The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-20

headquarters where, according to the laws
on which the order is built II Is passed
on to someone else who needs it. day
IN the general headquarters is full Of
interest A busy office fOrce is cOntinu-
ally at work receiving and answering let
ters that ask for everything under the
sun from set of false teeth TO a hand
organ. Many Of the stenographers are
Dusy women who give gratuitously an
hour or two after or before their regular
office hours for this work, and other
stsnographers and typists are girls who
are learning on the machines belonging
10 the offices and who are allowed to do
some OF the society's letters. for which,
When the work is acceptable, they are
paid cents each Many hundreds Of let
tiers must be answered every day.
Every day express wagons, private con-
Veyanees and hired vehicles are bringing
boxes and barrels and smaller packages
10 the society's rooms, and busy women
and girls unpack these and then begin the
good work OF distributing the things to
the people whom they think deserve them
and need them. Here q barrel is being
packed with clothes suited to man of
medium size, woman and a boy OF Z,
with a few theological books tucked in TO
fill up. 1t is to go to a struggling young
missionary in the west Another is to be
filled with books and periodicals and be-
come the nucleus Of library for a mining
tOWn-after 1t has gone by train and by
wagon trail over many miles of noun
tain country. Another barrel filled with
CuliuTeu clothes goes 10 settlement III
the south. Another is given over to odds
and ends of clothing, toys, books. shoes
and tOOls-anything that can be dstrib-
uted among the sufferers from flood or
fire.
A woman comes in to ask for work an
other to borrow a wheel chair another to
ask for money to redeem her wedding
ring that she had pawned, young mis-
sion worker for money TO buy shoes,
blind baby to be sent to the home for
blind babies, a woman asking for help in
finding home for an incurable husband
and so on through the day. One old man.
who, with his wife, was living on a S12-a-
month pension. came in one day not long
ago and when asked what he would like
most of all said he would like before he
died 10 have just once suit Of clothes all
alike Friends had given him coat here,
a vest there and q pair Of trousers some
where else, but no one garment had ever
matched any other. He had found place
where a whole suit would be sold him for
SO Needless to say, the $40 was raised
for him.
The procession bearing gifts for the
work is about as long as that asking for
material help. otherwise the society could
not exist. for it is on the generosity of
some that the helpfulness given the 9TH
eTs is built. In all other cities where the
order has branches this same spirit Of
neighboriiness prevails. In the rest rooms
maintained in several cities for working
| girls. there is opportunity given not only
for a quiet hour at reading. or nap on
the couch in quiet room, but very often
! lunches are provided at cost Each girl
is allowed to pay a few cents or many
cents for a meal, as she wishes or can az
| ford. though it is usually the girl who can
afford little that is most desired, the idea
| being to help her get good, nourishing
| food at price that Is within her means.
The Sunshine society is old in good work
but young in years. II was rounded IN
| 1896 BY Mrs. John Alden. best known to
the Dhilanthropic and literary world as
cynthia Westover Alden. Mrs. Alden was
l on the staff of New York newspaper at
| the time, and with other newspaper peo-
pie formed a Good Cheer club. the pur-
/ pose being to pass on TO others the Christ
] mas cards and like small gifts they had
| received. Perhaps from the wide cathO-
licity Of interests and love that pervades
| the average newspaper office was born
/ the breath of spirit that characterizes the
Sunshine society. for its interests are
more widely diffused than those Of any
other known organization that is com
posed Of both women and men, Of girls
and boys. For many years Mrs. Alden
4 has given her services without salary
/ for there are no salaried offices in the
| society. In the time OF her own arGuOus
| service she has travelled over a wide area
/ Of country helping with the organization
/ Of branches. She has seen rest rooms
| spring Up here and there, children and
old people given homes or made more
comfortable in the ones they had, all with
/ help given by members Of every known
denomination to members Of every other
denomination.
The only requisite in the form of mem
/ bership dues to this unique organization
/ is the performance Of a good deed, and
millions Of people have won their initia-
ton according to this simple exaction.
! There is nothing that brings such bOunti-
| full return as being kind The knowledge
/ that you have eased the other fellow
/ hurt a little tends to justify your own
right to comfort and Opulence and proves
your wOrthiness to remain a favOrite Of
/ L. 3 live IN he -rrrr
shine remember there are those who al
ways dwell in the shadow. 1t will do you
good to pass your happiness along. Don
you want to qualify for membership with
| the sunshiners2
/ Copyright, 1909. by Frederic J. Haskin.)
| Observation-Disclosures Industries.