Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-24

HOW THE NEW
CHRISTMAS WAS BORN
"ANAkAkAkAAA

sYfrEE 4
CHRISTMAS WAS BORN
florence Kelley In Harper's Bazaar.
0xt Of the sorrowful Christmas expert
Seees Of q little cash boy IL years old II
NeW York city grew the Consumers
League, more than 20 years ago. 1t hal
49, become q great national and interna
.0onal movement.
That little boy spent January on a hos
essel cot, Ill with pneumonia because h,
IA worked six days from early morning
= midnight In bad air. without regula
meals and. on one day. with nc luncheon
er supper. He was brought by the sym.
annette nurse to the attention of Mrs
CHARLES Russell Lowell, then serving as
Ne nrst woman member of the New York
mate commission Of lunacy and charity.
Ms1 Lowell saw the point. She was Civ
NC the best years OF her life to the service
Of the sick poor In the public institutions.
Aeanwhile, honest working people were
being made sick by overwork In the serv-
Ice OF the Christmas shopping mob. Mrs.
proceeded, without loss of time, to
invite to her home some leading retail
merchants who were her friends, and
some working people acquainted with the
sffoctg OF long working hours. She, her
self. represented the shopping public.
All that winter they discussed plans for
nnhstfng the shoppers In a long campaign
for considerateness There was then no
law. no public opinion. no standard of any
k1nd for conduct in relation to Christmas
shoppinG in New York city or elsewhere.
Today throughout the length and
breadth Of this continent there is a
standard Of Christmas conduct. Out of
0ose modest conferences in Mrs. Low
els nome has grown the National Con-
M -p-A-A r - 1890 r. IL EN --~-l- f- a
etatos. besides 81 branch leagues In coll
leges and universities. Among its many
helpful activities Is the annual. nation
Wide ""Shop Early campaign. Merchants.
minister's, editors. cartoonists. story writ
go. city boards of trade and chambers OF
commerce, women's clubs, surface car
lines, and many other agencies now an
nnally help on the good work.
An Invaluable step was taken when
Arthur Kellogg. an editor of the Survey,
and q member of the committee on pub
Ication In the National Consumers
League, some years conceived the
tdea Of asking Robert Ogden and other
leading retail merchants to sign a letter,
suggesting to the retail merchants and the
press that they make this effort their own.
The response was instantaneous and most
generous. and has continued ever since.
Merchants now arrange their Christmas
supplies with a view to the early shopping
campaign. In Little Rock, Ark. in the
nrst week Of October this year, the writer
saw in the leading hotel posters OF two
Chicago dealers in books and other Christ
mast wares. calling attention of the mer-
chants OF Little Rock to the fact that
sarly October is the time to select Christ |
MAJ stock.
Our country is SO vast, however,
the process OF organizing the social con- |
- 80 slow. that there Is still need |
much legislation to bring up the lag |
cards who form the ear of the process /
Thus. In the holiday season OF 1911, after
more thar 20 years OF effort by the Con-
Dumers' league. a Sunday school teacher !
asked the secretary OF the Pittsburgh
PA-) Consumers' league to verify the
DtAtement Of q Sunday school pupil who
had been missing from her class. The
boy was working on a delivery wagon
Tor . perfectly reputable department. store
u Pittsburgh, n was on his way home
between 3 and I In the morning. when a
policeman asked him to explain his pres !
1t such an hour. The officer refused
accept the boys explanation until the
I'D produced a card showing him to be.
n II years Of age, a member Of the
Dtoros' mons club.
From Thanksgiving to Christmas all the
delivery men and boys in the employ OF
store were kept at work FIVE nights in
the week. sleeping at the store from i to 2 |
:. a. Ton cots or carpets) until 7, when
wore called and, in due time, sent
Iorth TO buy breakfast at their w ex-
penso (as they bought supper at m%idnight),
md then return to the regular days work.
The boy was paid time and a half" for
extra hours. and his wage for the week
. his encounter with the policeman was !
n1so compared with Sc for a normal (
week's work. No momentary increase In
wasgss however, can compensate for a
winter Of feeble health preluded BY
violent attack OF tonsilitis, which fol.
'swed his cruel overwork
IN 11eo the boy sufferer In New York
4. Il years old. and in 1911 the young
fay. A'sA Dn'n
hut Why should the holiday season be
j ume OF ~torturing overwork for any
mn. woman. or child?
~ personal forethought, by public opin-
~, BY legislation, let us transform IL
10 = time Of peace on earth, good will to
80, including those who make, sell. and
Aelvee our holiday gifts!
TEE4EiHN1A -tFsfa 3H go