Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
CHI R|ST WAS FEASTS
Mammoth Dinners Arranged
for the City's Poor.
ALL WORK TOGETHER
POLITICIANS, RELIGIoNIsTs AND
PHILANTHRoPIsTs IN ACCORD.
How the Charity Dinners Are Provided
for and How the Guests
Are Secured.
ALL WORK TOGETHER
Written for The Star.

Written for The Star.
If you have read Kipling's story about
Badalia Herodsfoot, you will remember
how the Episcopal clergyman and Brother
Victor of the Order of Little Ease for
got their doctrinal differences when they
were face to face with the poverty of a
London Stun, and became good comrades
in the work of feeding the hungry and
clothing the naked.
A few weeks before Christmas an Inter-
esting conference is held on the East Side
of New York. 1t is attended by men and
women who are all distinguished In their
own lines of work Some of them have ma
tional regulations. But they are so radi-
cally opposed to one another in their lives
and their ideas that you would think it
was impossible for them to meet together
and talk amicably any subject
There is the politician who started as a
saloonkeeper and had the good sense not
to drink his stock in trade. Now he is a
millionaire, his wealth and his success
gained by means which most of his fellows
in the conference consider detestable
By his side sits frail, thin faced eager
little woman who is slowly killing herself
by overwork at the head Of the philan-
thropic department of a great religious or
ganZation She believes that smoking Is
almost as sinful as drinking but when the
politician absent-mindedly lights a big
pldck cigar sIe goes on taking With MIN
as cheerily as before, without raising the
slightest objection. He recollects the COM
pany he is in and throws the cigar away,
with a muttered apology.
Opposite to these two strangely paired
friends is the house surgeon of a famous
hospital. He is known the world over by
the books which he has written-books that
aim to shatter the foundations of belief. He
thinks the little woman is a fanatic. and
he has little in common with the politician
except the purpose that has brought them
together.
That purpose is to arrange for the distrt-
button of Christmas cheer to the poor
Nearly all the persons in the conference
differ as widely from one another as the
three we have indicated. but they are
united In the common desire to give good
Christmas feast to those who need It.
No Questions Asked.
In all the cities throughout the country
the people who are doing this kind of work
get together and cooperate In framing a
program that will properly cover all the
cases OF distress within their knowledge
The cooperation is not always so formal
and business-like as it Is in New York.
but 1t is there in some form or other Diff
ferences of politics and creed are quite for
gotten for the time being and the queeriy
assorted philanthropsts even lose sight OF
their usual furious desire to know that the
recipient Is worthy
THE fellow must be hungry, or he
wouldn't come and ask for his Christmas
the politician. He may have come out or
jail last week. and he may be going back
there next week. but that's no reason why
We shouldn't feed him on Christmas day
IL he's hungry. I've no patience with this
talk about deserving cases. If we all got