The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-22
By CAROLYN B. ELLIOTT

Just like you and me,
 Born in Bethlehem of Judah
 Far across the sea.
 No room for the little Jesus
 Could be found on earth,
 And stable, dark and drezry,
 Was His place of birth"
 No room for the child It might who were singing. and for many others before them, had it not been that 27 years ago a protecting shelter was built, and on it's doorpost was written in great, kind letters-Mercy Home Justice? No. Only grown people blindly demand life's impartialities. But little children who have never wronged any human being in the world, and whose lives should mean only joy, raise their innocent eyes to men and women to plead unconscious ly for a little benevolence, little kindliness a little mercy.
 Not willing that any should perish is craven in the glowing colors of the window that faces any visitor who enters the door of the Mercy Home. The thought must have been graven deep in the hearts of few women, too over a. quarter of century ago, when the Mercy Home was dreamed of, and a board of managers was organized with Mrs. c. B. Spencer as the able presi- dent In this same capacity through all these years, has this noble woman remained the stanch friend of child hood, with board of managers loyal to the helpless and weak.
 ''The widow was placed there by the board of managers when the house was built" explained the superintend- : ent, Mrs. Ramsey, as she guided me up the long stairway into the bright room, where. Miss Kate Rumph was teaching the children their beautiful Christmas carols
 HAPPY AS THEY SANG
 Most of the child faces were very happy as they sang, but a few were a wee bit old and somewhat wistful.
 "The sad-faced children have only been here short while" said Mrs Ramsey. 'They haven't quite walked up yet But in Miss Rumph's classes it won't be long, because you can really see. little children of the kindergarten wake up when they have been under her care for few weeks"
 Small wonder with such merry songs and folk dances. while Mrs. w. c. Jour- ney is giving glad voluntary service al the p ano, and while the gentlest of teachers is understanding all kinds of children, whether they know how to ,1Io i,,c4 at With Mrs Ramsey and Miss Beulah Knightor. and so much happiness everywhere, well, as Mrs. Ramsey says, the little new child faces can't stay wistful very long.
 Mrs. Ramsey is not really Mrs. Ram sey to the children. She is Mother Ramsey" and this is a part of the chill lren's happiness, too. "1t isn't rule of the home,' explained the gentle mother who has been with the Mercy Home so long taht some of the girls who were there 25 years ago now bring their own dear babies to see her 'I do not ask them to call me mother at all,' she said, but the chill dren have just chosen themselves to do it."
 Then she said with a smile: q have tried to teach them so much about their own mothers, making them feel how dear they are, that now it is really funny how they call their own per scnal belongings, my own dear ball or my own dear dress So they call me mother while they do not forget their own dear mothers
 "It is only a chance we are asking" continued Mrs. Ramsey. "A chance for | these who are in no way responsible for the misfortune, or the unfortunate circumstances that make this kind of constructive work necessary.
 EIGHTY-FIVE IN HOME NOW
 There are S5 in the home now, from our 1-year- baby in the nursery, up to our school girl of 15. Only last week." she continued i've added + new names to our list, and in one day we sent out seven for whom the wheels of fortune had turned. So our num- Der necessarily fluctuates. There ar with us for years, and today we are rroud of some of the records they have made"
 Agreeing with the superintendent, Mrs. Ramsey, is the president of the board, Mrs. Spencer, who, in her report for the last year. said:
 "We mention with loving pride some of our girls who have gone out dur ing the year to positions of usefulness. One who had completed her first year in the night school. then by industry and perseverance attended the summer school secured a certificate and is teaching in the northern part of the state Another has finished a business course and has a good position as ste nographer Three more are working where only good is spoken of them and promotion seems certain; and one who perhaps has the best position of all-- after several years as a student and later as an assistant in the home-has married and started home of her own"
 CONSTRUCTIVE WORK
 In speaking of the institution as one worth while in it's constructive work, Mrs. Spencer adds:
 "Ten, twenty, fifty little girls each year taught the things that are good and pure, given a full measure of care, trained in habits that make for phys ical and moral development. must mean just so many big sisters and poten- tial mothers, started in the right path; and now after so many years, as we hear of one and another successful life traced to the Mercy Home; when we have letters from soldiers once our little boys, and visits from young women in responsible positions who consider the years in the Mercy Home the pivotal time in their lives. we know this is constructive work, and are glad and grateful for the privilege of being a part of the story"
 Now really, this didn't start out to be story of what a necessary and ef- ficient institution the Mercy Home is in the molding of character and future useful citizenship. It means all of this.