The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-11
THE MERCY HOME

661T7HE MERCY HoMEF Doesnt t
 the very name mean sweetness,
 = and gentleness and kindness? Doesn't it mean myriads of little chill dren lowering about the fireside, witt their bright little eyes shining. their pretty little faces beaming, their merry little childish prattle begging for anoth- CT story" ess one mo "--as your heart thumps and beats for these precious lit- tie things and you want to hug them al. up close and tight in your arms and kiss them and love them and do your very best to make them happy?
 That's what The Mercy Home" spells to me; that's what The Mercy Home" means to me; that's what The Mercy Home conveys to my mindi
 And my frends-do you know that this Mercy Home"-which spreads it's shel- tering arms about the tiny forms of motn- erless and fatherless babies has recently celebrated an anniversary-an annivers- ary which has to do with the guiding spirit of the home-the sweet woman Mrs. Margaret B. Ramsay-who only the other day completed her twenty y-fifth year as matron of the Mercy Home
 The board of managers planned Sur-
  and held called meeting at the home, the beloved president, Mrs. c. B. Spen- cer, presding-Mrs. Spencer, whose gen. tie kindly influence has surrounded this institution in the capacity of president since 1892.
 Mrs. Spencer reviewed briefly Mrs. Ramsay's work from the day she went to the Mercy Home, stepping from the station a complete stranger to everybody until the present day; she told of her loving service; her countless ministries to the dependent children of this city, and of how many of these same children love and honor her today. Not alone these children, but a host of friends. loving and loyal, among them the entire board of managers with whom she has been so closely associated, who know her as The Great Heart of the Mercy Home.'
 The surprise came, when as an express sion of their love and friendship, confi- dence and esteem, a beautiful loving cup" was presented to Mrs Ramsay which so completely bewilG~xed her that she was scarcely able to express her thanks.
 Anyway, this and the fact that Mrs Ramsay is leaving this week for a much needed rest and vacation, suggested to my mind little chat with this sweet wo. man, whose name is synonymous with The Mercy Home,' whose title or Mother Ramsay has been accorded her by the hundreds and hundreds of little children whom for 9 years she has known and loved and ministered to, over at "The Mercy Home" and who in turn have adored her and to whom she has meant ''mother'-the sweetest name ever spoken-in every sense of the word!
 Mrs. Ramsay radiates the sweetness everywhere she goes; when she steps into as prosy old place as newspaper office. where everything is noise and confusion, hustle and hustle-the radiance of her smile and the gentleness of her voice, transform the surroundings into a diff ferent tmosphere-something intangibly sweet-something intangibly gentle!
 ITO say that I have been at the Mercy Home for 25 years conveys at least the impression that I have been there long enough to see the results of our work Mrs. Ramsay said, flor scarcely weel: passes but that some girl or boy comes back home as they call it, bringing their loved ones to see and wanting them to meet Mother Ramsay Our girls. many of them, have married splendid men and they bring their husbands and their children and their friends and 1 am always glad when they bring their friends so that I may see what sort of compan- --ns they have, for you can judge ot the place one occupies in the world large- ly by their associates"
 ''The Mercy Home had been in exist