The Pensacola journal., 1914-12-26
St. Nicholas Girl Makes
Hundreds of Pensacola
Children Happy.
GIFT DISTRIBUTION
AT OLD POSTOFFICE
The Corridor Swarmed With
Children and All Were
Handed Packages Con
tanning Besides Toys, Fire
Works, Fruit, and Other
Articles.

Pale, childish faces. eager, bright
eyed, expectant. Mothers. with little,
little children clinging to their skirts
Older sisters with small tribe Of
girls and boys A hush of anxious
waiting. a sudden blast from g. horn
Then a stir. a crush. a stampede, and
the great crowd of boys and girls whom
the st. Nicholas Girl had so beau
tifully remembered, surged back and
forth in the Santa Claus postoff1ce, as
the ST. Nicholas Girl gave the last
directions to her assistants, the Boy
Scouts, and others, who with a right
good will lent every effort to handling
the big crowd. 1t was an orderly crowd
for the most part, and, when the ex-
citement with which the air was tense
had it's vent, now and then, in sud-
den burst of riotous horn music, or a
rush for the doors, Mr.. Paulsen, Cap
tain Stevens of the Salvation Army, or
one of the half dozen young men who
assisted in the distribution, had little
trouble keeping the eager children in
check
They swarmed, an excited small reg
iment, up and down the corridor,
awaiting their turn. and, many watched
them, with dim eyes, these children
might have been so easily passed by.
But they were not passed by. Not
one There were dolls and tea sets
and work boxes, and chairs and books
and doll trunks and all sorts of lovely
things for the girls. And for the boys,
bats and balls and knives and drums
and bows and arrows and firecraclkers
and toy pistols, and there were, warm
little sweaters and mittens and caps
for some who needed them, and candy
and oranges and apples and nuts for
everybody.
No one who saw it could ever forget
1.-THE sight of these children, i'll clad,
so eager, so anxious, and then so glad, /
so happy. with their Christmas toys.
1t is a wonderful work that Miss
Ward has done, and The Journals ST.
Nicholas Girl has indeed become to
the children of Pensacola an angel In
beautiful Christmas angel, !
who comes each year and with the
wonderful magic of love and ardor,
makes dreams come true. Such dreams
as only childhood knows, and which no
future years can quite erase.
The Santa Claus postomee has come
to stay 1t was a wonderful success.
And the Christmas mail was handled
in wonderful way. Acting as post |
mistress, the st. Nicholas Girl saw |
that not a child went away without |
answer to the Santa Claus letter. The |
sign. Santa Claus Postoff1ce indicated |
what was behind the partitions, and
from end to end Christmas green's and |
bright, red bells and garlands of red,
made a background for the bright red
and gold bulbs, which shone brightly
out, like the stars OF the Christmas
season.
The st. Nicholas Girl made a won
derful postmistress and the hundreds
Of boys and girls were handled splen-
didly, with the assistance of the post
office force.
Many business men attended the dis
tribution Christmas morning, and
collection was taken up by Mr.. NJ. E.
Clark and quite an additional sum was
raised and turned over to the St.
Nicholas Girl and will be acknowledged
Sunday.
The Pensacola public has responded
10 the needs of the children and others
his Christmas in q wonderful way,
md deserve much appreciation for the
work that has been done, but to Miss
Ella Ward, who for the love of little
children, without money and without
price has given her time for many
weeks before Christmas, and her
Christmas day, to making others happy
here are not words for the children
% express what they owe to her. The
owe that she has gained will be to
Ter a rich compensation, and not only
n childish hearts will she be remem-
,ered, but all who know of her beau
ifuI work-and who in Pensacola does
lot will wish that all good gifts will
,e hers not only today but in all the
lays to come.