Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-27
CHRISTMAS FUND
COMMITTEEPLANS
Joy FOR CHILDREN
p,uussf Task Since Launching OF Ar
gus Enterprise Six Years Ago
Faces Workers.
rrsT HAS BEEN INCREASED
psuemhrances Distributed Among
0Ver One Thousand Poor Young
siers Last Season.
rrsT HAS BEEN INCREASED

Six wears ago The Argus established
fund which it designated as The Ar
gus Santa Claus Fund, with the idea
N mlnd OF providing Christmas cheer
for the poor tots Of the city. The first
year OF TIE enterprise was launched
comparatively few children were taken
rare Of. but with the steady growth of
tba city and with the thoroughness
with which 1t is canvassed. the number
of children who look to the fund for
their Christmas has grown into the
hundreds.
The public is pretty we'll familiar
uith rhe idea of the fund, which in
short is 20 provide for the poor child
rem some gilt during the holidays that
vould otherwise not come TO them.
There is uoy "a child who does not look
forward months i'm advance 10 Christ
mas DAY as The best day in the whole
wear. ard should that morning break
and fnd tHem forgotten by the patron
saint there is more than one little heart
that Is breaking with the disappoint-
ment Of mn empty stocking which ex-
peotatlors and trust in kind, I'M
known saint had flied with all the
good things that come to the more for
tunate tots Tt is to obviate this dis-
appointment that The Argus establish
ed the custom of collecting money
which Is turned over to a committee
With which to buy gifts and fill the
stockings of The poor children.
Through the committee also The
Argus ha. been able year after year to
provide names to Good Fellows who,
taking Tire responsibility of the child
rens Christmas upon their own
shoulders select gifts and needed ar
ticles and personally deliver them in
time for Christmas,
The committee. which is this year
composed Of Miss Dina Ramser, chair
man. vino for wears was city police
matron aud one Of the most prominent
workers for charity in the city; Mrs
C T. blizzard. who has been in city re-
lief work for % years, Mrs. G. H.
Sherwood prominently connected with
all philanlhTopic enterprises. and Miss
Edna Flanagan, visiting nurse. who is
familiar with the condition Of all the
poor in the city through her ministra-
uon 10 tbem. has already begun its
work in the interest Of the fund
Every Ease Investigated.
The committee has divided the city
Into certain sections and with their
helpers make Il house TO house can
vass investigating every case that has
been reported to them and gaining
fresh Information that has not been
reported In this thorough manner of
canyassjng tbs city some Of the most
deserving cases handled have been dis
covered. for ii frequently happens the
most pitjable cases are often those
that are most backward in making
their wants known. The committee
has already begun its work and hopes
to have the city we'll covered in a few
DAYS. Another canvass is to be made
Just previous to Christmas day, 10
thoroughly locate every poor child of
the city As each family is visited a
record is made of the name of the
parents, their street number. the age
and sex Of each child. the articles OF
clothing most needed, and the gift
that every child most wants. Gifts and
clothing are theu purchased in accord
anee with the list as previously pre-
parted
People not intimately connected with
the fund have no conception of the
Proportions TO which this institution
mas grown in the six years Of its or
ganlauua IT may be of interest and
surprise 20 some to know just what
Ihe Argus Santa Claus committee did
last year with the money that was