The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-20
PATHOS OF CHRISTMAS
PITIFUL STORIES REVEALED BY
SEASON
Poor Little Girl Who Had Never Had
a Doll Went Crazy When She Was
Put to Work in Doll Department
What the EIks Do

Mixed with the Christmas mystery
and delight there is always much
pathos. AS a sort of irony of fate it is
often at these holiday seasons we hear
of stories that rend our hearts and
make us wonder how such things can
be. One incident that was reported re-
Gently reveals a state of affairs pa
thetic in the extreme. A little girl IN
some Eastern city never had had
doll: she had grown up in squalor and
dire poverty, and just before the busy
season this year she obtained place
in the doll department of a big store.
The 10y of suddenly finding herself
surrounded by dolls of all kinds and
sizes proved too much for her poor lit
tie brain, and she became insane. Now
she is shut up in some institution.
hugging a large doll and jabbering
foolishly This story is sickening as
one follows it in thought and realizes
what the life Of that child must have
been, when the sudden joy of doll
department would cloud her mind.
Then think of the blase children to
whom real doll house, with real cleo
tric lights, real plumbing and real
kitchen ranges and cooking utensils
will not even bring a thrill. There
are such children, and not all of them
in New York, either. 1t is really no
fault of theirs, nor of their parents, in
way though it is an acknowledged
fact that many children have too
much. IT, however, these pampered
children could be taught that Christ
mas is time to think of others, If
they could gather up all their toys
and buy new ones and be taken to hos
pitfalls, orhphan asylums and other
places and give the things themselves,
to witness the joy they occasion, the
spirit of it would be impressed upon
them for life A little St. Paul girl
did a very beautiful thing not long ago
on her birthday. She is so situated
that she can have all she wants, ana
when her anniversary came, instead OF
celebrating among her friends and
having a party for them, she went to
the crippled ward of the city hospital
and had her party there. Just think
what that meant to those little ones
so cut off by misfortune from home
and parties Of their own. Think, too.
of the pleasure of the unselfish girl
who celebrated her birthday in so
beautiful a manner. Now it is not
hard to do these lovely things, and
how different it makes life, and how it
teaches unSelfishness to children whose
circumstances often tend, through no
fault of theirs to make them the exact
opposite.
Some one will say, "Where are the
children of the Door? We can't find
them" If you want to know whether
there are many and how a little good
cheer can make life brighter for them,
go to the Christmas celebration given
annually by the Elks. That is sight
to make the soul of man glad. Here
are hundreds of children, their faces
radiant with glad anticipation, wait
ing patiently, sometimes for hours, for
the doors of the hall to be opened.
And they are not all children, either;
there are fathers and mothers, care
forgotten for the moment, and totter-
ing old people, too, all partaking of
that Christmas spirit which the Elks
so beautifully eXemplify. And how
they do work fitting tiny overshoes
and mittens! 1t is good to see an Elk
at this task, and ever after one has Il
warm spot in the heart for that socie-
ty This is, of course, not the only
organization, by many, to do this
beautiful thing, but it is the largest
and most general of all the trees given
for those who might otherwise have no
Christmas cheer at all.
One other heart breaking story
which has appeared recently was of a
little girl who stood near the doll
counter in a department store in this
city, and oh, she did want one so! The
temptation was somewhat more imam
the frail human nature could endure,
so when the clerks back was turned
she took a dollie and hid it under her
coat But man saw her and she was
taken by large policeman-who, by
the way, must have felt rather small
for once-to the central station, from
where later on she was taken home
with the promise to appear in court if
the store wished to prosecute. Now
the writer knows the department
stores pretty well, and is absolutely
certain that there is not man among
them who would prosecute that child
for taking that doll. In these days Of
graft, when the papers are full of the
doings of the Mrs. Chadwicks, and the
Mr.. Chadwicks who have not been
caught, 1 am sure the courts are too
busy to attend to the case of the child
who simply had to have a doll by fair
means or foul. Please dismiss this
case, your honor!