Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09

shoes she has asked for-thousands OF
palrs-from the readers of the journal.
Large quantities of clothing must also be
collected for distribution at Christmas time
with the basket dinners. and it is no light
task to pick out of a tremendous pile the
garments that are best suited to the needs
of a particular family.
Toys for the children must not be for
gotten, for we are the only Santa Claus
that many a child ever knows In some
cities big Christmas party, with a giant
Christmas tree, is given; In others the toys
are given away with the Christmas din
nerS.
netroit's Santa Claus Showing.
Our post in Detroit, Mich, had good
idea last year. All the poor children were
invited to bring letters to the Volunteers
who stood in the streets dressed as Santa
Claus. In these letters they were to say
what they wanted Santa Claus to bring
them. For two weeks our men were daily
surrounded by crowds of children, who
asked for every toy under the sun, from
doll or pair of skates to an automobile.
Some of the letters were actually sent
through the mail, addressed, for example.
Santa Claus, corner Fort and Woodward
streets, Detroit, Mich, and were duly de-
livered by the mail carriers.
When Christmas came two parties were
given to over coo poor children. and Santa
Claus, dressed in the conventional garb,
handed to each child the present that he
or she had asked for Did those young
sters have good Christmas? Well l should
say so. Besides the toys, many of them
were given boots and clothing; every one
had nice new pair of warm wooden nit
tens and candy nuts and oranges in I'M
limited profusion. All this took a lot OF
arranging but the Detroit people declared
that it was well worth it,
The work Of the Volunteers is only O.
small portion of the great work of Christ
mas charity in America, but it is typical
of the whole All religious denominations
Santa Claus to the homes of the poor. Nor
do the politicians lag far behind. Their
motives, of course, are not so pure and
unselfsh; but they are great deal better
than they are usually given credit for.
We are expected to take care of our
people at Christmas. as at all other times"
said a boss whose name stands for the
worst In politics. But I'm telling you the
truth when l say it isn't only that we
think Of district leader sees poverty
as few people sees It, He is brought up
have a heart of stone If he is only thinking
of his own selfish interests when he gives
his big Christmas feast. Most of the poll
ticians | know don't worry whether their
whether they have votes or not. They
draw no party lines on that ocasion.''
''Big Tins" Big Xmas Party.
Probably the biggest and most generous
of these politicians dinners is the one given
every Christmas day by Big Tim Sulli-
van the Tammany leader of the east side
of New York. In one single assembly dis
trict, of which he is leader, Sullivan an
nuaIly gives dinner which is never at
tended by less than two thousand people.
The menu includes all that a man need
want to eat and drink, even on Christmas
day Pipes, bags of tobacco and other
presents are given to each guest.
This year. among other trifies, Mr.. Sui
Ivan has ordered 1900 pairs of shoes for
his poorer brethren. He shares Mrs.
Booths views on that subject.
Give a man a good pair OF boots" he
saws land he feels twice the man he was
before and he stands a much better chance
of getting a Job and keeping it.
Several hundred suits of clothing, hun
dred tons of coal and other necessaries
will also be given away in connection with
the feast and the congressman Will finally
make himself feel good by paying the ar
rears of from seventy-five TO hundred
families who are threatened with ospos-
session for non-payment OF rent.
So great is the volume OF Christmas char-
ity nowadays that there ought not 10 be a
single family in any of the big cities with,
out its Christmas dinner. But there w1ll
he many, for poverty. as rule, crawls Into
it's corner and hides.
..Hundreds of the people down on our
lists of Invitation will not come to receive
their basket dinners" said an ohlcer OF the
Volunteers when we are dead peat at
the end of our other work, we have 70 go
ont and hunt them up In their MONIES.
Evan then. we often have the greatest
trouble in forcing them to take the paskets.
The pride OF the poor Is beyond most peo-
ple's comprehension.