The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-12-26
.FRATERNITIES BRING
CHEER TO SUFFERING
FAMILIES Of TOWN
Elks and Eagles Vie i'm Dis
tribution of Christmas
Cheer.
POVERTY ASSAHS
MANY IN RICHMOND
Good Fellows Find Heart
Rending Scenes in Minis
tration of Cheer.

A big fleet of autos laden with has
kets filled with clothing, food, fruits
and candy, 200 baskets all told. set
forth from the Elks club early Christ
mas morning and bore Christmas
cheer to every family in the city the
Associated Charities had designated
as worthy of the lodges assistance
Every Elk who assisted in the dis
| tribution of these gifts unanimously
! voted. when the work had been con-
cluded. that they had had one of the
happiest Christmases of their lives.
These volunteer Santa Clauses. among
them Richmond's wealthiest citizens
whose cars bearing Yuletide charity
were operated by chauffeurs in uni
form. saw real suffering and by their
visitations to these homes of suffering
and destitution were impressed with
the Importance of raising large relief
! fund for the Associated Charities to
carry on effective work during the
winter.
Help The FriendIess.
After all the poor families on the
| Elks list had been provided for there
| vas still a large quantity of supplies
on hand and these were taken to the
| Home for the Friendless.
| Matron Thomas of the Home was
| greatly pleased with these donations
for the institution is badly in ned of
all the assistance obtainable at the
present time for Ii is sheltering fifty
| three women and children. The thir-
teen boys and girls at the Home. all
wards of the court and the oldest
not more than ten years of age. were
| in the nursery when the Elks -delega-
| tion arrived, playing with their Christ
mas toys and probably enjoying the
| first real Christmas of their young
lives. and they had merry romp with
| the good fellows" who were their
greatly appreciated playmates for al
most a half hour.
Inmates Are Happy.
l. When the Juvenile ward has been
completed the congested condition at
! the Home will be greatly relieved.
Even the Christmas spirit pervaded
the women's jail section of the Home
and the two women serving sentence
and the eight or ten insane, feeble
minded and epileptic inmates wished
their visitors Yuletide happiness. The
| Jail was a model of cleanliness.
The aged women who are cared for
at the Home were greatly pleased over
the visit of the Elks and were in a
state of cheerful anticipation over the
big turkey dinner being prepared in
the kitchen, savory odors of which
pervaded the institution, causing the
two-year old in the nursery to demand
as his share a 'dum-stick."
This lad has been taken away from
his parents because the mother. mad
ly jealous of her husband, who works
at night, persists in following him all
over town, leaving the baby to shift
for himself. He was almost kidnapped
yesterday by several Elks.
There was absolute need for the
baskets distributed Christmas in prac-
!; tically every home to which they were
! taken.
Weeps For Joy.
On North / street. when an aged
man responded to good fellows rap
on the door, he burst into tears at the
sight of the large supply of food and
/ clothing presented and reverently re-
moving his hat said, with bowed head.
Thank God from whom all blessings
flow"
A sad-faced mother of large family
of small children and cursed with d
worthless husband received her bas-
ket with the first smile that had illu-
minated her care-worn countenance for
months, then leaned against the open
door and sobbed convulsiyely. She
was incapable of expressing her graft
tude.
In a north end shack. with broken
! windows, a little colored boy peeked
his head through the half open door
and at the sight of the basket his eyes
bulged out of their sockets. then he
politely informed the good fellows that
he would have assisted them in car
rying the basket but he didn't have
no shoes nor no stockings"
Thanks The Lord.
In the south end an aged woman af-
ter a basket had been placed in her
home estatically jumped up and down
clapping her hands and shouting, Clio
ry TO God, Glory TO God"
Many other pathetic Yuletide adven-
lures were met with by the Elks' good
fellows, but TO relate them all is long
story.
Here he comes. mamma: here he
comes,'' cried a four-year-old boy as
i Captain Stanford, head of the local
branch of the Salvation Army. entered
dingy little shack IN the north end
yesterday morning. carrying a bushel
basket full of provisions
But there was something else which
the Salvation Army officer brought
that was worth more to the family in
the long run. than the groceries, toys
and fruits-Christmas cheer. And
what the ofieer received in return was
worth more to him than a large
amount of money.
i Good Spirit Prevails.
Its the little things in this world
that pays" said Captain Stanford