The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-01-29
By Mary Heaton Worse.

I'm NEW lear LAY AN"iH "
the first time the full significance of
tie Amalgamated Clothing Workers of
America. I learned more than this. |
learned the meaning in terms of flesh
and blood, or organization and solidar-
ity.
I learned this because I translated
these words which I have spoken so
often into terms of children's lives. On
New Years Day TIE locked-out clothing
workers of New York gave a New
Years party to the children of the
organization.
When preparations were made for
four to five thousand children, ex-
perieneed organizers shook their heads.
1t was something new. They were not
sure of response from the mothers
and children. So the people in charge
of the party worked in the dark as to
numbers.
Would the children and mothers
como? No one knew. Anyway all the
halls available for New Years Day
were hired. There were play directors
and pianist for every hall, and for
cverv hall there was an entertainment,
and also film given to the children
Nv Charlie Chaplin himself.
The children came. They came in
thousands. They swamped us. My place
was at hall on Clinton Street As [
walked along I saw children as far
as my eye could reach.-Children
swarming up to the doors of the hall.
The doors were closed | wondered why
they didn' t open the dOCrs-it was
nearly the time that we rad set.
fought my way through the child
rem. surqing waves of children inun-
dated me. The door to the hall was
closed because by half past one it
had been filled to capacity. 1T was so
in every ono of the five halls The
children of the Amalgamated rolled
up in masses far beyond capacity, far
beyond anything we had dreamed. In
one of the halls where they didn t
close the doors, no performance at
all was possible. The performance for
the children was suffocated by the
children themselves.
"Next time" a policeman at the
Great Central Palace said to me, "yon
better hire Madison Square Garden." "
"Next time," said another police
smau, 'Eyou better hire Central Park. "
As I looked at the crowd in the hall
realized that I was seeing something
new. had never seen children
audience like this before. I had seen
echool-rooms full Of children, but 1
had never looked down from a plat
fem I'm iiarte eff eager exeiment.
They were sitting on their mothers
laps. examining the aisles, sitting on
each others laps, jammed.Thei faith
ers standing, filling up the space be-
yond the chairs.
And we had expected so few people
that we thought we would be able to
clear away the chairs and have games
in the middle of the hall.
There never was such an audience
never saw so much loveliness to-
eether There were babies in swadling
clothes and there were boys of hob.
bledy hoy age, groups of six year old
and ten year old, and enhancing apple
checked two three, ard four year olds.
Ghcir eyes all said, ooh, we've come
to have such good time.'
IT was their eagcrness that broke
one's heart For children like these
nothing would be good enough, neither
tie greatest musicians nor greatest ar
lists. They were ready to be soak I'd
with beauty. They were ready to drink
music. They were ready to bless any
Joke with their laughter.
| don I believe that the world holds
nnywhere such children rs the East
side children. They had n flaming
responsiveness, n loveliness, a quick
moss that made you feel as if the sea
of life was washing about you.
There are pictures of this New Years
that will remain with me always.
Faces Of children that are stamped
upon my mind like the faces of old
friends. The first picture is that o.
the hall itself. OF the uneasy. ripping,
happy ocean composed Of the faces
of children and mothers. shall not
forget their beautiful expectancy, their
responsiveness. their naturalness, their
lack OF self.consciousness 1t was like
company 0f dancing, happl flames
Their applause and their laughter and
their singing had spontapicty that
had never before seen equalled.
If were an artist I would wish
only to sing to children like that. II
could play or sing / would beg to
lie allowed to play and sing to the
children Of the East side. These child
rem were creative audience. They
took the slender entertainment, and
made Il magnificent with happiness.
Lave seen audiences sit stupid and
empty waiting to be filled. And have
seen audiences who, through repons'