Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-21
THE INTERNATIONAL SUNSHINE SOCIETY
BY Frederic j. Haskin

tering in the national headquarters is
that conducted under the name of the
Conscience fund" Whenever any per-
son has more clothes or books or money
than she feels that she really needs or
that she deserves, she is invited to send
this to headquarters, where, according
to the laws on which the order is built,
it is passed on" to some one who
needs it. A day in the general head
quarters is full of interest. A busy
office force is continually at work re-
ceiving and answering letters that ask
for everything under the sun from a
set of false teenth to a hand organ.
Many of the stenographers are busy
women who give gratuitously an hour
or two after or before their regular Of
flee hours for this work, and other
stenographers and typists are girls who
are learning on the machines belong
ing to the offices, and who are allowed
to do some of the societys letters, for
which, when the work is acceptable,
they are paid cents each. Many hun
dreds of letters must be answered every
day.
Every day express wagons, private
conveyances and hired vehicles are
bringing boxes and barrels and smaller
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.
Here a barrel is being packed with
clothes suited to a man of medium size,
a woman and a boy of 7, with few
theological books tucked in to fill up.
1t is to go to a struggling young mis-
sionary in the west Another is to be
filed with books and periodicals and
become the nucleus of a library for a
mining town-after it has gone by train
and by wagon trail over many miles of
mountain country. Another barrel
filled with children's clothes goes to a
settlement in the sounth. Another Is
given over to odds and ends of cloth
ing, toys, books, shoes and tools-any-
thing that can be distributed among
the sufferers from flood or fire.
A 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, a
young mission worker for money to
buy shoes, a blind baby to be sent to
the home for blind babies, 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 S12 a
month pension, came in one day NOT
Iohg ago and when asked what he
would like most of all, said he would
Hke before he died to have Just one
SUIT OF clothes all alike. Friends had
given MN coat here, vest there and
d par OF trousers somewhere else, but
no one garment had ever matched anv
otHer' lie had found a place where a
Whole suit would be sold him for $40
needless to say the $40 was raised for
him. Lor
Inc procession bearing gifts for the
work is about as long as that asking
Tor material help, otherwise the societv
coulu not exist, for it is on the gem
eiosl.y Oh some that the helpfulness
given the others is built In all other
cites where the order has branches
TINS same spirit of neighborliness pre-
walls In the rest rooms, maintained
IN several cities for working girls there
is opportunity given, not only for a
quiet hour at reading or a nap on the
couch in quiet room, but very often
lunches are provided at cost. Each
girl Is allowed to pay a few cents for
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, nour-
ishtng food at a price that is within
her means.
The Sunshine society is old in good
work. but young in years. 1t was
rounded in 1886 by Mrs. John Alden,
best known to the philanthropic and
literary world as Cynthia Westover
Alden. Mrs Alden was on the staff
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 breadth of spirit
that characterizes the Sunshine soci-
ETY., for its interests are more widely
diversified than those of any other
known organization that is composed of
both women and men, of boys and girls.
For many years Mrs. Alden has given
her services without salary--for there
are no salaried offices in the society.
In the time of her own arduous SER
vice she has travelled ever wide area
of country helping with the organiza-
ton of branches. She has seen rest
rooms spring up here and there. chill
dren and old people given homes or
made more comfortable in the ones
they had all with help given by mem
berS or every known denomination TO
members of every other denomination.
The only requisite in the form of
membership dues to this unique or
ganization is the performance of q good
deed, and millions of people have won
their initiation according to this simple
exaction. There is nothing that brings
such bountiful return as being kind.
The knowledge that you have eased
the other fellows hurt a little tends to
justify your own right to comfort and
opulence. and proves your worthiness
to remain a favorite of Dame For
tune. If you live in the sunshine,
remember there are those who always
dwell in the shadow. 1t will do you
good to pass your happiness along.
Don't you want to qualify for member
ship with the sunshiners?
DOWNRIGHT 1909 by Frederic J. Haskin.)