Rock Island Argus., 1914-09-16
SUFFER WITHOUT
KNOWING REASON
Children of Europe Will Miss
Santa Unless Ameri-
cans Help.
POVERTY GRIPS THE LAND
Hoped That Rock Island VIII Do Its
Share Toward Loading the
Christmas Ship.

| A copy of The Argus, neglected and
unread, lay on a porch last night
while indoors a merry crowd of boys
and girls. the younger set," sang
songs and had a good time "Amer.
ica," Star Spangled Banner" "Colum-
bia, Gen of the Ocean," were mobiliz-
ed on the piano in place of "A Little
Love, a Little Kiss" etc, etc, and
The Argus guessed it to be a patriotic
party. The boys and girls could sing
America" straight through without
any bitches. They fumbled a little on
the high notes in Columbia but
came out strong in the line, the home
of the brave" In fact, they seemed
to accentuate the home of the brave.
Well. it was pretty good to listen to,
at that
The Argus wriggled and wiggled
and fairly cracked its pages in an eff.
fort to go inside and say Christmas
Ship to that young bevy of good
nature. For it would have been a most
beautifully patriotic thing to have
formed a Christmas ship club of those
ardent youngsters. The Argus looks
20 see the women's auxiliaries of pa
triotic societies do that very thing.
Certainly gifts from patriotic Amerl-
can youths will be of lifelong memory
to the recipients in Europe. Would
you forget if on one dark Christmas
dark because of loss of relatives and
friends in a causeless war-a rap
should come at the door and throwing
it open on it's threshold stood an
American youth, with his arms laden
with Christmas things to arouse you
from your gloom? Oh. no. not so long
as time for you should last would you
forget such an act of love.
Has Given to Us.
In every home there are priced bits
of this and that from Europe. Here a
little girl has a string of beads made
by a European peasant, and Father
got this in Munich and that came from
Nuremberg, the once big top shop of
the world. All over In Americas
homes there. are priceless possessions
priceless because coming from the
mother country, where artisanship
mea0s the most exquisite painstaking
handiwork.
In the war zone all of the varied in
dustries are at a standstill, buildings
shattered and houses destroyed. With
winter just around the corner the suf-
ferings of the people cannot be COM
puted.
Children feel but cannot understand
poverty. The poorest child existent
fails to comprehend why Santa Claus
doesn't stop at the attic window and
through its broken pane thrust even
so little as warm mittens or bag of
candy All the reasoning of older
heads cannot reassure him and he feels
the neglect of KRIS Kringle, who
brought to the child in the mansion
across the way such wonderful gifts. |
And he wanted so littlei Just to know |
that Santa Claus really is.
Would Send Santa Abroad.
Now it is to make very happy on |
what should be the most glorious day |
of the year all the children so bereft |
of Santa Clauses that the good ship |
the children's Christmas ships to |
sail to the ports of Europe and carry
a real made in the u. S. A. Santa |
Claus. And it is TO bring the privilege
Of being a passenger by proxy that
The Argus urges every child in Rock
Island to do his share in loading the
finest craft that ever sailed from any
shore. Aladdin, himself meyer saw
anything like it.
The editor of the Journal IN our
neighbor city, Peoria, is asking for
popular subscriptions to be used in
necessary things and The
Argus thinks thet a very good idea,