The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-20

residence of the leading Sunshine workers from that city to another. Work toward some good end or other
 fs being pushed by the branches, Bos- ton just now being engaged in get
 ting together money for a summer
 camp in the country where working
 girls may go for vacation. In Cuba the work follows the lines of help
 fulness first laid down by pioneer Sun
 sinners in looking after old and young, | sick and poor.
 An interesting branch that has mem-
 bers throughout the country. and whose members meet only through the
 medium of the press, letter, post card,
 or small gifts. is called the Fourscore
 Club the members being fourscore or
 more years old. These old people
 make known their occasional needs or ! send greetings and messages to other
 members through the official organ of
 the order. This branch is so large, and
 the members are so old that rarely an l issue appears but chronicles the death of some of them.
 An interesting feature of work cen-
 tering in the national headquarters Is
 that conducted under the name of the "Conscience Fund" Whenever any
 person has more clothes or books or money than she feels that she really needs or that she deserves. she is in- vited to send this to headquarters where. according to the laws on which | the order is built, 1t is passed on'' to someone else who needs it. A day in the general headquarters is full of | interest. A busy office force is con-
 tinually at work receiving and answer
 ing letters. that ask for everything un- der the sun from set of false teeth
 to hand organ. Many of the stenog-
 raphers are busy women who give
 gratuitiusly an hour or two after or
 before their regular office hours for
 this work, and other stenographers and typists are girls who are learn
 ing on the machines belonging to the
 offices and who are allowed to do some of the socisty's letters for which, when the work Is acceptable. they are paid three cents each. Many hundreds of letters must be answered every day.
 Every day express wagons, private conveyances and hired vehicles are bringing boxes and barrels and smaller
 packages to the society's rooms, and
 busy women and girls unpack these and then begin the good work of dis- tributing the things to the people whom they think deserve them and need them. Hefe a barrel is being packed with clothes suited to a man of medium size, 8 woman and a boy of seven. with a few theological books tucked in to fill up. It is to go to struggling young missionary in the West. Another is to be filled with books and periodicals and become the nucleus of e 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 children's clothes goes to a set clement in the South. Another is giv- en over to odds and ends of clothing. toys, books, shoes and tools-anything that can be distributed -among the suf- ferers from flood or fire.
 woman comes in to ask for work. another to borrow a wheel chair an- other to ask for money to redeem her wedding ring that she had pawned. young mission workers for money to buy shoes, a blind baby to be sent to the home for blind babies. a woman asking for help in finding a home for an incurable husband, and so on through the day. One old man. who with his wife was living on a SIP 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 to have tust once a suit of clothes all alike. Friends had given him coat here, vest there and pair of trousers somewhere else, but no one garment had ever matched the other. He had found place where a whole suit would be sold him for S10. Needless to say the S10 was raised for him.
 The procession bearing gifts for the work is about as long as that asking for material help, otherwise the so- cietv could not exist, for 1t is on the generosity of some that the helpful ness given the others is built. In all other cites where the order has branches this same spirit of neigh borliness prevails. In the rest rooms, maintained in several cities for work ing girls, there is opportunity given not only for a quiet hour at reading, or nap on the couch in a 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 afford. though 1t is usually the girl who can afford little that is most desired, the idea being to help her get good, nourisring food at a price that is within her means.
 The Sunshine Society Is old fin good work. but young in years. It was founded in 1896 by Mrs. John Alden, best known to the philanthropie and literary world as Cynthia westover Alden. Mrs. Alden was on the stan of New York newspaper at the time, and with other newspaper people formed Good Cheer Club, the pur- pose being to pass on to others the Christmas cards and like small gifts they had received.
 Perhaps from the wide catholicity of interest 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 diversified than those of any other known organization that is composed of both women and men, or girls and boys. For many years Mrs Alden has given her services without salary-for there are no salaried off, fices in the society. In the time of her own arduous service she has tray. eled over wide area of country help ing with the organization of branches She has seen rest rooms spring up here and there. children and old people given homes or made more comforta- ble 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 membership dues to this unique organ ization Is the performance of a good dsed, and millions of people have won their initiation according to this sim pie exaction. There is nothing that brings such bountiful return as being kind The knowledge that yod have eased the other fellows hurt a little tends to justify your own right to comfort and opulenee, and proves your worthiness to remain a favorite of Dame Fortune. If you live in the sun shine. remember there are those who always dwell in the shadow. It will