Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-16
MAY Be ONLY TEARS
Letters to Santa Claus Re-.
main in Post Office.
HOPE FAILS OF FRUITI0N
Postmaster Generals Plan All Right
Up to Certain Point.
PATHETIC APPEALS WRITTEN
Lads and Lassies in All Parts of the
Union Plead for Saints
Visit.
HOPE FAILS OF FRUITI0N
PATHETIC APPEALS WRITTEN

Postmaster General Hitchcock is in
trouble. He has something like white
elephant on his hands.
Within month, countermanding a
contrary order issued during his absence
through misunderstanding, the Post
master General issued an order directing
that letters addressed to Santa Claus
or that were beyond question intende
FOR that benevolent old fellow, should b
delivered to any charitable institution
organization or individual which Nigh
ask for them.
Soon the department began to receive
letters by the dozen from children, ad-
dressed TO Santa Claus, and some of
them even to Santa Claus Hitchcock.
One youngster, apparently aiming at Mr..
Hitchcock's supposed vanity, addressed
him as Dear Good Santa Claus General
Judge Hitchcock
Many of the letters came from the
southwestern states-Arkansas and Mis-
souri,. in particular-while others were
received from the northwest, and some
from this city and the nearby counties
of Maryland and Virginia. The great
bulk of the letters were Enthusiastically
from children, some very. very good"
some not SO good. and some showing a
tendency to selfishness, with others from
those in whom doubtless the virtue of
self-sacrifice has been well developed.
No Requests for Deliveries.
But although the children's letters
came, the requests for them from chart
table institutions and the benevolently
inclined failed to materialize, and the
consequence is that the Postmaster Gen.
eral finds himself with between two hun
dred and three hundred letters in his
keeping, many of them prompted by his
order. in the belief that some charitable
person would answer them. Unless some
thing happens very soon there will he
black-robed .glooms'' and sad-eyed dis
appointments In many homes Christmas
morning, where eager. anxious little
hearts are awaiting a different message.
Probably the greater number Of the let
tiers are from children whose parents
Will see that Santa Claus gets around by
Christmas morning. but there are still
very large number from different sec
lions of the county-from orphans. Grip
piles, children who live on a claim in
the far west; others who lack the ac
Quaintance to have faith in Santa Claus
and still others whose parents are SO
poor that Christmas is much like any
other day. Just one more space of day
light in which to hustle and toll for
bread.
0Omc 0dUQp1c messages.
One little fellow writes of himself and
his little brother and sister: Il amt
been givin' much thought to Sante> Claws
cause we hung UP our stockin's three
Crismuses and he amt found 'em yet
Another. after carefully scheduling the
wants Of his brothers and sisters. with
special plea for the baby, sets down the
exact cost Of each gift asked for. Still
another describes the size of the gifts
desired in inches and fractions. Many of
gifts entirely to Santa Claus, and add
they will be grateful for anything sent
Them = ~
One little girl living not far from Wash
ington, whose leg is shriveled from dis
ease, and whose mother abandoned her
after her fathers death, pathetically
asks to be remembered, and her wants
are modest. Her request is Endorsed by
an old woman who has cared for her and
who had hoped to get her admitted to
a school for crippled children. but was
prevented because the child contracted
typhoid fever last September and has not
Yet fully recovered. There are several
letters from children living in the city
of Washington who plead for remem-
brance. One little fellow in the middle
west. after scheduling an elaborate list
of the many articles desired by his
brothers and sisters. adds Jim wants a
whose little sister had exhausted the
catalogue in her selection of gifts, briefly
wrote. I'D like to have a cheap pop
gun
And so the list runs, from gold
watch and chain to the bull pup, through
series of letters that are marked with
the comic as we'll as the pathetic vein,
but all Of which end with a heartfelt
plea to dear good, kind Santa Claus
not to miss our house Christmas eve"
Practical and Pathetic.
There is Of course, a practical as well
as a pathetic side to the dilemma in
| which Postmaster General Hitchcock
finds himself, because his order was
really intended to benefit some of the
children. at least. 1t would probably
take a years salary to meet the de-
mands.
movement is foot, 1t is under
stood. among the newspaper correspond
| ents who have helped cause the trouble
| to make arrangements for caring for the
requests received from their own states.
| If the pile of letters is divided in this
way among the several states and ter
| ritories and then subdivided into coun-
/ ing little tots who have pinned their faith
on Santa Claus to the extent Of writing
him through the United States mails may
get something, and many of them exactly
| what they ask for Jesse Suter. the press
| agent Of the department, has also started
| a collection fund to provide for the ap-
parently most deserving cases, and In a
few instances individuals have singled out
especially touching cases for relief but
i 80 l4xxA t. os~,