The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-24

Gather ia the Lodge Room, and With
Bright Faces and Eager Eyes
Await the Arrival of Santa Claus
Presents Distributed MT the
Base of a Highly Ornamented
Christmas Tree.
1t has come to be a tradition that tho
man who makes two blades of grass grow
where one grew before Is a public Dene-
factor.
If this is the case, what term of COM
incubation should be applied to the man
who conceived the idea of making a
merry Christmas" for hundreds Of chill
dren where none existed before? The ST.
Paul Lodge of Elks began last year the
custom c f giving valuable Christmas pres
ents to the poor children of the city, and
before the custom becomes so long estab-
hshed as to forget its origin, it is but
justice TO say that Past Exalted Ruler
and Present District Deputy Frank III.
Rice first presented the matter to st.
Paul Lodge No. 50. The lodge met the
suggestion In grand manner by the APP
pOintment of a committee, with Mr.. Rice
as chairman. and the appropriation of a
geStiOn This year the custom has not
on been continued on a still more lib
eral scale by the St. Paul Elks but it has
been taken UP by numerous other lodges
of Elks throughout the country, and
within two or three years, In five or six
hundred different cities, such scenes as
were witnessed in Elks hall yesterday
in st. Paul will be seen. The man who
could devise such a scheme for making
Children happy eXcels the grass grower.
This year the Elks' committee consisted
OF F. II. Rice, Henry Wholly. Ike Lederer
w. l. Baldwin, Harry Hardick, and
rOusing appropriation from No. 59s treas
TRY. The first step was to call upon NJ
j. Hutchins. secretary of the St Paul
Society for the Relief of the Poor, in
order 10 ascertain who were deserving.
AS the result he gave the committee the
names Of los worthy families, to whom
the following circuar letter was sent:
St Paul Lodge. B. P o. Elks, Join in
Wishing You a Merry Christmas
ST. Paul Lodge No SO, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. invite you and
your children. aged from three to four
teen Years. to Christmas tree at Elks'
hall, in the Lowry Arcade, corner OF
Fourth and st. Peter, streets, Saturday
afternoon, Dec. %. at 8 O'clock You and
your children from three to fourteen
years of age will be admitted by showing
Shls letter at the door otherwise you can
not get In. Please be sure and be on
time. You are expected to be orderly and
FOIL Is called $500
Inclosed you will find street car tickets
euf1cient to take you to the hall and re-
furn to your home.
This invitation was royalty and joy
fully accepted (only four absentees), with
the result that 14S girls and 1859 BOYS, a
total Of 5l2. with some adult, usually the
mother. responded. The street railway
kindly gave the street car tickets, but
with that exception all the expense came
from the lodge, no contribution being So
Melted or accepted, If offered stock of
goods sufficient for a fair-sized store was
secured, as the little ones must need
have q stock from which to be fitted as
in store.
The hail was darkened as to daylight
but brilliantly Illuminated with electric
lights The large elks which grace the
lodge room were harnessed to an elegant
sleigh with white tinsel track and refns,
3 end their. bodies encircled. with sleigh
bells, while the body of the sleigh was
filled with robes to keep Santa Claus
warm on his rounds. A splendid and
highly oEDamepted Christmas tree tow
cred twenty feet to the ceiling, and fe5-
ICONS Of eYergreens were hung length
wise and crosswise of the hall. It looked
like fairy home as the happy and ex-
peCtant children came trooping in. Exalt-
ed Ruler DR.. E. Fl. Whttcomb and many
other Eiks, not on the committee, aided
in the work. and more orderly and bet
ter behaved body of over 800 children We're
never assembled. Mr.. Hutchins was
present to aid and identify, 80 that i'm
position was impossible.
At p IN Mr.. Brock Beckman, of Sa-
vannah, Ga, who so delightfully."- enter
tanned the lodge with his recitations at
the social Thursday night, announced the
arrival Of Santa Claus. The trumpeters
sounded the warning, the sleigh bells
rang merrily and an ideal Santa Claus
appeared on the scene to welcome the
little ones and inaugurate the distribu.
ton Of the good things
The scene which followed was touching
~ and beautifully impressive. sea OF
bright faces, with cOuntenances beaming
with expectation, were upuurned towards
the tree, the stuffed elks and the piles OF
presents before them. AS Mr.. Rice read
the names of the mothers, inviting them
forward with their children, the little
cnes listened eagerly but waited quietly
and patiently until their turn came. The
wives of the Elks joined heartily in the
work, and Mrs. ]. Z. SchusEer, Mrs. F. H
Rice. Mrs John +. King, Mrs. w. I
Baldwin. Mrs. r. H. Tenuy, Mrs. Harry
Hardick, Mrs. Lester Mabon and Mrs. J
A. Quinn were there to aid the gentlemen
of the committee, fitting overshoes, caps
and mittens for the little ones.
The girls all received tCques and wooden
mittens, the boys caps, the larger ones
warmly lined leather mitttens and the
smaller boys wooden mittens, and all boys
ana giIls alike warm pair of arctic over.
shoes There were besides dolls for the
girls toys and picture books and bags OF
fruit, nuts and candy for all. To see the
faces of the little ones light up as they
came forward to ger their presents was q
sight worthy Of being transferred to can
vas It made every one land there were
large number Of lady spectators as well
as Elks) present feel that they were
having a Merry Christmas indeed by
the reflected happiness before them. The
mothers came forward as their names
were called with troops of two, three
and. in at least one case, six children
One mother with two fine looking boys
said she must hurry as she had left five
children at home, but she was provided
with presents for those at home, which
were vouched for by Mr.. Hutchins as OF
the proper age
During the distribution the Twin City
Mandolin club, led by Brother Tony Sny-
der, diseoursed choice music from an ele-