves every good
bags and gives them where they are wanted.
The story is worth telling every week in the
year, because she has kept many families
from starvation, and in a manner that could
not wound their pride. Hungry people have
bride YOU knoW-any amount of it-al-
oh 1eAfiT