Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-11-12
SPUG SEASON NOW
open ARE YOU
A SPUG
The new SOCIETY STARTS ON ITS
SECOND YEAR UNDER MOST AU=
SPICI0USCIRCUMSTANCES==M
J. BORDEN HARTMAN TELLS or
THEIR OBJECTS.
WOULD ELIMINATE
ALL USELESS GIVING

| New York, Nov. ia country-wide
appeal for the abolition of the useless
Christmas gift and a plea for intelli
gent and thoughtful giving instead
were voiced tonight by Mrs. August
| Belmont President of the Spugs. at
the opening meeting of the 1915 cam
paign to be waged by that organza-
ton against insincerity, compulsion
and waste i'll Christmas giving.
| At this meeting the membership
rolls OF the Spugs-the Society for the
Prevention of Useless Giving were
thrown open to all residents CT the
United States who might want - en-
roll against the foolish Christmas
igift. Having grown from handful
Ito more than 5000 within few weeks
during the last Christmas season. the
Spugs nave outlined for this yce,r a
national canpaign and hope to estab-
lish societies in all cities ana towns
throughout the country.
Mrs. j. Borden Hartman presided
at tonight's meeting. District Attor-
ney Whitman, newly enrolled as al
member, and Francis Crowninshield,
delivered addresses. Mrs. Belmont
was the orator of the evening. The
original purpose of the society, she
said, was to prevent compulsory Civ
ing by girls in stores and factories to
their employers, the custom of collec- |
tive giving which the girls felt they
could not afford, but which they could
not avoid without embarrassment and |
possible loss of their positions. This |
was one of the chief objects of the
society, she added, but not the only
one. Another prime attainment
sought, she said, was general cult.
walton, by all classes of givers, of more
and expression of per.
sonality in making Christmas gifts.
I'VE do not disapprove of collective
the moment she said, 'or for some
particular cause, because then it
means that you have collected a sense
OF human fellowship of which the
money collected is but an expression.
We do approve of it when it is for
the man lower down instead of for the
man higher up.
Some persons think that we op-
pose giving. Far from it.; we do not
oppose giving, but we advocate intel
ligent gving-giving that is done
with the Christmas spirit of goodwill
as distinguished from giving that is
compulsory, from fear or with the
hope of obtaining reward-whether
that reward be the favor Of the man
higher up or advancement. The world
at large should put more of the Christ
mas spirit into giving. Christmas
should be a time for every person to
dc his or her share.
"Some folks say to us, OF course,
you want to promote useful giving.
The word useful has many changes OF
Usually when one thinks OF
a useful present, 1t is present decid-
edly middle-class or commonplace. So
we do not attempt to promote useful
giving, in the commonly accepted
definition of that word. The thing we
are really cut to do is to abolish some |
thing. We feel that when we have
done that there will follow good sense |
in giving and that everybody will be !
profted thereby.
I'VE propose to decrease the cost OF
the gift and increase the good will; to !
make the heart of Father Christmas !
rejoice by little acts of kindness, un-
selfshness, by putting thought into
the gift we sent our dear ones. Give
but from your heart, with
all your thought. Don't make a busl'
ness of giving, make it an art. Don't |
waste what should be a season OF
goodwill freely given