Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-28
TO make HAPPY
Good Cheer Club Proposes
Erection of 28- Story Build
ing for Invalids.
TO BE BUILT IN NEW YORK
Idea Came to the Organizations
President When She Lay in a
Chicago Hospital.

A dozen young girls on the upper
west side of New York city banded
themselves together last September
and Incorporated a tiny club, which
they called the Society of Good
Cheer" Their avowed object was sim
ply the cheering up"-nonfnancially
of the convalescent sick. Today,
only three months after incorporation.
they have branches in almost every
prominent city in America. They have
entered the tuberculosis campaign and
the field of children's charities, and
they have already ordered plans for a
twenty-eight story skyscraper, to be
erected in the very near future on the
island of Manhattan and to be called
the House of Good Cheer"
What have they done, and how did
they do it? Their president, Miss The
ora Carter. who has headquarters at
131 West Seventy fourth street, New
York, explained the matter
1T all started simply" she began.
Last year was ill in Chicago. My
home is in Seattle, Wash, and l was
all alone when | was taken sick. For
weeks and weeks / lay in the hos
pital utterly uncheered in any way by
any one. 1t was the most horrible ex-
perience of my life. And | realized
that hosts of other girls and men and
children, even, are suffering that way
all the time. And | thought it was
time something was done.
Primarily Time Charity.
'I wished from the start to make
my movement truly national. so
knew l must begin it in New York.
My people were glad to have me do it,
though it meant going so far away
from them So :ust came on here to
New York and got in touch with a few
old friends and made a few new ones
and we began.
From the first made it clear that
we were primarily a time charity, not
a money one. We planned at first sim
ply to give SO much of our time each
week to visiting the convalescent and
friendless sick. We had no treasury at
all to begin with. It was just under
stood that if you individually wanted
to buy a bunch of violets for the per-
son you were cheering up you had
right to do so. But as a club we didn't
commit ourselves financially at all.
We were only young girls, you see
not millionaires. But then-people be-
gan to be so generous.
Use of Clubhouse Offered.
1.-TWO automobile firms contributed Il
machine apiece to take our sick friends
riding. A gentleman on Long Island
gave us the use of a beautiful club
oc%o nf of1 xx-ffh
stables and all buildings entirely at
our disposal Another man offered us
800 to buy some very desirable land
in Texas for a consumptves' home.
We are negotiating for the purchase
of that now, and next spring we intend
to erect a tent city there for recover
able tuberculosis patients. Those who
can will pay US what they can, but we
intend to help those who are deserving
without money and without price.
"It was in talking to Mr.. Wheeler,
the chaplain at st. Luke's chapel. New
York, where we've done a great deal
of our visiting, that l first voiced my
idea for our most wonderful plan of
alI-the Good Cheer building for con-
-cIescents. The architects of the
building have already nearly completed
the plans. The building Will be twen-
ty-eight stories in height and the lot
of ground on which it will stand must
be at least 20 by 100 feet. The cost
will probably go into the millions. for
we have determined to build some
where in the borough Of Manhattan.
Will House 5000.
eve should be able to house at least
$500 or 5000 people at once. We are
not going to have wards. We don't
want a hospital Each guest, must
have his own separate room. Then we
shall have n general assembly room.
where famous doctors may come and
lecture TO US and our patients on by
giene. We shall have an entertain
ment room with 4 tiny stage we
shall have Offices and rooms for some
of our members. We shall have a
perfectly appointed kitchen, Of course,
and doctors and nurses in attendance
day and night
81 admit that we haven't as yet col
Iected all orr funds for the erection o!
our home, but I know of several worth
while people in New York who are
getting very much interested. And
have an uncle, Henry Calhoun. who is
a millionaire, and I'm going to make
a special trip to st. John, n. B., where
he lives. and~do my very best to rouse
his enthusiasm. Oh. Wen get what we
want finally, and 1 don't believe II
will take so very long"