The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-24
Arts TO BLIND CHILDREN.
,uFJR IDEAS or CHRISTINA As
: TREES AND SANTA CLAUS.
...s Trees Measure In Their Minds All the
Way Prom Our stories In Height
nown 10 q Few Feet-Some Things
the, Hope 10 Fin In Their stockings.

nown 10 q Few Feet-some Things
me, Hope 20 Find In Their stockings.
r.snty-Gve sightless children gathered
Aor, a Christmas tree on Saturday the
-.,ri,uda Of which they could not appre-
Ia. and the beauty of whose decorations
1~a tho pretty gifts which filed its branches
~ could not see. IL was the first real
cSLs,mas tree that the little children OF the
mind Babies Home, at Eighty-fourth street
I'd Thirteenth avenue, Brooklyn, had ever
so;oved. IL is only a few months since
.hs institution, which is the only one Of the
lind for babies and children under 8 years
Of age in the country se''ie" a' Hs present
bcation.
In one corner of the schoolroom on the
ar, aoor a big fir tree reared its head until
IN onre touched the schoolroom ceiling.
Ia bonghs we're hung with all the glittering
,binss typical Of the occasion. Besides
,Ais there we're gifts for all the children.
and these we're presented after Christmas
son9s had been sung. Rotations given
.,d A pretty suniower dance presented.
children who had mothers or fathers knew
,hat their pa rents were sitting near by as
r,ssts. and that added to their happiness.
The shouts Of Joy with which the presents
x.re received amply compensated the older
tlk for their efforts in fitting up the tree.
With deft and rapid touch the little fingers
n the children huttered over the gifts as
they we're presented, and from the ex-
ppssion on their faces one could see that
their little minds grasped the picture which
| their eyes could not paint.
oh, sighed Betsey. a little Greek aged 5,
| Who is the pet of the home, as a handsome
rag doll was placed in her arms, -how
~boo.tiful, " while she touched 1t gently from
head 10 toe and then began to rock it TO sleep.
'Humph, I'd rather have a nail file. Then
I can clean my own nails" announced
Cornelius, also a ~five-year-old, with a proud
little svagger as he produced that toilet
article in silver a. his particular gift.
II was funny what different mental pict-
ures the children had conjured up about
ths tree, Santa Claus and the holiday sea-
En in general, for when a reporter asked
Annie. one ~ the brightest children, who
q about !, how big the tree was she re-
marked gravely AZ was her way:
i should say it's about -four stories high.
At any rate it's very, very TALL and she
turned her sightless eyes toward the ceiling
Ia an endeavor 20 correctly imagine the
height.
It's not" interrupted Howard, another
tveyear-old; it's only four feet high"
no, it's as high as this" chirruped a
small four-year-old, holding up his chubby
hands as high as he could over his head.
i know, for once l went up to Central
Park where Christmas trees grow and a
man told me all about it,"
Well, | do know this continued Annie
aowly, that it is a very large tree with
branches that spread out about. it and it
si cycles [~iciciesl on it and little glass
balls and
'Yes, and il has those things on what
you pull and then IL opens and you take
out a hat, broke in Cornelius the towhead.
oh, Cornelius" chided Annie, don't
make 80 much noise, then she took up
say il grows out in the country, not in the
city, for there wouldn't be room for it with
al the big buildings"
Girls don't know everything pouted
Cornelius, who had announced Central
Park as the home Of the Christmas tree.
|'YOu ask a policeman m he'll tell you il
rs 30 and Santa Claus sometimes stays
|Ihere. Santa is a jolly little elf with green
'%vhiskers and a nose like a cherry.
Hes white, +" exclaimed Harold, eager to
1--we his version, "and dressed all in fur
from head 10 toes, and inside his hands are a
lot Of tvinkling lights. I'm going to look
|tr the lights on Christmas eve II | can keep
He always comes at IL o'clock" re-
marked Annie, with the air Of n settling
NE question and every is expected to
be asleep"
When you snore are you asleep7' queried
|c%ornelius, the irrepressible in a burst OF
|clu10glty m which M nnA ~ vaH anu ATTAIN |
|hon.
I'm going to pretend I'm asleep went
|on Annie, az though no m had spoken,
for you know" quantity, Il can close my
|tyss when I'm not asleep sometimes
Tomorrow night all the blind children
|they have quite as many wishes as the
pane, number OF seeing children could
possibly have.
Would you mind writing a letter for me
n Santa CLAUSE" queried Annie, with the
|eepth Of earnestness so characteristic of
per, And me-" And me-" -And me"
pane from twenty different sources.
You see, perhaps il you were TO write
Ne might pay more attention 20 1t than if
wrote II, for you are older and NOW how
Fo Eflte a letter better.
do want a real trunk very much indeed.
Not 4 play trunk but one hat / can keep
my things in, and then I'd like any little
- go NJ " ltl ~ ~ Oili NlCoSCE.
ana want an iron, ' shouted Cornelius,
breaking out again.
Fully.
On, he means a little play iron-a fat
poI Interrupted Annie.
les, want a little play iron. a wagon
|Mat winds and two horses and a little play
harold got his innings then with the
VOICE i want a Iona real one-and a lion
cAoe and a cash register and a music box
mo- Knife with two blades"
flease ask Santa Claus to leave me a
Eaesu a trunk and a talking doll" re-
tsesied Emma, and when a second Annie
tySIdnt seem 10 formulate her wishes the
ICY Annie settled the matter for her by
6sylng, i think she would enjoy very
"ucn having a laundry set"
AIper the close OF the Christmas cele-
S.uon there we're lots OF good things 10
Ess ana the youngsters were put TO bed, !
Il. not TO sleep for several hours, so ex-
49, were they over the events OF the after I
ESyh, None Of the children seemed to
[ NY That they were different from other
~ lauren, nor was there a complaint com
~ rom one of them. ]
|. ms regear, matron of the home, which
u2nducted by the International Sunshine !
$500. N : says that at no time do they ap- Z
Z 70 think themselves different, and that,
sT as the images they create in their
~ minds. the DicttIraa are rob hlV far 1