Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-25
THE SAL LVAT|ON ARMY
Its Practical Charity to the
Poor and Needy.
DINNERS DISTRIBUTED
FAMILIES MADE GLAD WITH BAS-
KETs OF PROVISIONS.
More Than Fifteen Hundred People
Reached in This Way-How the
Funds Were Collected.

More than fifteen hundred people. men.
women and children, have the dinner bas-
kets of the Salvation Army TO thank for a
joyous Christmas today. These are the peo-
pie of the streets and alleys, the poor and
the needy, the men and women in the high
ways and byways whom 1t pleases the pow
ers that guide the work of the army to sue.
cor during the days of festivlty. Without
the help of this great organization many
homes in the District would have been
without their reminder of Christmas cheer,
and many hearts would have been heavy
and sad on the day of days when all things
seem to point to happiness and the enjoy
ment of physical comfort
Months ago the Salvation Army began to
collect the funds with which 1t purchased
dinners Tor the dinnerless hundreds of the
District today. The work began in the fall,
before the preparations for Thanksgiving
day We're made, even before the weather
became even suggestive OF Christmas The
officers of the local corps with Captain and
Mrs. +. L. Roper at their head started in
early to collect the money that would be
needed. They made their estimate high
and worked up to 1t. 1t was their desire 10
feed thousands if they could. The question
was never how few could be fed on n given
amount OF money, but how many could be
fed conveniently by the agents of the army
Inc money was a secondary consideration
With Capt. Roper to inspire them the menu
pers or the local corps went to work with
will. ~
Securing the Funds.
Visits were made to well-known peopIA
throughout the District and aid was so.
ifcited through the columns of the War
Cry, the army organ. When all this pre-
liminary work had been done the agents
of the army established themselves on
street corners, where their little iron pot.
swung with chain from a tripod invited
contributions from the high and the low.
the rich and the poor. Coins of all de-
nor nominations a found their way into the little
FOR more than week the little iron pot0
nave been conspicuously displayed and tho
money has been coming in Capt. Roper
and his assistants visited provision houses
IN the meantime to see what they could
get IN the way of provisions as donations.
/ some OF the provisions were contributed
but great deal Of them were bought,
During the last two three days the
agents of the society have been kept busy
looking up the people to whom the din-,
ner baskets were to be sent Heretofore
this kind OF charity has been conducted
on promiscuous basis that has not
brought forth the best results. The plan
has been to fill the baskets, as nearly
alike as possible, so that no one would
get more or less than another. This has
worked great injustice, because sonre OF
the families would be larger than others.
Thus 1t would not be fair to family
with eleven persons to send it basket
OF the same size as that prepared for q
to a family of two the same size basket
as was sent to a family of eleven.
Yet this has been the custom throughout
the District on all occasions. No account
has been taken of the numbers in the fami-
lies that were to be relieved Capt. Roper
devised plan by means of which this is
all changed. By Issuing tickets with cou-
pons and having all families reported In
vestigated personally. the army has been
enabled to secure an estimate of the num-
Der in each family, and the baskets, which
Ia OF ioh hx he hurc Of
organization and a committee of it's friends,
were filled for the families with due regard
to their size. A coupon bearing the name
of each family was fastened to the basket
and the person bearing the ticket from
which this coupon was torn. was the only
person who could secure the basket.
The Distribution.
guard was placed at the door durino
the early part of the morning to prevent
unauthorized persons from entering the
quarters of the army during the distribution
Of the baskets There were 100 baskets dis
tributed by the members Of the army this
morning and $50 more were given out at the
army headquarters to people who called for
them. In this way more than 800 people
were made happy through the distribution
of the baskets, each Of which contained
hearty meal for the family OF the person to
whom 1t was sent. The baskets contained
a chicken or turkey. cans of tomatoes ana
peas, biscuits, a loaf Of bread. oranges,
S0ioiy' 5u8dtp Cohco, ted, Uuttor,
potatoes, cabbage, cakes, mince pie and
candy. The difference in the size OF the
families made a difference in the size Of .he
baskets. Where extra large families we're
found two baskets were sent. To family
of eleven, for instance, two dozen oranges
would be sent. while to a family Of two
only four or five would go. Turkeys were
placed in some of the baskets instead of
chickens, but the high price of turkeys pre-
vented the purchase of many Of them or
their general distribution. All the money
had fnr hn Chy-ct HS,pa
not yet been received, but when 1t Is finally
accounted for and all the bills are paid the
balance, If there is any, will be devoted to
the general expenses of the corps in this
city