Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-13

The Childhood Joys of Christmas.
The world is not so large, and no
city is of such broad area, that any
child, however poor, need go without
some remembrance Christmas morn
ing. Who is there whose heart
thrilling with the spirit of the
Christmas season does want to see
every little one, happy, the world
over. Who is there who would fail
if the way was shown him to do his
part toward sending Santa Claus
into homes whose thresholds are
never crossed by the gift bearing
messenger. There is no living being.
no matter how poor or unfortunate
in his own childhood, who does not look
back upon it with some degree. at
least, of fondness. If it was one of
denial, if as it is said by some, Il
never had childhood" so much
stronger is the desire in the heart Of
the one so thinking, if he be human,
to see that the children of this day
enjoy the pleasures that he was de-
MED. If he is a parent he gets salts
faction out of seeing his children
have what he did not have when a
child. And if he be still human,
when the sees the abundance bestowed
upon his own, he wonders how other
children, children, perhaps, who, like
unto his own lot away back in those
other years, are having no childhood
of their own, and the more he thinks
the more he longs for the opportunity
to make at least one little soul in the
outside world happy.
Then, perhaps, there is the man who
has had no children. At Christmas time
nevertheless, his thoughts, too, go
back to the days of childhood. How
much merrier would this day be for
him if he knew to his own satisfaction
that somewhere in the city wherein he
resides some little tot was hugging to
it's heart its first Christmas toy. put
there through a little expenditure on
his part.
And there, too, is the bereaved par
ent, who has lost his own. What bet
ter recompense in all the world than
is knowing that somewhere those like
unto his own had been made to love
Christmas, just as his would have
done had they been spared.
Hardly a Christmas time has passed
in years that The Argus has not heard
of someone who has said that the hap
piness of the day would be made COM
plete to him if he had the opportunity
TO see that some poor child was made
to fare like other children. No Christ
mas comes but that the generous
Christmas spirit does not overflow the
heart and soul Of the average man, be
he a processing Christian or not. 1t is
the one festival of all the year. when
all is love and the whole world be-
comes kin.
It is with full knowledge of this fact /
that The Argus. without thought of /
or dit for it's efforts, has undertaken,
through the good offices of good wo- /
men in Rock Island, whose vocations /
nut them in a position to know where ,
unhappy children are, to see that as |
many of the little ones of Rock Island, /
who would otherwise be forsaken, be
Christmas day as far as
possible, if even by single toy. And
it is gratifying to realize that the plan
to which The Argus has subscribed
has been taken hold of with such gen.
srous, such genuine and such a heart
ringing response.
Make the little oneS-make all the Il
little ones happy at the most blessed
time of the year, and you will be happy H
yourself
Give according as it has been given
unto you
Have you had a kindness shown,
Pass ft on;
Twas not given to you alone,
Pass it on;
Let IL travel down the years
TIL the deed in heaven appears.
Pass It on"