The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-25
|ELKS AS RENDERS
OVERsHOEs, MITFENs AND CAPS
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
LODGE ROOM WAS PACKED
Members Dof Their Coats and, with
Their wives, Become Amateur
Clerks, Fitting on
Clothing.

!
"Charity," the corner stone upon which
! has been built the Benevolent and Pro-
| tective Order Of Elks, was the catch
| word yesterday afternoon. at their hall
| and never was this virtue better eXem-
plified in tangible manner, than by the
| way in which over half a thousand poor
children We're taken care CT. and made
happy for the Christmas holidays.
Yesterday afternoon at o'clock there
| We're some SIS children gathered in the
| lodge room of the Elks, at the special in
vitation of this society, and each one
| CT this number wore upep his or her
face an expectant look of great pleasure
and comfort to follow. And in this the
children were not disappointed, for the
Elks, with their proVerbiaI generosity
had provided for them in a manner that
was to be effective.
Perhaps in all the history of the Elks'
hall there has never been gathering
of so many various conditions of life as
there was Yesterday afternoon. They
were there from all portions of the city,
from the ranks of the lowly and poor
they had been recruited in order that the
glad tidings of the Yuletide might be
brought to them in a realistic manner.
Boys and girls, some untidy, some tidy.
some possessed with the effrontery and
confidence of youth, and others imbued
with the retiring disposition of few years
presented their cards for admission to the
fete.
Outside of the doors of the lodge room
stood big sergeant and a big patrolnlan,
and their hearts were proportionately
large. Their orders were not to allow any
to enter who did not have cards, as was
a necessary precaution, but as one by
one the poor and shivering appeared
saying they had no,cards they We're sent
up stairs to stand their chances above,
and their chances there were more than
good, for the whole souled men who were
devoting their time and energy to bright
ening the darkened lives OF the poor per-
1nitted no one to depart unsatisfied.
Hall Was Soon Filled.
Long before the time set down for the
arrival Of Santa Claus all the seats that
had been arranged in the lodge room of
the hall were filled by boys and girls,
who came from 204 families, whose names
had been taken from the roll of the Re-
lief society and the Associated Charities.
The joyous gathering was by no means
confined to children, as many Of the
poor hardworking mothers were present
to greet with wan smile the exulting
Joy Of their offspring.
The wives and friends of the members
of the lodge were also present in large
numbers, and helped by their presence
and work to make the rather large affalr
pass off smoothly. The seal skin sacque
and the threadbare jacket mingled, With
the common interest of making little
hearts happy, and the result was all that
could be wished for.
From / o'clock until 3, the time for the
arrival of Santa Claus, continuous
stream of humanity passed the big ser
geant into the lodge room. Inside, the
members hustled about seating all those
who came, and this was no small job.
Mothers had lost, their youngest in the
crowd, and small brothers had become
separated from their sisters in the rush.
All these had to be found before there
could be any peace, and the members of
the lodge who had this portion of the en-
tertainment In charge perspired freely as