Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-01


forward to on Friday of this week and
the Fair for Convalescents out in Darby,
which is being gotten up by the Senior
and Junior auxiliaries of the home.
Miss Florence Sibley is president this
year, and certainly makes an able one
She is SO used to good works she could
not pass one by It seems to me- for she
has been for years interested In the
Pennsylvania Association for women
Workers, which was started here some
years ago by Miss Laura Platt, who was
the first president. Then Miss Sibley
became interested in st. Francis's Home
and she added that good work to her
already full calendar, and there Is little
doubt that the homo will beneht by her
knowledge and well-guided energy.
The Fair, or Market Day. will open on
Friday morning, and last all of that Gay
and all of Saturday. There will be all the
usual things for sale, only that every one
is making special effort to make thS
things prettier than ever, and the eats
better than ever, and to make more
money than ever, and that will be going
some, believe me, for these ardent work
ers for the Home for Convalescents have
accumulated quite bit of money at these
annual market days.
HNHE home was started about hve years
l. ago by a number of women, prominent
among them having been Mrs. Charles
Emory Smith, a sister of Mrs. James
Francis Sullivan. Mrs. Smith had long
been visiting the sick and poor at BLOCK
ley with the Children of Mary, attached
to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Ill
this city. She saw how often the patients
dismissed from the hospital were really
unable to take up their work at home'
and that many returned to the wards
within few months after dismissal
down with the same illness again, because
they had no time nor place to conValesce'
She interested Father Wastl, the chaplain
at Blockley, and she interested the other
women who visited with her, and hnally
from the little seed so quietly sown the
house at Darby was founded. All of the
women who had visited the sick at Block
ley felt the need OF such a place, and let
me tell you there are many women VINO
have and do visit that hospital full Oh
sick and sorely tried humanity, and those
very Children of Mary, headed Cor forty
years by Miss Julia Randall, have visited
there for nearly half century. They
all knew the need and were more than
glad to help. One gentleman gave $ooo'
another a thousand, the Sullivans gave
horse and wagon; furniture poured III
from all sides and the idea became an
accomplished fact. In the few years 24OO
patients have been encouraged back TO
health and happiness once more.
1t was in the heart of many for many
years and Mrs. Smith but voiced the de-
sires Of her associates. She did not re-
main here to see the success or the un'
dertaking, but a year later entered
convent in New York, where she has
since devoted her life to helping the poor.
MANY girls of the younger set Of West
4H1 Philadelphia have turned their at
tention and thoughts from parties ana
dances to interest themselves in this COM
ing Market Day and Fair. bunch OF
them are busy making hats and bags
which will be part Of their costumes on
those two days. The hats are stunning;
they are fashioned of black tulle and
made with square brims and crowns of
ribbon to match each ones pet particular
sweater. The bags are Of black and white
cretonne, with large X stenciled on one
side, Now, you might guess that the x
was destined for Kitchen utensils, or
Kits. or even Kittens, but it isn't; 1t
stands for the most ordinary thing in the
world these days, and that is Knitting.
And all of these aides will be attached to
the knitting table, which Mrs. Joseph
Israel has in charge. The table itself will
be trimmed in black and white, so think
the costumes will be quite fetching. A
gypsy kettle hung on tripod and used
as a melting pot for old gold and silver
will be another attraction at this table.
Among the aides, who will certainly
look very cunning in these smart cos
tunes, will be Ruth Israel, Katharine
Slater, Katharine Burns, Anne, Elizabeth
and Mary Strain, Helen McNichol, Sophia
and Ida Senger, Sophie Henderson, Caro-.
line Farren, Agnes Kelley, Agnes Hag-
gerty Rose Frenzy, Mildred Butcher and
Claudia Briggs.
ICTNHEsE small fire companies are all
L right growls Mr.. City Person, but
something always goes wrong just when
they are needed most" And that, in a
word, is the moral of my little tale.
You see, a certain nearby suburb had
always prided itself on its very efficient
fire service, and every once in a while
YOU would see the shining red engine,
with all its paraphernalia. charging down
the roads, siren-whistle shrieking and
small dogs following along and barking,
thai- baads off Nine times out of ten,