The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-20
Making Others Happy.

Everyone has right to happiness, and par
ticularly at Christmas time. It's season when
8 our thoughts turn to the welfare of others, not
: alone those of our immediate circles or homes,
but to those who we may know of among our
neighbors who are uncomplainingly endlrng
discomforts due to unemployment or physical
incapacity.
~ You may dismiss the subject of the unfor-
tunate by saying to yourself that you contrib
uted your annual mite toward public charity.
You are entitled to your need of credit for hav-
fng aided in the maintenance of public agency
for the feeding and clothing of the needy poor
of your city, but you must remember that every
needy person does not carry his troubles to
the charity agencies. He may prefer to suffer
privation temporarily to making himself
charge upon the public He is bravely
struggling against great odds. There may be
several children in his little home. You may
pass that home every day. You know what
the conditions are there. You have plenty in
your home. Your neighbor and your are
friends. Suppose that some day you drop in on
him and tender him the advance of sum of
money that will provide some of the little
things that are now denied him and his fam
lily? Suppose it were $25 $50. 1t wouldn't
break you. You might give it in the form of a
loan. Suppose you make it Christmas gift
You can well imagine the thrill of happiness
that little act would bring to you, if you knew
that your cash advance to your neighbor had
brought happy Christmas-just like the one
you enjoy-to that little home Your neighbor
In few months, might be back on his feet
again, financially, and some day he might re-
turn the money to you.
Or you might send a Christmas dinner to
poor family. Or you might have your wife call
-Wh in c;-
stances-and see how many of the little folks
are in need of clothing to keep them warm
Then the two of you might drop down town
together some evening and buy an outfit for the
little folks. You don't have to tell the world
what you are doing.
Or there may be some bed-ridden person in
your neighborhood with few friends He or
she may have been invalid for years Send
some flowers. or something more useful if it is
needed and occasionally drop in and say hello
to the invalid. 1t will not alone make the ailing
one feel good, but it will doubly increase your
gratefulness for having escaped similar in
trinity.
There are numberIess ways in which all of
us can make our coming Christmas happy aside
from the comforts that we provide for ourselves
and those Immediately dear to US, and at sur
prisingly small cost A of smoking tobacco
would cheer some old man who isn't able to get
further than the window Of his home It is |
such little thing to do, this business of max |
ing others happy, that the wonder is that all of !
us don't do more OF it
It's the spirit of making others happy that |
prompted the founding OF The Argus Santa |
Claus fund, which has been spreading cheer
among the poor children of Rock Island for
dozen years But The Argus Santa Claus isn't
supposed to have monopoly the business
Of spreading Christmas happiness. 1t confines
Itself to the children. You help in this
ask by sending contribution to the fund and
hen you will have plenty to do besides in little
to other unfortunates about you