The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-11
WILL ALL UNITE.
Community of Interest TO Give
Poor a Merry Christmas.
Mrs. Thorpe, Salvation Army
and Clubs Join Issues.
A DINNER FOR ALL.
Police Matr0n Issuing Tickets
For the Deserving.
Mayor Hughes Calls a Meeting
For Friday.

| Police Matron Laura E. Thorpe,
Mayor J. W. F. Hughes, the Salvation
Army and the Women's Federated
| clubs have formed community of in
terest" for the purpose of giving the
| poor people of Topeka a merry Christ
| mas.
An elaborate plan of campaign has
| been devised in preparation for the
| Christmas celebration. 1t will open
| with public meeting to be held in
| Friday afternoon.
| 1t will be followed by vigorous efforts
among the wOmenS clubs of the city,
| which will be directed by a committee
| appointed for that purpose at the last
meeting of the federation. The COM
mittee is composed of Mrs. Garvey, Mrs.
| Nellis and Mrs. Evans. The object of
the women's clubs is to secure dona-
| tions of food, clothing and toys, to be
used on Christmas day
| Meantime Mrs. Thorpe has adopted
| scheme of issuing tickets to persons
! whom she knows to be deserving, and
/ the tickets will entitle the holder to a
free Christmas dinner, and to some
/ donations of food. clothing and toys.
which may be left at the city prison
and will be carefully disposed of.
The big Christmas dinner is being
| planned by the Salvation Army. and
| promises to be the most successful
| event of the kind ever held in Topeka.
| The army will plan to take care of
| from 700 to 1000 people, and has as yet
secured no hall suitable for the event
| The army hall on lower Kansas ave-
| nue. is not large enough, unless it is
| arranged to have dinner served at
various hours, so that the whole crowd
| of guests will not come at once. The
| supplies for this dinner will be secured
| by donations from merchants and by
| cash subscriptions from citizens of To-
| peka-
| Topeka does not look like a city
which would need much charity to en-
| able all the people who live here to en-
| joy Christmas day. But it is the old
| story-"the poor we have ever with US"
| Even Topeka has it's share of destitute
| people
Where do the people live who are in
need of charity?" was asked of Mrs
| Thorpe. who is no doubt better posted
on such subjects than any other person
| in Topeka
There is no one district" she replied.
They are scattered throughout the
| city. Many of them come from down
in the east part of town; many from
North Topeka; some from the south
How about Tennesseetown? was
asked.
I'VE have very few calls for help from
ION my charity lists I have the names
of only about dozen colored people,
out of five or six hundred names.
Why this is l do not surely know, for
as welcome as the poor white people
What are the causes of restitution
IN 1ODekd. was asked
principally misfortune said Mrs.
Thorpe. We have many widows who
find it hard to get work The cOlored
people seem to get most of the odd
jobs in town, and that no doubt helps
the colored families to keep from want.
Sickness is frequently a cause for des-
titution. Poor Commissioner Hale keeps
most of these families supplied with
coal Children left half orphans, or Of
whom both parents are dead or miss
ing, frequently have to be helped"
What sort of supplies are needed for
Christmas2"
Clothing especially Any kind of
clothing is very accepta BILE. We also
want dolls for the girls, and toys and
books of all descriptions. We want to
be able to give every child some little
Christmas gift. To prevent undeserving
people from getting gifts free din
ners, l am issuing tickets to thosL
know to be all right. 1t will be neces-
sary for those who want to share in the
distribution to get tickets. 1 also try
to arrange to have those who receive
tickets do some little service to entftle
themselves to a ticket, thus taking
away as far as possible the charity fea-
ture of the work
1.-The greatest cause of hard times
among the poor this Christmas con-
tinued Mrs. Thorpe sis the exceedingly
high price of all sorts of necessities of
life. Those who are poor find it hard
to earn enough to keep even nowadays,
and they will not have anything left for
erything costs so much is going to be
one of the principal reasons for making
provisions for a Christmas celebration
for the poor this year"
The mass meeting on Friday after
noon will be presided over by Mayor
Hughes, and will be addressed by sew
eral well known citizens. The public
is invited to attend. and get informa-
ton as to just what sort of charity is
needed this year.