Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-12-09
Nearly 200 Lille Tots 4
Bismarck See Only YlIe
Tide Gloon
Other Cities Plan G { nIsllH
Christmas Inns fsl
Their Children
Churches, Lodges and Coed
Fellows Could Do Same
Thing Here
Expense Would Be Small and
ChildfeDls' Day Would
Be Saved

Practically 200 lonesome children
in Bismarck are not going to have
any Christmas.
Instead OF being day Of happiness.
and good cheer to them it ID going:
to be a dreary day Of disappoint.
menA .s
Already the little tots are talking
and planning for Christmas. Pain.
stalking letters are being ,scrawled
TO the chubby Kriss Kringle that can
never be answered.
Worn shabbily clothed mothers are
the only ones that ever read these
misslyes. Maybe few mother,,s
tears arc dropped on the childish
handwriting before the little letters
arc consigned to the flames. Maybe
the mother is too doggedly discouraS.i
ed at the long hopeless struggle
against poverty to- shed tears
any more at even the thought Of her
wee ones disappointment. But weep
ing or fearless the thought OF cold
hungry Christmas morning when her
babies must wake to watch other
children happy with their new play.
things and wonder why the good
Saint Nick forgot them, stabs the poor
mothers of the poor to the heart.
And think OF the children. Christ
mas is the great day OF the year for
them. Remember how you, yourself,
waited and planned for weeks and
months and were, "just awful good"
50 as to deserve some Of the good
things from Santas pack. And think
how dark and gloomy and miserable
the day would have been il you laid
awake all night listening for the
sleigh bells on the magic sled and
then found that your stockings we're
empty.
Think of the lonesome yearning In
the hearts Of 200 of Bismark's 8 little
ones, if such dawn greets them next
Christmas morning.
And it isn't the fact alone that the
little ones want presents that will
make the day SO black. It is the
lack of the CHEEKY Christmas spirit
that they can see shining from other
clildren's faces that makes their
childish hearts ache almost to- break
ing. .,.. ..3ft Il 4,
Every year churches, lodges and
kindly hearted citizens have helped
to make Christmas just little bit
cheerful for children Of the poor.
They have bought them warm wraps.
and clothing and have seen that the
scanty larder of their homes was Hi
ed on that day at least. But still there
has been something lacking. 1t was
the Christmas spirit.
Last year in New York charitable
organizations tried an experiment.
They held q big open air Community
Christmas. An immense tree was
erected in Union Square, brilliantly
lighted and just laden with bright
presents for the children Of the
poor Two bands played under the
tree and the children It was the
event of their lives. They danced:
and laughed and sung just for sheer
joy.
This year other cities have taken
up the lQea. CnlcagO, minneapolis, St.
Paul, and q score OF smaller cities
will have Community Christmas trees
for their poor children. Why should
Bismarck be behind the others?
In the other cities the churches have;
agreed ITO unite in backing mp this
children's project. The lodges hayes
volunteered their assistance and the
Order Of Good Fellows everyWhefe
are busy already working hard to; SEQ
that no lonesome little tot ID left out
in the wonderful happy celebrat Ion.
Why shouldn't the organisations
and people Of Bismarck do the same
thing for their children! The ex-5
pense Of such an organization IL NJ
heavy. The whole plan would requife
but little more than $500 and rs \ ac-
complishment r-ould mark IN epoch
in the children's lives. Bismarck NJ
scores Of locations TINT are psrfest
CONTINUED o FaSs "