Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-08-18

or two after or before their regular
Office hours for this work, and other
stenographers and typists are girls
who are learning on the machines
belonging to the offices and who are
allowed to do some Of the society's
letters for which, when the work is
acceptable, they are paid cents
each. Many hundreds of letters
must be answered, every day
Every day express wagons, private
conTayances and hired vehicles are
bringing boxes and barrels and
smaller packages to the society's
rooms, and busy women and girls un-
pack these and then begin the good
work of distributing the things to
the people whom they think deserve
them and need them. Here a barrel
is being packed with clothes suited
to man of medium size, woman
and boy of seven, with few theo-
logical books tucked in to fill up. 1t
is to go to struggling missionary
in the West. Another is to be filled
with books and periodicals and be-
come 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 South.
Another is given over to odds and
ends Of clothing, toys, books, shoes
and tools-anything that can be dis
tributed 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, wo-
man asking for help in finding
home for an incurable husband, and
so on through the day. One old
man, who with his wife was living
on a $12-a-month pension, came in
one day not long ago and when ask
ed what he would like most of all,
said he would like before he died
to have just once a suit of clothes
all alike. Friends had given him q
coat here, vest there, and a pai-
of trousers somewhere else, but no
one garment had ever matched any
other. He had found a place where
a whole suit would be sold him for
$40. Needless to say the $40 was
raised for him.
The procession bearing gifts for
the work is about as long as that
asking for material help, otherwise
the society could not exist, for it is
on the generosity of some that the
helpfulness given the others is built.
In all other cities where the order
has branches this same spirit of
neighborliness prevails. In the rest
rooms, maintained in several cities
for working girls, there is opportu-
ity 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 meal, as she wishes or can
afford, though it is. usually the girl
who can afford little that is most
desired, the idea being to help her
get good, nourishing food at a price
that is within her means.
The Sunshine Society is old in
good work, but young in years. 1t
was founded in 1896 by Mrs. John
Alden, best known to the philan-
thropic and literary world as Cynthia
Westover Alden. Mrs. Alden was on
the staff of a New York newspaper
at the time, and with other news
paper people formed a good cheer
club, the purpose being to pass on to
others the Christmas cards and like
small gifts that 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 character
ICES the Sunshine Society, for it's in
terests are more widely diversified
than those of any other known or
ganization that is composed Of both
women and men, of girls and boys.
For many years Mrs. Alden has given
her services without salary-for
there are no salaried officers in the
society. In the time of her own SER
vice she has travelled over a wide
area Of country helping with the or
ganiZation of branches. She has
seen rest rooms spring up here and
there, children and old people given
homes or made more comfortable 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 Or
ganization is the performance of a
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 knowl-
edge that you have easod the other
fellows hurt little tends to justify
your own right to comfort and opu-
lence, and proves your worthiness to
remain a favorite of Dame Fortune.
If you live In the sunshine, remem-
Der there a2e those who always dwell
In the shadow. 1t will do you good
to pass your happiness along. Don't
you want to qualify for membership
with the Sunshiners?