Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-24

Almighty for all the good things given
them.
And when the arithmetic lesson is heard
the children deal with problems allied to
Thanksgiving. Many a future head of a
family today has figured out how large a
turkey he could buy for IS at the present
price per pound.
Harvest Tables Are Set.
Then there are the harvest tables"
laden with fruits and vegetables of the
fall season and bringing nature close to
| the little city folks Great big pump
| kins, yellow squash, blood-red beets, huge
cabbage heads and sheaves Of wheat and
oat straw and stalks of corn are to be
found around the tables.
Many of these vegetables are products
from the gardens Of the little people
| themselves. There Is at times much rivalry
between the little gardeners. Daintily
| tinted leaves, the product of nature. and
some evergreens are used to decorate the
| classrooms.
But the collection taken in every school
Of the city today is regarded as the best
| feature of the celebration by the children.
| To the thousands and more children of
the poor benefited 1t gives a cause of
Thanksgiving extending for many
months. For many hundreds Of children
it means the providing Of shoes or cloth
| ing or car tickets, the lack Of which
and their consequent absence from school
| is probable without this help.
| Years ago. school children. with abun-
| dance desired to extend their bounty to
those whose Thanksgiving dinner was
! likely to be crust of bread. And the
children contributed baskets of apples,
big yellow pumpkins or squash, punches
| of red beets. bags of coffee and sugar,
cereals. crackers and many other articles
of food.
| The provisions were distributed to the
poor. ! But they soon disappeared into
hungry mouths, and the meal was soon
| forgotten.
SO it was decided to ask the children
| to give more pennies and less food. That
| is the plan followed for several years.
The piles of pennies have been growing
larger and larger each year.
| Last year the collection amounted to
s., $685.. 1t brought benefits to 1,OS3
| children.
The reason for asking a change from
! food to pennies in the contributions was
| iound by the Associated Charities in sew
eral applications for help made to them.
! One day the door of the old Office of one
of the division agents was pushed open
and black-goggled, frail woman slowly
| walked through the door, On one side of
the blind matron was ten-year-old son.
Holding on to the mothers hand on the
other side was a slip of a girl with a
wan face.
| The story was soon told. 1t involved
husband in prison and a bare cupboard
| at the home. The plea was for the chill
dren.
Their clothes were ragged, their toes
peeked through holes in their shoes But
| the mother wanted them to go to school.
| Another time, mother and ten children
received the attention OF the Associated
Charities. The husband and father had
| been i'll for several years before he died.
The ten children were left to be cared
| for by the frail mother.
She struggled for them, but found the
pittance she received was too small to
provide them with clothing fit to wear to
school. Shoes We're especially desired.
The charitable organization made pro-
vision for the youngsters.
'See my new Shoes, said one or the
| little girls of the family one day to her
teacher. THE Associated Charities
| brought them to me. 1 am not going to
She never wore the shoes except at
school, using her old ones when at play
or work.
After the contributions were received
at the schools today they were forwarded
to the superviing principals and through
them will -Je sent to the Associated CnarI-
ties to be used to benefit the most needy
families.
At the Western High School the
Thanksgiving season Will be marked by
special exercises, attending the presenta-
ton of medals and trophies won by the
high school marksInen i'll the recent
schoolboy shoot. A supper to the MEM
beers of the foot ball team will be the
feature of the Thanksgiving celebration
at the Central High School. The other
advanced schools have arranged no spe-
cial program.
Jefferson School Exercises.
Elaborate was the program for the cell
ebration of Thanksgiving by the pupils
of the Jefferson School, which began at
1 o'cloc this afternoon. Principal c. N.
Thompson was in charge. The pupils
| furnished the greater part Of the enter
tainment The closing feature was an
address by Rev. A. w. Spooner. pastor
Of the Sixth Presbyterian Church.
The program inc uded: March, Esther
Marks; song, Thanksgiving joys"
school; recitation, THANKSGIVING Day."
Edna Rurdine; recitation, by seven first
grade pupils: song, Landing of the Pill
grims,' school: recitation, THE FIRST
Wash Day." Virginia La Fontaine;
chorus, by third and fourth grade pupils;
recitation, "A Child's Thanksgiving"
Garner Ramsay: recitation. 1.-The First
Thanksgiving" Samuel Bernstein; song,
lover the River" school; recitation,
What I'm Thankful For" Clark Vernon;
solo, Marie Dennis: recitation. or
Leonard: recitation, The Harvest Lib
bic Goldstein: song, Thanks to Thee"
school: recitation, Lorena Winter;
dialogue, STORY of the Pilgrims: song,
Are You Coming Home Tonight?"