Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-03
Trails Salvation Army to
Observe It's Good Work
Mabel Wheeler Gets NeW Idea of Community
Chest Service IN, Trip About City.

line waiting in the relief station, hungry,
hollOw-eyed people who waited their turn
quietly, and just as we were leaving
the food storage where beans, rice, cef-
fee and sugar are kept in great quaint
ties the relief worker said that she had
a number of call to make and Mr.. Cas-
Ter said:
! "WeH just drive around now, and make
| EN-" And we did, me tagging along,
not dreaming of what was before me.
! The first home we visited was a de-
| cided eye-opener. There were seven chill
dren in the family, the father was just
/ home from the hospital having been
unable to work for many weeks the
| oldest girl was but II and was over al
the Harley Gibbs settlement house, which
is one Of the Salvation Army posts, doing
the family washing, and after school
hours helping the Army workers. The
! baby was not a year old and it was
| just a shadow Of a child, blue and big
| eyed, having just been brought home
from the hospital in the morning. The
/ family has been kept, is kept and will
continue to be kept by the Salvation
! Army until the father has work. There
is not n cent in the family purse, food.
house rent, clothing and coal must be
supplied. The girl when she came to
the Armys notice was considered in
corrigible, but under the influence of the
settlement workers had developed into
an industrious, happy dispOsitioned, real
girl, and when we stopped at the Harley
Gibbs house on our way in we heard her
singing as she strenuously rubbed the
clothes.
FAMILY OF FIVE
LIVES IN ONE ROOM.
Our second visit was with a family Of 1
five. The father and mother are com
paratively young people, but the man
had blood poisoning and has Just come
| from the hospital, but will lOt be able to
walk for several more weeks, the mother
is i'll and unable to be on her feet any
length of time. The oldest child is 6, the
baby almost .. The former has been Z
sent home from school on account Of her
physical condition and she is almost
blind. They are living in a dark room
without fresh air or sunshine. eating and
sleeping in the same atmosphere. They
have no way to get their provisions but
have to depend on the relief worker
bringing them food, which she does regu-
larry. She not only takes them food,
but she takes a whole heap" of good
cheer with her, for the faces of the
couple fairly beamed when she greeted
them. 1t is the first time in eleven years
Of his working life that the man has been
hlifibAC ~ NOIh. UuJ the savings ne ldQ
accumulated were all spent on hospital
bills and the family is absolutely desti-
tute. The children talked about Santa
Claus and the mothers eyes filed with
tears, when the little pirl Iisped. shak-
ing her curly head emphaticaIly,
"Thanta CIaush 18th coming to see Dor
othy Mae"
And she is right, there'H be a Christ
mas for the little folk. for that's another
feature of the Salvation work Of the
Army, Christmas for the children.
We made a fitting call on a mother
who had been belfast for several weeks,
whose husband has been out of work for
weeks and who is walking the streets
looking for job now. She has Swear
old daughter who looks like a big doll,
hlue-eyed, curly haired, with twinkling
dimples.
The mother said that Jane Anne has
been heartbroken the last few days be-
cause she wants doll, and has cried BIT z
terly at nights because she hasn't a baby
70 rock to sleep. There is no doubt but
what a doll viii make its appearance in
that home before many moons.
NEVER ASSUME
ROLE OF BENEFACTOR.
There were others, sorbid, pathetic
cases that are an every day part Of the
relief workers Job. And the great beauty
OF the charity work is that the bright
eyed relief worker whom I travelled with
and the sturdy brigadier never for a mo-
ment assumed the role Of benefactor:
they were Just friends, kindly interested
friends dropping in TO call, surreptitious-
" leaving Z basket.
And we who comp1acentIy Pat ourselves
on the back when we send our dollar to
the Red c ;; and drop cur nickel into
some blind mans lineup congratuIating =
ourselves on our -handedness in these
times Of the 81. c. l., and feel that we've
done our bit, we'd better look around
our city. take little trip with the Army
workers or some other relief agents, and
then contribute to the Community Chest
the budget for which has been set at
S665, 1922, the drive to be conducted
Dec. 1919. The amount out Of the chest
for the Salvation Army is set at $4,000.
and there are thirty-nine other worthy
charitable institutions included in the
budget As the Christmas season draws
near do not forget that, while you are
fretung because taxes are so high and
gasoline and the upkeep of your car
strain on your finances, there are HIM
dreds Of folk who are fretting because
their children need medical attention and
there is no money, and because their
babies need milk. clothes and a warm
house.