The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-09-11
|HRISTMAS SHIP
PROJECT GIVEN
TIMES SUPPORT
Joins With Other Papers in Pro
viding Cheer for Riddles in
Warning Europe
BOAT TO BE LOADED WITH
TOYS AND CLOTHING
Project Locally VIII Take Place
Of Annual Giving to Forgot
ten" Fund

4 ( i ..
Fathers, mothers. big brothers, lit
tie children, all you with kindly hearts
whose sympathy can reach out across
the seas and picture the coming OF
Chrfstmas In the lands where the red
.1war reigns, listen
Some of the great newspapers OF
The United States, the Chicago Her
AID, the New York World and others
have combined to raise fund to send
ship laden with Christmas gifts and
clothing to Europe to make bright In
aome small way the homes Of the
children In the country where the
clamor OF war has brought grief and
poverty and loss.
The Detroit Times has joined this
movement and today appeals to De-
lroit and to Michigan to help in this
cause. - ~
While regiments march to their
death. while empires fall and defeat
and victory come. there are still other
regiments and other empires. The
empire OF childhood, regiments of lit
tie ones, whose homes have become
Z the place for tears, whose mothers
bow beneath the weight Of loss, where
the wolf Of poverty howls at the door
and where the dawn Of Christmas day
may mean only the coming Of another
period OF sorrow.
These little folk of Europe may not
realize the fact hat war rs upon the
land They only know that father
and brother are gone, that the cup
board Is bare, that mother scans the
papers In which long lists OF names
are printed with the short, grim words
~ the top, "The dead"
81 For many days to come they will
know that smiles are not for them;
that laughter must be hushed. that
mother presses them close in the still
watches OF the night, that somewhere
, terrible creature caller War" is
'Wrecking their happiness and taking
the sunshine from their lives.
Christmas! The birthday OF the
Prince of Peace. What mockery 1t
VIII be over IN weary. war-tired Eu-
rope; her fields red with blood and
silent OF the reaper; the song OF the
.Ihrk gone and the croak OF the car
Won bird In Its place; the forge still,
and always call for men and money
<(rom homes that have no men. and
from lands that are squeezed dry OF
money.
The silver Dieces that should go for
dolls and slcds are going for bullets
he fathers whose arms should -be 4
6utstretched TO lift the children tol
|Chriotmas trees are still and silent In
kronge twisted attitudes on field and
And now, children and all good folk
.6f Michigan with your bountiful har-
vest and busy marts, what of these
ohiIdren OF Europe? Does distance
|elIp the wings Of love; salt waters
|baF Kindness: the roar OF cannon ST.
knee the rejoicing that choruses in
your heart? Little Gretchen and tiny
Annette, with fIaxen-head and raven
Iocks. --they are children and they.
100, have known In the past the story
70 Kris KrinGle and Santa Claus. Who
WI have the heavy heart to tell
them this year that Santa Claus has
.forgotten.?
4 Yet, someway, this message must
come to them unless we Of America
out OF our riches remember and give
unto the least of these
Read OF the thousands OF men that
are falling before cannon and sword
md then remember that most OF them
q
sister or brother, niece or nephew.
There are no boundaries In childhood,
no political ambitions, no race or
creed or class. The little ones are
The helpless ones, the bearers Of bur-
|dons that they cannot understand and
~ which they had no making. In
sending the great ship, therefore, nag
~ race will not be known. Just child
hood. The hungry little brood Of the
8ossian wood-cutter. the ragged chill
6ren OF Pierre, the teamster. the sor- |
rowing babies of Hans, the weaver; |!
al will be remembered as far as your
generosity and the kindness Of 9TH
ers this country over will permit.
Children, have you played all the
day. Have you come home at night
TO mothers arms and fathers CHEEKY
greeting? Have you climbed on his
knee and listened to story or told your
own griefs of the long day? Across
the restless sea are other children
creeping home to empty houses where
mother is weeping and father Is gone.
They may go to bed hungry by Christ
mas time, for all the money IN the
land II going TO All the mouth Of can
non and gun, and the fathers no long.
or work except In grim battles. You
are going to have happy Christmas,
Of course. Don't you want to aid
these little ones?
Let Tom Mays forgotten" cartoon,
which In other years has been the In
spiration for gifts TO the neglected
children Of our own community. be
the Inspiration for providing bit OF
cheer for the Riddles In war-torn
Europe who are In even greater dis
trsss.
TrAcuCD YuICn