The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-21

3 which comes from the heart of lovely Lucille Gaston Jordan (Mrs. Mortimer II. : Jordan) concerning the happiness that
 will be carried lover there" this Christ
 mastide by the sweet remembrance <ot
 Alabama people to the Alabama sol dlers' children, in the shape of beautiful
 dolls which will be given to 800 babies,
 whose fathers have fought so nobly in
 the war for the freedom and liberty of
 the world
 Her own heart sad and depressed at
 this season especially-Mrs Jodan,
 whose gallant husbands name is a
 memory cherished and beloved by all of
 bifmingham-nay, by his entire native
 state-Alabama-feel perhaps more than
 almost anyone else the necessity of send-
 ing hSht and happiness into the homes
 or the soldiers at the blessed Christmas
 season, for only year ago this sweet i. woman, with thousands of others. found
 her home at Christmastide with the va
 cant chair-the vacant place at the
 Christmas feast-for then Captain Jor-
 dan was fighting the noble tight-but al-
 ways she had the cherished hope Of his return-but this Christmastide brings her asaIn the vacant chair at the ireside- the vacant chair at the Christmas feast
 With the heart breaking reality that the loving husband and devoted father is 1 forever gone--and it seems hitting that she Of all others should have been asked
 to help other families of soldiers, other soldiers children and other soldiers homes-te find "a spark of happiness at
 what should beIth happiest of all happy
 seasons
 Mrs Jordan bravely and courageously
 mas gone into the work and it has been 1 so hard, too, for her to do it. but she l has been recompensed to some degree
 by the knowledge that she is bringing happiness to others, which after all is l the only true religion-the only real hap | piness to ones self.
 | When I talked to Mrs. Jordan about | the Childrens hospital, the Doll bazar which is soon to be given for this insti- tuition, and of the work being accom- l plished by the committee of which she 1 is chairman, she said: ITO me there is no more appealing charity in all Birmingham than the Childrens hospital and when Mrs. Craw- ford Johnson, it's beloved president, | asked me to take the charmanship of the committee receiving donations for the Alabama soldiers children, I real ized that this was a work in which l 1 could put my whole heart. If those Of us who are walking in the shadow of sorrow, and alas, there are many since l the clouds of war have been over us ! and our casualty lists daily grow larger ! and slarger-and with dread epidemics | in our midst, will we ever be able to | adjust ourselves to normal times again? 1 If we could only busy ourselves with | helping others-there is always someone whose condition is worse than ours-a ! future that seems dark and hopeless | would be easier to face. When we see | the sorrows ofsothers about us we can | then think of our mercies, can we not?
 When my husband, Captain Jordan, | sailed for France year ago. Mrs. Jor- | dan said, "his last gift to his little baby 1 girl was a doll from New York At | Christmas time he was not bemoaning | his own dreadful hardshps, but the fact that he couldn't play Santa Claus for the children-couldnt send doll for his baby. In the War-worn towns of France, [ where our boys were thentbilleted there were no toy shops for children. The toy shops were closed and instead there were perhaps ammunition factories A few months later he bought a little doll for his baby. and sent it as belated Christi | mas gift. I tell this personal story be- cause I realize that while his mind was intent upon this deadly war his thoughts wandered back to his little baby girl and he wanted her to have her dollies; and so it is with other fathers who are still over there, those who went to fight the brave fight for their loved ones-other fathers, who like my little baby's father, has given his life for his country. Those fathers who will not return home for this Christmas season because demobilization has not been ef- fected yet, will be very happy to know that the Christmas stocking of their lit tie tots is not empty; that the little girl at home is happy with her dollie. Over ha.a cn16 mill NF { hn- | cause they eagerly read the papers from home and know what we back here are doing or when they come home it won't take long to find out if the family was taken care of in their absence. We owe these men everything. No sacrifice that we have made or will have to make com- pares to the things they have done. If we have to give here at home, where there have been no big guns to send bursting shells over our heads, where ,ur little children can go safely to school md about play with no gas mask at N land ready for an ever feared alarm, let IS thank God and give, give. give, with smile on our faces. Our men over -here' have given their lives with a hat they have only one life to give for heir country and the peace of future we people back home have siven nothing in comparison.
 II have told my committee when ask ng friends to buy dol," Mrs. Jordan aid, 'for a soldiers baby, or in other words to make donation to the hos- tal, to say that they are getting value eceiyed, for I know of no money spent hat can bring such happiness. There is
 whole heart full of happiness for the ,iver for happiness is best found in crying others and through unselfish- ess. This same money will make some oldiers little baby happy at Christ las, too, by the present of beautiful oil. and at the some time give life and edith to some little weary sick suffering aby at the Childrens hospital. B The home service of the Red Cross" IT'S Jordan said, "has supplied us with ne names of the 800 children in all sec- ons of Alabama whose fathers have cen brave, loyal soldiers in the great ght. In this way anyone giving doll lay choose the baby to whom they wish
 sent, for we will have list of the ames at the Doll bazaar for the pub- c to see all during the bazaar. If peo- le could only realize-and they can't ntl they learn from the home service condtions-the many privations that ,me of our soldiers families have un- srgone, you would know that without le gift of their doll, many little children