The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-12-29
Christmas at Kearn's ST. AIMS Or
phanage.

Miss Bonnie Lanigan in Salt Lake
Tribune, Tuesday, Dec. 25.)
Blue-eyed, fat little chaps in wooden
sailor suits: prim little girls with tight
| ly-braided black hair; tall, lanky boys
with mischievous brown eyes that fair
ly danced at all the Christmas glitter,
anc solemn-faced youngsters for whom
the Christmas joy was too much,
united in one glad. happy scene
childhood and merriment at the KearN4
st. AIMS orphanage Monday afternoon
at half-past / o'clock. when a gorgeous
tree, splendid in dolls and toys, gilt
tering angels and tinsel, horns and can
dy boxes, was stripped of its finery and
les orphan children given the time of
their lives.
For weeks the children have been
sending their little letters to Santa
Claus and discussing the details of the
wonderful afternoon. The big school
room on the first floor was decked in
festive array, and as the youngsters,
wriggling and bouncing in their excite
ment, were marShaled into the room, a
great big "Ahr' went up as the vision
of the tree dawned upon them, for it
was wonderful tree and much hard
work had been put into its decorating.
The children range from the age of
to a. The babies. some of them who
had never heard of Santa Claus before,
some of them beholding tree for the
first time, were literally dazzled into
sitting quiet Thea Father Kelly, vicar
general of the Salt Lake order, stepped
forward and a pandemonium of joyous
gurgles and shouts of surprise burst
forth. Mrs. Thomas Kearns, who made
Christmas for the children, donating
the dolls and suits, as well as toys,
candy and horns, OBLIGATED as a fem
mime Santa Claus, Father Kelly distrib-
uting. Every girl, whether small or
large fat, thin, brown or fair, was
given a doll-and such a DOLL A great,
big, beautiful creature that, when one
laid her down, went TO sleep. with a
blue silk dress and great big hat. Some
of the little arms could hardly hold the
dear, pink-faced treasure that the small
eyes devoured so hungrily. And the
boysl All of them for weeks have been
teasing for Indian suits, and so Indian
suits Santa sent, all of khaki: and as
the gentle-faced nuns looked at the
sturdy youngsters clasping the yellow
suits, there was in each mind vision
of the stirring times that are to come
when all those scores of boys start in
playing Indian. The bags of candy
and toys were then given out and a
general feasting began. To entertain
the few visitors, tie girls sang little
song, ooh, Sing a Joyous Carroll and
then Father Kiely announced the little
New Years gift Bishop Seaman had
sent, a pretty card for each one.
There was nothing formal about the
exercises. Just 4 honey little Christ
mas scene, a bringing into little desc
late lives some of the joyous spirit of
the Christ-child. One little tot, the
youngest child in the institution, real
ly perfectly faced child, with violet
eyes, solemnly marched around, blow
ing a diminutive horn, and would not
stop 2 moment even when teS,pted
with brides of candy. He had been
visited by Santa. and he was going to
enjoy the thing in his own way. Every
nun was surrounded by pulling. push
ing mob of eager, flushed youngsters,
showing dollies, all the dollies, and
right on the spot a crowd of little girls
got together and decided on the names
for the darlin:ys that had been given
them. There was a perfect wilderness
of dolls. Miss O'Connor had sent thirty
extra ones, fascinatingly dressed, which
were left on the tree and will be dis
tributed later. Every child Jared the
same, the Sits varying only in color
and size.
But i'm another room of the institu-
ton d little drama was being enacted
that pulled at the heartstrings more
than did the big celebration. In an
ante-room, the half orphans" the poor
little things who are only bereft of one
parent and those who still have friends
were receiving visits. One girl, with
curls and dimple, was cooling over a
dolly almost as large as herself, and