Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10
MAKING MERRY XMAS
How Millionaires Remember
the Less Fortunate.
OPEN GOLDEN PURSES
TO GIVE POOR CHILDREN A HAP
Ply DAY
Goulds Said to Lead All the Nabobs
in This Partic-
ular.

| Written for The Evening Star.
The rapidly growing millionaire class in
| New York is extravagant in it's charities
! as in it's cotllions and it's Jewels All the
| year around almoners of the very rich dis
| tribute gratuities, but at Christmas time
| silken and golden purses open even wider
| than usual and there is prodigality about
| these gifts which insures a Christmas din
| ner if not a merry Christmas to all the
| poor of a city whose poverty has unques-
| tionably been overestimated.
| All of the Christmas givers do not belong
| to the same class. There are those who
| give because they love the Christmas sea-
son, and they really sympathize with the
poor who benefit by their charities and
there are women, notably those who are
| anxious for social recognition, who rack
their brains for original ways to benefit
the poor and the SICK and incidentally to
! get their names in the newspapers
| Some of the most admirable women give
| SO quietly that news of their bounty never
finds its way into public print Other wom-
! en- send typewriter accounts of their do
nations to city editors. Many women,
| famed for their generosity, have pet char
| tiles and really weary their friends by ask
| ing for donations for THE Home for Tired
| Weary Seams stresses
The simplest solution of the problem IS to
contribute toward the public dinners
scores OF millionaires give gladly to these
Christmas dinners, and the East Side halls
! are always rented for this day. Admission
| Is by ticket, and a few days in advance the
: poor of the neighborhood are invited to
make application. No questions are asked
ana often a youth with a boundless appe-
ute collects three Christmas dinners in one
DAY These dinners are usually under pri-
Vate auspices and the names of the donors
are never known.
all the wives of p,jIJopair 49,
women of the house of Gould do the great
est amount of charity, and Miss Helen
Gould is known all over the land as thor
oughly philanthropic woman. Miss Gould
has under her especial charge the Robins
Nest Home in Tarrytown, where hundreds
of crippled children are yearly nursed back
! to health. Christmas day is a gala event
| for these little sufferers, and in the coy
| parlor a huge tree stands, laden with toys
| and books and goodies for Miss Gould's
| proteges. Mrs Edwin Gould and Mrs
| Frank Gould assist at these Christmas fes-
tivitfes. To mention all the proteges of
Miss Gould would be impossible She WIS.,
its the Y. NJ. c. A. houses regularly, and
always provides some sort Of entertainment
for the friendless members on Christmas.
Mrs George Jay Gould believes that
charity begins at home" and her regiment
of servants at Georgian Court, in Lake
wood, have the most delightful Christmas
parties. The Goulds have dozen or more
house guests, and the friends and the ser
wants mingle at a grand ball, which MRS.
Gould usually leads with the butler Then
| come games of snap dragon and hide
| and SEEK and for day absolute equal
| ity is maintained. Mrs Gould gives mu-
nificently to the poor of Lakewood, and al
| the little hospital there is usually an espe-
| cal dinner for the patients.
On Long Island.
Hampstead Westbury and Roslyn, in
| Long Island are blessed by a charitable
group of milionaires, and Christmas is OBJ
served by dinners and entertainments for
| the poor. The following women always ar
rarge a Christmas entertainment for The
patients in the Nassau Hospital, in Min
cola: Mrs. FoXhall Keene, Mrs. William
K. Vanderbilt, jr., Mrs. Van Rennselaer
Kennedy Mrs A. Butler Duncan and Mrs.
| Clarence H. Mackay. Only recently Mrs
| Mackay opened her splendid estate, "Har-
| Dor HILL for the benefit of this hospital,
and cleared up $4,000. She and her friends
| waited the rustic folk of Long Island
| and served them with tea and less temper
| ate drinks at extortionate prices.
Mrs. Oliver II. p. Belmont IS especially
| interested IN poor children, and on Christ
mas all the ragged boys and girls of Hemp
stead are invited to her great white coun-
| try mansion, where a wonderful dinner is
served by French chef and his assistants.
In the afternoon there is vaudeville show,
and the children take away tarlatan bags
filed with nuts and fruit, and with crisp
one-dollar bill folded at the bottom.
Made Personal Calls.
Last winter Mrs. James L. Kernocnan
was in mourning, and early on Christmas
day she drove over to the poor house near
the estate followed by a surrey filled with
packages. She gave the aged poor the most
sensible and gratifying gifts The old men
received pipes with enough tobacco to last
| a year, and the women had knitted ShaWiS
and mittenS
| Mrs Kernochan's practical charity is in
| contrast to that of another wealthy wo-
man, sometimes known as the most eX-
elusive woman in America" Last Christ
mas she sent TO the poor of the village near
which her country house stands hot-house
melons and French artichokes. The story
runs that several upstate housewives made
| the strange melons into pies, thinking they
| were a new sort of pumpkin.
The Vanderbilt women are little known
| for their-e charities. Mrs. Cornelius Wander
bilt gives a vaudeville show for several
| orphanages in the Bronx and provides
genuinely good program. Mrs. William X.
| Vanderbilt, jr., takes part In all the Long
Reginald and Mrs. Alfred G. Vanderbilt are
identified with charities in Newport.
| The many members Of the Dodge, Phelps
| and Stokes families are busy Christmas
| day. They have built up several settle
| ments' in the East Side, and at the Univer-
| sity Settlement grand entertainment Is
given every Christmas. All the neighbor-
| hood attends and the concert program is
| provided by distinguished musicians. Miss
1 Melissa Stokes has as many interests in the
| East Side as any woman in the wealthy
| class. Another woman who sees that Christ
mas is a bright day for the East Side poor
| is Mrs. Isidor Wormser, the bankers wife,
who has long list of worthy families on
| her list
Mrs. Fish's Good Deeds.
| The three churches in Garrison, N. T.,
are practically supported by Mrs. Stuy-
! vesant Fish, and the Sunday schools are
| entertained on Christmas with well-laden
| trees. Mrs. Fish and her daughter. Miss
| Marion, often appear and empty their gold
purses for the children. Mrs. Fish believes
that children should be amused. and she
has vaudeville artists on hand for this
purpose.
| Mrs. Eldridge T. Gerry engages all the
| punch and judy shows to be had and sends
them down to East Side halls so thou
| sands of children on December % shrek
with laughter, thanks to Mrs. Gerry.
/ Randolph Guggenheimers Christmas din