The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-12-08
Meetjna Was Held Yesterd-y at
Which Community Presents
Were Discussed and
Work Begun.
CONTRIBUTIONS MADE
?oYs WI. &c Given as Wei! as Faod
and ANY Gift is Wei
come to the Com
mittee.

The meeting called to consider
plans for the community Christmas
was held in tho reception room OF the
y. w. G. A. yesterday afternoon and
was attended by representatives OF
the Visiting Nurse association, the
Westminster Presbyterian church, ST.
Johns Episcopal, First Congregation
al, United Presbyterian, First Baptist
and the Trinity NJ. e. church. Miss
Younker presided and Miss Mary
Irwin read the minutes OF the mass
meeting OF 1915 held on December g..
The REPRESENTATIVES of each of the
churches present pledged either ten or
Twelve filled bagkts. A basket pledge
was also reported from the Metho-
dist Protestant church and from tie
r. E. o. society. Mrs. Louis Sterne
was named as chairman of the basket
committee to ascertain the total of
all baskets to be given by the
churches. This list it was decided.
must be complete by next Monday,
December !.
Miss Laura Alton will have charge
Of the list of the families to whom
baskets are 10 be given. This list
OF beneficiaries, it was decided, must
be complete by Monday, December
Is, to avoid confusion and duplicates
Or emissions at the last minute.
Headquarters will be opened down
town In some building several days
before Christmas to receive contri pu-
dons and for distributing station.
TO Use Card System.
When the lists are complete. cards
viii be issued to the families to re-
ceiye baskets and the cards are to
be presented at headquarters and the
baskets given from there and not de-
lfvered at the houses as heretofore.
There are a Few cases known to the
committee where Illness OF age makes
Il impossible for them TO come for
their baskets and these viii be de-
liYered.
The toy question was discussed.
some OF the women thought that toys
we're impractical and others thought
that TO children who have no know
lodge of supply and demand or Of
monopoly or corporations boosting
prices, could hardly accept with phil
C.,rhy a toyless Christmas. And so
AGAINST the protest OF the more prt 4
deal, 1t was decided that every
chi1d's stocking should hold some toy.
One woman win have charge Of the
collection and distribution of toys
&tfu Will nave poTc1 W opPSi1I ASi
assistants. The women are depend
ing ON the more fortunately situated
children of the city to give the toys.
Mrs. J. P. Ingte who knows from ex-
perfence what constitutes Christmas
TO a child, made the first pledge Of
toys, pledging three dollars worth of
Toys from her two little boys. There
are to be ten dollars, every one to
have clothes that can be taken off
and put ON again by little fingers.
Dolls will be one Of the most accept
able gifts to the committee when
headquarters are opened.
Tho First Pledges.
The food baskets which will be
filled at headquarters, are in charge
of a committee of which Miss Alton
and Miss Mary Irwin are joint chair
men Miss Elsie Buck is the treas-
urer and money contributions shout
be sent to her or may be left q.
The Gate City office for her.
The community Christmas contrfou.
ton is headed by c. NJ Rich with
$780, The second gift came through
Mrs. W. II. Jones. representing the
Phyllis Wheatley Rescue club, go,
uiety of colored people, who pledged
SIS to the fund. This Is a charity
organization formed about year ago.