New Britain herald., 1915-12-14
COMMUNICATED.
Herald Reader Recalls a Good Christ
 mas Suggestion.

Dec. 13, l9l5 Editor of the New Britain Herald'
 Dear Sir: Enclosed you will ind a clipping that I cut from the Courier Gazette published at Rock land, Me, It was such a good sug- gestion that I could not let is pass by without sending it to you.
 It seems to me that the good people of New Britain would be interested in it so much so that no child in the city would awake Christmas morning without finding a well filled stocking.
 From
 A READER OF THE HERALD
 This is the story told by Sara Beaumont Kennedy:
 During my Christmas shopping, one day three years ago, I paused beside one of those kettles which the Sal vation Army keeps boiling" on the wintry streets that the poor of the city may know something of the seasons joyous side. I handed the man who was ringing the bell beside the "ket- tle' two picture-books and asked him to put them with the Christmas stocking of some invalid child.
 T know such a boy" the man an- swered, "but he will get no stocking; these will be his only gifts.'' Of course l knew, as all the world knows, that there are a great many | children to whom Santa Claus is but name, perhaps bitter mockery; but the mans words poignantly brought the fact home to my heart. Not to receive a Santa Claus stocking was to be robbed of one of the brightest rights of childhood. Then suddenly there recurred to my mem ory the radiant face of a child for whom Christmas stocking had been filled the year before. and the thought came: If for one why not for many? The next day the Womans Nine teenth Century club acted favorably l on this resolution
 | Be it resolved. That each year, as Christmas approaches, this club shall assume as part of it's philanthropic work the gathering of Santa Claus l stockings for the poor children of the community, under the following plan: That each stocking, when thus fill- ed be marked with a card inscribed out of her abundance, herself to fill, or have her children fill, one Christ mas stocking, putting into it the usual "goodies,' with one or two simple toys.
 l That each stocking, when inscribed For a Girl,'' or For a Boy" as the toys indicate, and that it be then sent to the Salvation Army or whatever charitable organization may be pre- pairing the seasons festivities for the poor.
 The plan, published through the city, was taken up with enthusiasm. Some ladies made the stockings of red and blue cambric, but the club committee preferred that pair of i'm expensive hose be purchased and the odd stocking be put into or tied on to the filled one, thus insuring the re- | cipient of pair of new hose as well as the seasons joys and sweets.
 It was interesting to see the num- Der and kind of people who joined in this movement. Children opened their | banks and played Santa Claus for | those less fortunate than themselves | thus learning the beautiful lesson of | giving happiness to others; fashion able women put aside social engage ments long enough to decide what a newsboy's preferences would be in the way of horns and tops, or whether q ragged little girl from the alley would like doll or string of red beads Even bachelors-some of them bald headed-caught the infection and pressed sisters and sweethearts into service to fill stockings for their dona- tions
 In few days the club had gather ed three hundred and thirty bount1- fully filled stockings, which the Sal Vat1on Army faithfully distributed to the hungry-hearted little ones who as- sembled at the appointed time and l place.
 So fruitful of help and happiness was the plan that last year it was re- | peated, and with even greater suc- cess, for the local lodge of Elks. touched by this phase of holiday phil 1 anthropy, contributed four hundred l and fifty stockings to supplement- 1 those gathered by the club; and per maps never before in the history of any city did so lavishly fruited 2 | tree shower gifts and gladness into | little hands grimed with toll or thin with poverty It was as if the won derful Horn of Plenty had been brought from it's mythological setting and turned upside down in the shabby hall where the feast of the tree was held. No waif of the city went with out the blessed joy of owning and opening Christmas stocking. The result of this plan is so satis- factory. the expenditure individually is so small, that those who inaugural ed it hope to see it adopted in other places-hope that other clubs and charitable organizations will join in this gathering of Santa Claus stock ings, so that the unfortunate of every city may have, each season, a splen- didly fruited tree to blossom and bear under the radiance of the Bethlehem Star.
 Make Haste Slowly.