The Washington herald., 1922-02-12
AMERICAN YOUTHS
PLAY SANTA CLAUS
TO POOR CHILDREN
Youngsters in iS Schools
Made Happy by Gifts
From America.
By HoLLINswoRTH BEACH.

By HoLLINSwoRTH BEACH.
/ Santa Claus is a fairy In Italy
and she Is called La Befana. :"
January 6 Is Epiphany or Twelfth
Night" and on Epiphany eve, jan
uary 5. La Befana Is expected to
come down the chimney and out
toys in the stockings of good chill
dren. At Christmas all children
are good.
In 1921 the American Junior Rad
Cross played the part of La Befana
10 children in eighteen schools
scattered Throughout Italy from
Trent to Messina- Thirty-six cases
OF toys came from American Jun
iors all over the United States.
There were automobiles, sandears.
tumpingjacks and animals of every
description. including fascinating
ostriches with real feathers pasted
On their wings and tail. MANY of
these toys must have taken a long
time to make, but I am sure that
the boys and girls who sent them
would have felt more than repaid
for long hours of patient work n
they could have seen the happiness
OF the Italian children.
Eisht-year-old Antonio, of Seize,
couldn't believe his good fortune
when an automobile made by a boy
In Houston, Texas, was put into
his arms. e da vero per me?"
lis It really for me) he asked
doubtfully. At the answer, Ma 81,
per tel" (but yes. 1t is for you)
he smiled blissfully as he muir
INJURED, "E come bello rosso"
CAnd what a beautiful red 1t isD
The children of the hospital
school on the beach at Messina
have spent many happy hours
playing with their sand cars from
Fitchburg, Mass. Dolls from NAL
vern, Pa, were hailed with joy by
little girls at the Valdoltra Hos
pital School There were beauti-
fully made toys from manual
training schools in California and
from many others.
II one had wings like La Befana
II would have been possible to fly
to all OF the eighteen schools and
tell how the Italian Christmas was
celebrated in each one Of them, but
you shall hear about the celebra-
ton in Udine.
At IL o'clock in the morning all
OF the smaller brothers and sisters.
who go to the Asilo (asylum) Mar
CO Volpe. were brought by some
older member of their family to the
school room, which was decorated
with branches OF pine trees and the
hags OF Italy and America. The
first number on the program was a
song to the American Juniors and
then came Rotations and dances.
Finally. 4-year-old Blanca made a
speech thanking her little American
friends for the beautiful toys. She
finished II by sending them all
kiss. This was the signal for the
children to rush out into the gar
den, where automobiles, carts, ami
mails. tumping-jacks and dolls were
spread out on tables beside the
fountain waiting for their new own
ers. A few days before Befana, the
children had written on slips of pa
per what toy they preferred. so they
were all satisfied. The girls and
boys at the Asilo Marco Volpe be-
long to the poorest families in
Udine and it was the happiest day
in their lives for many of them who
had never before owned a toy. Dur
ing the war they were refugees, but
sorrows of the past were forgotten
when Annunziata clasped her be-
loved doll in her arms or Giovanni
tried out his new automobile
The celebration for the older chill
dren of the ScEola FamiGlia
(school and family was at o'clock
that afternoon. They had a Christ
mas tree. Italian and American
nags, and hundreds of bright-coi<
ored paper bells hanging from the
ceiling. The children, who had been
well drilled by one of the teachers,
sang the Star Spangled Banner in
English and many beautiful Italian
songs. They danced, too, most
gracefully around the Christmas
tree.
At last the moment for which
they had long been waiting arrived
and American toys which were
hanging on the tree or. piled up
around II were distributed by ~the
teachers and Boy Scouts who had
been helping to escort the guests
to their seats. After the presents
had been well examined and ex-
claimed over, Conetta, IL years old,
stood under the tree and made a
speech in which she sent much love
and many thanks to American Ju-
niors from their loyal friends, the
boys and girls of the Scuola Fam
iglia. The children of this school
sent many interesting paintings.
drawings, and postcards last year
to their friends in America and
Concetta promised that she and her
schoolmates would draw more beau
tiful things and write oftener to
show how much they loved their
toys.
And through this noble work Of
the Juniors La Befana was called
la Befana Americana" (The Amer
lean Fairy by hundreds of Italian
children in the year 1921.