Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-11-24
THElrT7aE0 ONES.


\ gentleman sat in a PLAIN office puzzl-
| inS mis- head over z prrplcXing question
| He Was the agent of Il benevolent society.
organized Ia help the poor OF 4 great
! city. The trouble was this:
| Thanksgiving was ut hand. and he had
| not money enough to Do all that "
] wished to- do on the coming day. lie
/ knew too many families who lived at
starving point to whom Thanksgiving
brought little apparent reason for thanks.
He knew young men who did not hes
itItr Ia spend three dollars ON single
rose. lie knew Young ladies who thought
nothing OF wasting NOR" or loss dollars p
week on candy. Twenty-fiV" cents would
, child.
Many hundreds Of III, extremely poor
looked - this man fnr one good dinner
ut THANKSGIVING time For one day IN
the year they hoped to hav" enough t.
cat How was h" TO give it?
Suddenly. thrc. or four iirty faces
pccr"d through tn. window. timiI
knock followed. Five street boys ana
two somewhat tattcrcd little girls
trooped IN. The agent recognized them
as members Of a city mission evening
school. He said pleasantly.
Well. children what can 10 for You
'Nothin. answered the children
You. Jimmy. YOU ten. said one OF the
girls. giving the fallcst boy shove.
Jimmy fGmbled in his ragged pocket. ami
slowly produced Il large handful % pen
Nics ana small change.
We feiIers are a club" said Jimmy
with q grand air There's twenty Of
We gals are in ii. too interrupted
thu girl who gave the shove.
We. an Of Us. and N" gals. too re-
spondod Jimmy. We come from Cum
minis Alley. ami were y club ~ help
Thanksgivin'. Herc's--lcrc' dol
lars and ninety cents.
The agent stared ut the large snm-col-
lccted at what cost or sclf-aacrifice only
the glVsrS could SAY.
ITS for them that can't git no dinner. '
eXplaincd the little spokesman.
lis it?' exclaimed the good man. lie
hardly knew what 10 say as he glanced
At the poor clothed and shrunAen cheeks
@: the club.
Yes" said Jimmy. stoutIy. There !
plenty poorer than Us. mister: we'r. 4,
club to help EN- We didn't care if VIZ
didnt have dinner Two or three DAYS
so'st we might give real poor folks one.
How many dinners viii nine dollars
and ninety cents set2" asked a little cirl
rather huncT-ly.
What kind Of 4 dinner inquired the
agent. with a perccptible weakening i'll
his voice.
"Oh.-turkcy and stutHn'. and-and
p'iddin cried the children. eagerly.
That VIII cost perhaps. twenty-five
cents apiece. said the agent. and your
money will give fine Thanksgiving din
hcr TO as many as thirtytivc hungry peo-
PIE. You have done nobly and am de-
lighted that YOU have been so kind ana
The dinners We're bought The club
distributed them The childrcns wish
was to put cabbage in with each an
n"r. the agent says. But there were not
cabb3Sts enough to so round. So they
cut each cabbage into quarters. and put
one piece into each bag.
That club of twenty poverty stricken
children worked until nine o'clock that
night on the night before Thanksgiving
distributing thirty-five dinners 70 peopls.
poorer than themselves.
rms is true story. and h.t
should make easy blood Jingle with
something akin to shame
Generosity means comparatively moth
ing unless ii is freighted with something
OF self sacrifice. To give away an OLD
pair of shoes that We do not want means
simply kindly disposition. To give M 4
luxury for 4 few weeks is not Spartan
But to give up what We actually need
to do what these twenty children dds
real generosity.
If starvation feeds starvation. wha,
might not comfort and luxury do"-Thc
Youths Companion.