The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-16
SANTA WILL COME
Benevolent TOpekans Plan He
Shall Visit Children.
PrOVident Association Organizes
It's Christmas Work.
BIG CHRISTMAS TREE.
Topeka Elks and Novelty The
ater Will Help.
Condition of Poor of City Bet.
ter Now Than Before.
BIG CHRISTMAS TREE.

The poor of Topeka will have no rea-
son to bewail the approaching cold
weather and Christmas time this year.
There are at the present time about ten
organizations in the city of Topeka do
ing charity work and every poor fam
lily in the city of Topeka will be cared
for by Santa Claus.
The Topeka Provident association is
making extensive preparations for the
annual Christmas festivity and they
expect to hold one Of the biggest cele-
brations in the history of the organiza-
ton. It will consist mostly of the cell
ebration of the Yule tide as the Elks
of the city will donate the Christmas
tree portion of the entertainment. This
Christmas tree portion of the donation
to the poor of the city will be conducted
by the Elks at their spacious hall on
the corner of Seventh and Jackson. The
children who attend will be admitted by
ticket from the Provident Association
and they will be provided with these
as soon as the workers can find them
and their need. The regular members
of the classes of the association will
be admitted by their membership cards.
This Christmas tree is for the poor
children of the city under the age of
10 ~years. In former years the associ-
alton has held the annual Christmas
tree celebration at their building but
ed them of this strain and their energy
will be placed upon something more i'm
portant-the feeding of the poor over
the city.
Der of poor people. In fact the condi-
tionS this year are far better than ever
before in the history of the city. Even
when Topeka was a much smaller city
the poor We're more prevalent and de-
manded more attention. All of these
fine existing conditions can be attribu-
ted to the work of such organizations
as the Topeka Provident association.
The poor districts in the city are North
Topeka and Parkdale. These could not
be called the poor districts but they
are the districts in which the poor OF
the city live. There are number of
families in the Bottoms but they
manage to keep the wolf from the door.
The officers and workers of the Provi-
dent Association have been owrking the
city thoroughly for the last few weeks
lined up for distribution. The associ-
alton will not give dinner in their
building but theyfwill prepare dinners
and send them to the families over the
city. They will bel sent in huge bask-
cts and delivered in regular Santa
Claus style. ls--~s' g
There is going to be more or less
doubling up and overlapping in the an
nual dinner distribution this year. Inc
two Salvation armies are preparing for
big feasts and one of them claims a
hungry throng of 1000 will gather about
their doors. This may be true but there
are not a thousand poor in the city OF
Topeka today. The Provident Associa-
ton was not ready to give out any fig
ures this morning but they expect to
feed upwards to $50 families There
are a number of the churches that will
distribute dinner baskets throughout
the city by the aid of the Provident
Association information. This will re-
lieve the work and expense of the
excellent progress of the order.
Guy T. Justis, general secretary of
the Topeka Provident association, said
this morning that the poor of the city
would have little chance to suffer this
winter. He said: 1--WE feel that we can
handle with our present help and equip
ment all of the needs of the poor and
see no reason for their suffering"
At the present time the sickness over
the city is demanding the attention of
the association. Mrs. Frank S. Thomas
is at the head of the nurses depart |
ment and the convaleScent rooms of
the association and she reports many
cases coming to the order every day. |
Mrs Thomas has taken up the tuber-
culosis fight and at the present time |
she is managing two out door tents |
in the city where the patients are kept. |
With the progress of the work Mrs. |
Thomas expects to enlarge this field |
of work and care for large number |
of people, establishing a large number |
of tents over the city. Her success |
along this line has attracted the tuber- |
culosis fighters over the city and they |
are watching her work with interest. !
Mrs. Thomas keeps up this special work /
along with her regular convalescent Ia
bors at the association building and /
the late weather conditions have made |
her department one of the most import |
ant of the association.
The Provident association will hold |
at the building corner
Fourth and Jackson, the evening after
SI71rie Got Hox- fer11
Der IS. The exercises will consist of /
a program given by the different |
classes of children in the building and /
will be open to the public. The sew
ng and nursery classes are now prac-
ticing for their part of the program. |
The Christmas tree celebration at the /
EElkS club will be held on Christmas |
afternoon. The Novelty theater will
mances to the Provident association
for Christmas for the poor of the city. |
The Provident association is max
ing extensive improvements at their
The whole basement, under
The building is being dug out and
1eepened after which cement floor
will be laid and the walls of the foun-
dations plastered. The south half of
he basement will then be transform
ed into a manual training for the boys
also a bowling alley for their amuse-
ment The north portion of the base
nent will be used for the women's
sewing classes. mere are large
number of women coming. to the as
who are not able to wash
md perform other heavy domestic
iuties around the building. They will
De utilized for sewing classes. The
material and necessary tools will be
furnished by the association and the
,esults of their work will be given |
hem when it is finished.
Another Improvement that will help l.
he work of the association is the
building of a patrol wagon for the
purpose of bringing the children to
he Provident building from far parts
# the city. There are many children
uTo Gan NOT he trusted 10 90 clear