Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-23
BAN UPON XMAS
PACKETS LIFTED
Special Labels on Gifts for
Soldiers Overseas No
Longer Required
NEW RED CROSS RULE
Inspectors Have Busy Time
Sorting Wide Variety of
Presents
NEW RED CROSS RULE

nearest relative of a man In service, VINO
has not received a label from her boy
or who has lost the label sent her, may
obtain permission from Red Cross
Christmas headquarters to send a
Christmas packet overseas. She must
OF course, sign an affidavit that she is
the nearest relative Of the hoy and that
she has not made or will not make any
ether Christmas shipment to this boy.
The package must be presented to one
of the Red Cross Christmas headquar-
ters before November 80. 1t would be
better for mothers to bring letters from
their sons as Identification.
'T am glad such provision has been
made" declared Mrs. George B. Smithe-
man, in charge Of the Christmas packet
department in Red Cross Hall, eighth
floor of wanamakers. I'VE have had
so many mothers or fathers come to US
and beg with tears in their eyes for per-
mission to send something When they
had no label from their boys we could
do nothing. Now I believe there will be
very few boys overseas without a
packet"
Inspection clerks in the Red Cross
Christmas headquarters are both
amused and harasssed each day BY the
queer mixture of gifts they discover In
the overseas boxes There Is everything
from the newest in rubber trench
basins and soap leaves to bottles of
cheap perfume and hunks of cheese.
The inspector gets many good sugges-
tions for comforts that will please the
enlisted men and she also has to reject
many articles fond relatives include.
Sends Son a Ham Bono
Mrs. Herbert Heston, inspector at the
Urquhart Auxiliary Christmas packet
department, tells of a southern mother
who put small ham bone in the box
TO her twenty-two-year old son because
he used to suck it when he was baby.
"she was pretty woman" declared
Mrs. Heston, land the packet was won-
a widow and this was her only son.
Right on top the packet was a toy
elephant with this ham bone tied to
his leg. just had to put 1t in said
the mother. 1T has played a part In
my boys Christmas ever since he can
z remember. We always put It on his
Christmas tree, just as reminder of
childhood days. and know he will be
happy to see 1t because this is his first
Christmas away from home
Another young woman. sending a
packet to her husband In France. had
in one corner a tiny. brand-new baby
sock Her baby was born just two
weeks ago and she wanted the new
daddy to have some tangible thing that
had touched the infant.
'Oh, II Is wonderful. the sentiment in
these packages" exclaimed. Mrs. Heston
Some of them make you laugh. but
somehow the tears are always in the
background. because you realize what
love goes with these remembrances.
II believe almost every negro woman
includes bottle or cheap perfume
which we must reject. One negro mother
sent a toy bank to her Jimmie. Italians
nearly always include highly scented
cheese or hard sausage. We usually
pass those things because they are OF
the type that will keep for ages There
was one Italian laborer who brought in
box for his boy. 1t passed muster
all right and the girls tied 1t up beauti-
fully He was SO grateful he left a
niciile as tip
Inspectors Job Trying
It is nc easy job to be inspector The
law provides for the sending, OF arti-
cles that\will not break and that will
< keep in good condition. The packages
complete must weigh only three pounds
Mrs. Heston had an inspiration wher
odds and ends of candy. chewing gun
and small articles left by the senders
because of over weight, began to collect
about the office. She found big box
to put such collections in and Their
when there came box that was a little
underweight, little meager because
mother or relative was too poor to ado
enough, she put in some of these left.
overs.
'T have had some Irouble about
money" she said. I'VE are not al.
70 ;lra