Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-17
Good Cheer for the Poor.


While the Salvation Army dinners are by
far the most ambitious of all dinners to the
poor, those given to newsboys by their
patrons and the meals spread for the delec-
tation of their constituents by the political
district leaders of New Yorks East Side
are not to be passed over lightly. That is
a poor and small dinner, indeed, which
does not cost a thousand dollars and the
Sullivans of Bowery fame have been in the
habit of spending several thousand dollars
for turkey and trimmings.
The millionaire does not lag behind the
politician in his efforts to give good cheer
to the poor. He does not do SO promisca-
ously. He is more than willing to give big
sums of money to charitable organizations
at other periods of the year, to be spent as
the organizations see fit people and in
stitutions that he personally knows nothing
very little about. But at Christmas he
insists looking after the worthy poor
with whom he is acquainted or of
whom he has intimate knowledge The
charitable organizations recognize this
failing, and they automatically refrain
from soliciting contributions at this sea-
son. Their great harvest day is Thanks
giving. when they aim to have touch-
ingly worded appeal at the plate of the
millionaire when he sits down to give
thanks for the golden bird and the other
material evidences before him of a kind
and benefcent Providence.
With Generous Hand.
So it happens that the millionaire just
now is unconsciously, perhaps, playing the
role of the feudai lord of other days, who
went among his retainers and the poor of
the countryside, scattering Christmas lar
CESS to one and all, and leaving good cheer
and merry hearts behind him. The mil
lionaire does this pleasant task every bit as
well as the feudal lord, and with a hand
even more liberal. a Gould or Morgan or
a Belmont thinks nothing of disposfng of
- 1l,l; t,F
this way. A big wholesale poultry dealer
in New York has had one of the country S
leading millionaires for a regular customer
for the last six Christmases. and each sea-
son he places an order for five hundred
turkeys-tWelve hundred dollars for this one
item alone -!--f as.
Typical of these modern. 'feudal lords is
j. e. AndruS, mayor of Yonkers, NY, and
owner of thirty million dollars worth of prop
erty. He gives away more than quarter
of million of dollars to charity every year,
and by far the greater part of this fortune
is distributed at this season. The poor of
Yonkers always have a merry Christmas,
because of Mr. Andrus. East year he sent
out twelve hundred dinners. ard gifts by
the wagon load for the children.
Christmas Clubs.
One of the millionafre's stock ways of
showing good will toward men is by
means of the Christmas club. Whenever
there are two orr three millionaires in q
community they are almost certain to have
formed Christmas club. Perhaps the most
famous club rs that one composed of the
RIttenhouse Square setl in Philadelphia
which boasts such we'll Known members as
the Cassatts, the Harrisons and the Weth-
erlls This club, after the manner of it's
kind, but on far more elaborate scale
provides a high-class Vaudeville entertain
ment followed by q dance and dinner, for
the poor who are personally known to the
members and their families The money
they spend for this purpose would make u
fortune for the average man.
These clubs conducted so quietly that
accounts of their doi1gS never get into the
newspa pers. 1t is safe to say that the
average Philadelphian7, knows absolutely
nothing of the most unique Christmas en-
tertainment that is given yearly in his
town where the poor and the lowly the
MANNED, the halt and the blind are solicit
tously looked after and their slightest wish
fulfilled by the members of the most eX-
elusive circle of the most exclusive society
in America.
Millions of money already accounted for,
and nothing has been said about the Christ
mas box contributions for Americas 1872, 900
BARRIERS, 5000 bartenders and 5000 boot
blacks; the ash man and the garbage man;
the furnace man in Philadelphia. the part
ment house janitor in New York and Chi
cago; the butchers boy, the grocer's boy,
the milk man and the ice man; the house
hold cook and the second girl; and so ad
infinitum
Millions in the Christmas box? Perhaps
as many as make up the fortune of the
mayor of Yonkers, n. Y.