Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-27
THE ARGUSSANTA
FUND PERMANENT
Poor Children of the City Will
Be Taken Care of Annually
at Christmas.
EXPERIMENT Is SUCCESS
Two Hundred and Seventy Little
Ones Who Would Have Been
Disappointed, Made Happy.

The Argus Santa Claus fund is a
permanent institution. In future
years children may look to it TO act
in their behalf with the saint Of toy
land, as was done so successfully and
satisfactorily the present season.
Two hundred and seventy little folks
belonging to the poor families of the
eity5 and suburbs were provided gifts
Nd.goodies through The Argus Santa
diahs fund, as has been announced
heretofore. The Argus asks no reward,
nor does it expect any, beyond the
eomf0rt that comes in the knowledge
that no little heart suffered the disap-
continent of a cheerless Christmas.
III there were any who did. it was not
6the fault of The Argus, or of the good
women, particularly Miss Dina Ram
ser, secretary of the Associated Chart
ties, and Miss Mamie Giles, officer of
the Visiting Nurse association, both of
whom unselfishly devoted their days
and their nights in the interest of the
little folks who either had no one to
care for them or whose parents were
numbero .9among the poverty stricken
10 every community in the land.
Did You Do Your Dutyf
There were numbers of the children
whose names, upon request, were fur
nished by The Argus, to men and wo-
men and girls in the city who desired
personally to play Santa Claus to
specified number of young folks. 1t
was a pretty sentiment that prompted
these persons to ask for the names and
addresses of the poor children, and
The Argus hopes that they did not fall
short Of the responsibility that they
voluntarily assumed. 1t does not be-
lieve that any one failed in her or his
duty.
The Argus is in a fair way to know
of the condition Of the people gener-
ally of the city. Through its news
sources daily it hears Of cases the cir
cumstances of which would move
heart of stone. Invariably one or more
innocent children are the chief suffer
aers, because they are unable to do or
care for themselves.
Finding a Way
The Argus realized that it was no
dresses of the offspring in the homes of
the poor hereabout. Too, there is a
deIicacy in Intervention by outside
agencies at such a season when de-
voted fathers and mothers, no matter
what their circumstances. cling close
ly to their young and carry them to-
wards the skies in their stories of
Christmas and what 1t stands for and
what it brings to all of their kind.
This The Argus was conscious of, but
it knew that there was a way Of reach
ing these homes without giving Of
Tense and they were reached.
In its work The Argus was support
ed most Loyalty by the Misses Ramser
and Giles, and, in behalf of the chill
dren who were made happy through
the fund distribution, it publicly ex-
tends its thanks to them.
Scope to Be Enlarged
For future Christmases the scope of
The Argus Santa Claus fund will be
enlarged, and the work will be under
taken earlier than was the case this
year. The first experiment was a sue
cess far beyond the anticipations of
The Argus. The response of the pub
lie was commercially generous in
deed. Many men displayed sentiments
and acts that it was not believed
they possessed. True to the spirit of
the season, they became even as chill
dren. The Argus rarely has witnessed
such expressions of beautifully tender
sentiment as was evidenced in so many
instances during the conduct of the
Santa Claus fund work.
Restaurant Kitchen Wrecked.