The Washington herald., 1907-12-08
PLEA FOR DESTITUTE.
Maud Booth Asks for Small
Sums to Aid Poor.
CHRISTMAS BOXES WANTED
"PrfsOn Angel" Says Large Contri-
buttons Are Less Numerous This
Year, Hence Appeal TO Great Mid
die Glass to Help During Winter
MOnths-PIeads for Ex-COnvicts.

New York, Dec. I'm an urgent plea
for money and clothing to help the poor.
Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth, the little
mother OF the Volunteers of America.
to-day announced that the contributions
that have for years given thousands of
suffering families some of the comforts
Of life have greatly fallen off this win
ter, and that unless aid can be procured
many viii have to do without Christmas
dinners
1T is not the small contributors who
have failed US" said Mrs. Booth. but
those who give from sl0O TO $500 a year.
Many of these large givers have cut their
donations in half
They are not to blame, on the whole.
The land is in the grip of a period of
limit their own pleasures. have cut down
on charity. People generally effect econo-
niles outside before they do at home
we are not ungrateful. however, for
many persons have stinted themselves 70
share what they have with the thousands
Of homeless sufferers in this and other
cities, and none is more noble than the
one who shares with his needy brother.
Not UngrRtefuI, However.
we ask that those who have been
numbered among our large contributors
in the past strain point TO aid us now,
when the need is worse
This will be a hard winter for the poor.
Hundreds are out of positions. and the
needs of their families must be met.
They must have food and shelter They
must have fuel and clothes to keep them
warm.
Let every one help in this great work.
Let every one who can spare a penny
add II 20 the cause. Few people realize
what comforts small sum Will bring to
an invalid mother. bedridden father,
OF a family OF starving little ones.
Pleads for Ex-COnyicts,
Much Of our work lies with convicts.
Many who served their sentences and
for whom we obtained positions lost
them when their employers cut down ex-
penses. A large number of these men
have families that must live We are
doing all we can to help them in the task
OF providing for the families
AS time goes on and conditions i'm
prove. the majority of them will obtain
work and a living for those dependent
upon them. but meanwhile they must be
fed and housed. 1 ask every one who
can sFare money, household goods
clothes. food. or any other necessities to
Fome to the aid of these poor creatures.
We will have more needy families on
our hands this winter than ever before
although the donations have fallen off
from those Of former wars
Plan Christmas Dinners.
The day before Christmas we will
provide nearly 200 poor families in this
city alone with Christmas dinners. We
viii give them clothes as well as food.
and every child VIII receive candles and
toys. We want the people to help us in
this work. Many storekeepers have old
stock that there is little hope of selling
This would be just the thing for our poor
families
The Christmas box sent TO each fam
lily will contain clothes for all its MEM
bers. two chickens. fruit. sugar. coffee
tea, flower. cereals, and many other
things. Money also will be given to the
most needy.
Last year when our wagon drew up at
one house and the driver took in the
Christmas box. the mother looked up
with wondering eyes while we told her
about our little gift.
Oh she said, didn't expect Santa
Claus TO come to our poor home I've
told my four little ones that he would
not have time to stop here this year. You
see, my husband Is dead. He was run
over by car on the way home from
work last month