New-York tribune., 1907-12-21
PETITIONS TO SANTA.
.SDecial Committee Saddened by
T7o0 Thousand Pathetic Letters.

-. -,.,,s,s s,,ocial committed otherwise the
committee appointed by the city Federauen OF
lyornen's Clubs 10 receive Santa man from tHe
-,os.ofico had A meeting the Hotel Astor yes
feriav The federation has taken charge OF Two
thousand letters and will not take any more
having all il can handle lncluded ia the % %'"o
,bo,,sand are The three hundred which the small
writers had pat no stamps Some warm hearted
woman sent thu federation S. with which to pay
the missing pasjaEc. these letters were taken
out of the postoffice with tie rest
Some Of the letters opened by the committee yes
terday were arflessiy. unconsciously eloquent Oh
bitter conditions that one woman coriieSseu Sle
simply could not help crying over them Papa
hasn't got any work: ''Papas sick Mamma ;
in the hospitaI"-that IS the keynote of many 1t
is noticeable that few of the children ask gifts for
themselves alone Most OF them have a little
brother OF sister, generally several for whom tney
make special petitions Exceedingly quaint Is some
of the spelling. one little girl writes scnooi
.'shool." and then. feeling uncertain about thaI
she makes it ''schole.' Saddest of the letters
because nothing can be done with them. they must
be thrown in the waste hasket-are the ones to
which the small senders have forgotten to sign
their addresses, perhaps even their names Here
is one such letter:
..Dea- santa. / have four little sisters home and
they are looking for Santa Clause and my papa
aint working and mama is sick and L hope santa
clause wont forget our chimney this Christmas
for very poor.
Annie. 1S, the Oldest of s.
Goodbye
Very poor, That is the story of all the letters
Here is from a child who is very poor and eyi-
IDENTIFY wants an education, but she, fortunately.
tells the Christmas Saint where she lives:
Dear Santa: Please bring me pair OF shoes
and a DRESS as l need them very bad. My size of
the shoes is number one Please bring my little
brother pair of shoes. His size is number :. As
NV papa is out of work and my mamma is very
sick If you do not bring my shoes will not be
able TO go school. / am ten years old L am
les-ing very many days from schole on account OF
shoes Please bring them a soon you can
Il a little girl seven years old writes an
other, in a cramped childish scrawl. land have
z little Brother 2i@ year old, and wish you would
send us something for christmas. 4 don't think
ptel with consumption and Mamma cant give us
nothing. she hase no money.
'Hopeing 10 hear from you soon, wishing you
Merry Christmas" ends the letter, which comes
from East Side tenement
Evidently the children read the newspapers. One
says:
Dear Santa. 1 thought you was dead. 1 wrote
YOU SO many times and you didn't answer But
the newspapers said you was living in hotel so
write again.
ask for?' Tribune reporter asked Mrs. Clarence
Burns, chairman of the committee
As far Some of the requests are
very simple-'Please give game some
thing like that. The very needy will be
turned over 10 charitable societies. Doubtful let
ters-those coming from good residential quarters
we return 10 the parents investigate later.
To-day shopping for the children who sent the
letters will begin The things will be sent from
the shops where they bought. but each package
will contain little card From Santa Claus"
The treasurer of the Federation's Christmas fund,
Mrs William r. Chapman has received SIS far
at her headquarters at the Wadorf-Astoria. Some
of the letters have been taken over by different
evening newspapers. The Tribune Sunshine So
ciety took twenty-five. the knickerbocker Relief
took fifty, Charles r. Skinner has taken twenty
five. Miss Florence Egan ten, Mrs f. B. Glogan
fifteen, Miss Dell Taylor five and Miss Rckart five.