The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1919-12-18
NEAR EAST RELIEF
(By w. Banks Dove.)

| wish you to regard this little
Christmas story as personal letter.
It happened one cold, crisp Christ
mas Eve five years ago. l was stand
ing in front of a brilliantly lighted
toy store in a city not necessary to
name. Within was arranged in splen-
did masses every type of toy to glad
den the heart of childhood. Coming
and going in eager, anxious haste
were mothers and fathers clad in
stylish, as well as comfortable clothes,
their faces smiling because they
knew the joy they were making ready
for the coming morrow. There were
also little ones in that throng who in
their childish cunning knew full we'll
that many of those self same toys
would hang on their Christmas trees,
placed there by mysterious Santa
Claus, and they were' glad.
But all seemed to fail to see
poor, thinly clad mother, whose face
showed that she had known brighter
and better days. Clinging to her hand
was little girl of six, whose only
Christmas joy would be the view Of
the toys which tomorrow would be
the actual possession of thousands Of
happy children. I watched her for
few minutes and realized that this
was only too true. Presently man at
tired in his everyday working clothes
modestly slipped into the mothers
hand a crisp Five Dollar bill with the
request that She spend it for the lit
tie ones happiness. l then and there
discovered that there is no eloquence
on earth to compare with tear drop
glistening in mothers eye, placed
there because of gratitude.
Now, my dear friend, as this Christ
mas season approaches there are two
hundred and fifty thousand hungry,
homeless and helpless orphans, whose
eyes are filled with tears-not tears
for Christmas toys, but. tears for
bread to satisfy the cravings of hun
ger and to keep their starved and
emaciated bodies from falling by the
wayside and becoming dry bones to
mingle with the thousands of others
who, have already fallen. There is no
father to hear their cries because he
has been killed by the cruel Turk.
Neither is there any mother, nor will
there be, to wipe away their tears,
for they have been scattered into the
mountains and deserts, in many cases
never to see their loved ones again.
Fifty thousand of these mothers are
unwilling victims in Turkish harems
where a brand has been burned into
their flesh and the threat of death
placed over their heads should they
escape. How many Of these will ever
see their little ones again, God only
knows.
Now, my friend, call upon you to
assist in bringing Christmas to these
little ones. l call upon you in the
name of Him, Who made Christmas
possible for US all and said, "Inas-
much as ye have done it unto one Of
the least of these we have done it un-
to me-" l call upon you whether you
recognize Him as the Christ or not I
call upon you in the name of suffer-
ing humanity. You may not see the
tear drop of gratitude come into their
eyes as l saw it come into that moth
er's on that Christmas Eve, but their
gratitude to you will be far greater
and you shall not lose your reward.
Simply fill out your check for what
ever amount your heart may prompt,
and forward the same to w. Banks
Dove, State Chairman, 211, Liberty
National Bank Building, Columbia,