The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-12-23
THE EMPTY STOCKING
is THE NAME OF a PICTURE
THAT Is TRUE TO LIFE.

This Picture Tells Pathetic Story
Of o Little Girl That Santa Claus
Die Nos Visit.
One OF the most appealing pic
lures ever painted Is called "Ihe
Empty Stocking" 1t represents o
little girl, In her bedroom in the
dim light OF early morning-that 1t
Is Christmas morning Is indicated
by the stocking still hanging on q
nail beside the fireplace. The bed
10 In disorder, showing that sts oc-
cupant had risen hastily. and across
the foot Of the bed IS seen the lit
tie girl occupant, her bare feet on
the floor. In the attitude Of disap-
pointment and grief. her face buried
In her arms In which she clutches
the empty stocking. The picture
needo no explanation. for It tells its
story so plainly that nobody can
fail to understand 1t.
The little girl, who had gone to
sleep on Christmas Eve with happy
anticipations. after having her stock
ings by the fireplace. had awakened
early on Christmas morning. Eas-
eraly she had jumped out Of bed to
see what Santa Claus had brought
her, and she had found only the
stocking, empty as 1t was when she
had hung 1t there. While Santa
Claus hal remembered all her little
friends he had entirely forgotten
and neglected her. And In the in
tensity of her disappointment she
has thrown herself upon the bed.
unmindful of the cold, sobbing out
her grief which Is 80 deep that Its
scar upon her heart will remain for
life.. -
1t Is o picture, but Is 1t not true
to life? asks the Augusta Herald.
Are there not every Caristmaa chill
dren who have this experience?
There are little orphans whom death
hao robbed of those whose greatest
pleasure Of the Christmas is would
have been to mako their chill iren
happy. There are children whose
parents through illness or other
misfortune are unable to provide for
their children as their hearts de-
sire, and some parents, alas whose
parental instincts are 90 blunted
that they are Indifferent to the hap
pines OF their children. Such poor
children are in almost every COM
munity.
Do they not appeal to those who
are in more fortunate circumstances?
The parents Of happy children, who
may be able to provide for their
children. all that love can devise
does not the picture and the unfor-
tunates 1t represents appeal to shen'
Adults who get remember distinctly
through. the mist Of the years that
have como and gone olnce then how
keen their grief whom they had O
like experience In their childhood
would not they 1nd happiness In
preventing this experience falling TO
como child during thie coming
Christmas.
Children Cannot reason ao older
people can. The child does not
understand cause and effect 40 these
relate to family circumstances. Our
customs and traditions are respon-
slble for the Santa Claus faith in
children. and in consequence of this
faith all children expect to be re-
membered by Santa Claus.
And child desires are small.
Read the letters OF the children to
Santa ClaIs-they make you smile
at the modesty Of the wishes. Even
the most presumptions Of the chill
dren, those who have the longest
string Of wishes, could have every
wish fulfilled at the cost Of few
dollars, and few are e1travagant In
their wishes. Yet, while these wish
es are 80 small and o easily filled.
failure to have expectations realiz
ed when they have taken this hold
Is a tragedy in the chlld-heart
Why not try to prevent this
whenever possible. No one could
make his own Christmas more happy
than by the knowledge Of having
prevented the poignant grief over
an empty stocking of some poor boy
or girl. Who will be the Santa
Claus to fill stocking which would
otherwise remain empty, and in this
way make two hearts happy, the
hearts of the owner Of the stock
Ing and CT It's filler?