Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-12-18
SANTA STARTS
ON HIS ROUNDS
IN ALBUQUERQUE
Pathetic Scenes Are Enacted
When Distribution Of Sup
plies to Poor Families Takes
Place.

| fNSo " W N''''''Se y 49,
Place.
| If the ladies' OF Albuquerque who
have had in charge the work for the
municipal Christmas tree and the re-
lief of the needy families Of the city
could have been with me this after
noon they would have felt thousand
times repaid for the work they have
so splendldly done. II those who
have contributed to the fund had
seen what | saw the only regret they
would have felt would have been that
they didn't give double what they
did"
So spoke former Mayor u. X. u.
Sellers last night after he had con-
Guided the first days work OF tIs-
tributing Christmas supplies, which
began yesterday afternoon at $3.50.
For after thinking the matter over
and considering the main object to
be gained, the Christmas tree commit
tee couldn't see any use in waiting
until Christmas when they had lot
of stuff on hand and the need for It
Is as pressing now as 1t will be when
Christmas comes.
Accordingly. Colonel Sells was sent
out IN the role of Santa Claus to glad
den the hearts of the poor people of
the city whose names had been hand
ed in to COMMITTEES; and from now un-
I'll Christmas the colonel Will devote
all of his time. from o'clock in the
morning until night, to the work Of
distributing Christmas supplies to the
poor.
Many Touching Scenes.
In his rounds yesterday afternoon
Colonel Sellers witnessed many
scenes that were touching In the ex-
IRENE. His cargo consisted mainly
OF staple groceries and fruits, and the
houses at which he called were those
where in many instances the actual
need of food to sustain life was
pressng-where the pinched. drawn
faces of little children told of poorly
nourished bodies and where the gaunt
specter Of hunger was everywhere in
evidence. The widow and orphan
who faced the prospect of bleak,
and barrent Christmas showed the
light of kecnest rapture in their faces
as the Christmas auto drew UP and
the certainty Of good substantial food
became apparent.
AT one place Colonel Sellers found
q mother and her little girl just sit
ting down to their evening meal. This
meal consisted of a small plate Of dry
beans and q glass of water. II was all
they had to eat. There was no coffee.
no sugar, no meat-none Of the many
things that the average person con-
siders a necessary part OF every meal
The pair seemd frightened when the
auto drove up TO the humble little
shack that served as home TO
them. When finally they were male
to understand the purpose Of the visit
the mothers eyes filled with tears IF
Joy and the little girl jumped about
the room and clapped her hands in an
ecstacv of glee. IT was almost too
good to be true--they had heard of
Santa Claus, but they had not been
able to conceive of the possibility Of
HIS NuIfiliit u tiltiI iVuctt
Such instances were the rule rather
than the exception. Pale, haggard
men who had been out of work for
months and who saw nothing but
want and hunger In store for them,
literally broke down and wept when
the Santa Claus car came around.
Little children who had come to think
of Santa Claus only as a beautiful
myth that existed, If at all, only for
the rich. stared In open-eyed wonder
as oranges and apples and other
Christmas goodies were placed N
their tiny hands 1t is no wonder
that Colonel Sellers declares that the
ladies' should feel thousand times
repaid for their work.
The Glory of Giving.
The committee has decided that
and talk over matters, but rather
time to improve each shining hour
by doing all the work that is possible
Talk Is cheap and there will be
plenty of time after Christmas to
hold experience meetings The thing
to do now Is to exert every nerve and
muscle to do what has TO be done.
Especially gratifying has ben the
fact that the donations have come
from people In ali walks of life, The
rich have given of their abundance.
while people in very modest circunl-
stances have managed to find a way
to pinch out something from their
small store to contribute to the re-
lief movement. The glory Of giving
seems to have been impressed pro-
foundly upon all classes of Albuquer-
que citizens.
A slender, frail woman dressed in
black. day or two ago brought in
small package as her contribution.
Her eyes filled with tears and her
voice broke as she explained that the
package contained her dead baby's
clothes. She hoped that they would
furnish the warmth and comfort thai
might DO necessary TO save to somv
other mother the life Of her baby.
A man in blue overalls recently
turned over TO a member of the com
mittec pair OF boys shoes. Later In
the day he called again and asked
that they be returned to him. His
good wife, he explained, had called
him good and proper because the