San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-11
Listen, World!
Charity
By Elsie Robinson

any of these Charity Appeals this
Christmas. She had a lesson last
year.
Last year Clair decided to make it
real Christmas. Instead of spend
ing all her money on people who had
enough anyway, she was going to
help the truly needy. So she picked
out the Higgins family. The Hig-
genses were about $50 per cent truly
needy. There were five of them. Ma,
Pa and the three little kids, all in
urgent need of repairs.
So Clair cot busy. She hectored
her dad. and pestered her friends,
and took the money she was saving
for that new rosewood georgette and
she accumulated more cash than the
Higgenses had seen in seven hard win
tiers. Then she bought groceries and
new stove and a wash tub and q
high chair for the baby. The re-
naming SAB she gave to Mrs. Hig'
gems in a pretty envelope with love-
ly speech. And all the Higgenses
cried over her and kissed her and
blessed her and said how at last their
luck had turned. 1t was a beautiful
scene. 1t made Clair feel just like
god.
After she'd gone, the Higgenses
called in all the neighbors and showed
them the wonderful new things. Then
they decided to have a party. They
had never had party. All the other
people who lived in their block had
parties. but they had never had ono
Now their chance had come.
But before they could have the
party they'd. have to doll up a little
SO Ma (who is twenty-four) went
out and bought that orchid taffeta
she'd been hankering for ever ant
ever so long. 1t cost her 1897. AND
Pa (who is twenty-five) blew him
self to q silk shirt. Silk shirts are
going out, but Pa had never had one
and he'd always wanted one awful
been a genuine $11 shirt, but Pa
could have it for $4.G5. 1t had vel
low and pink stripes. 1t made Pa
feel so ritzy that he got a green felt
hat while he was about it. The hat
cost $2.37.
That left $16.01. Which was
quite enough, with what they had il
the house for real classy party
They certainly did enjoy themselves
1t made Ma and Pa feel great Il
think that they had been able Il
have a party like other folks.
But Clair didn't feel great wher
she heard about it. Clair felt mad
After all her work. Why, she thought
they'd save that money and get nice
ly started. And instead they bought
silly cheap dresses and hideous sill
shirts.
That's the way charity is apt to af
feet most of us. We give generously
enough, after we get worked up to it
And what a wonderful thrill we gel
out of it! But, oh, how sore we ara
afterwards when we find that our Be
loved Kale has been used for sill
ness
But it's so easy to understand why
they use it for Stiffness, Pal. Wouldn'
we. too, long for Stiffness, for color
and fun and noise and the chance tC
let go, if we'd been ground into the
mud and had been eating the bitter
humiliating fare of poverty? Wouldn't
we want to feel like other folks" the
first chance we got, even if it took oul
last cent?
Who has more actual need of anC
right to n shirt with yellow and pink
stripes-the chap who has yellow anC
pink stripes all through his life, oil
the chap who had known nothing but
dirty gray for months on end?
But why should he use my money
the fruit of my industry to buy his
yellow stripes?" snarls a Crouch!
Giver.
How does it happen that you have
money while he hasn't?
Because I'm careful and efficient
while he's stupid and lazy and care
less"
Yes. Exactly. But that's no more
his fault than it is your virtue. He
has the wrong stuff in him. You have
the right. But it lust happened" in
both cases. You're both results OF
our "hit or miss" social system
You're a hit. He's a miss. That's
all.
Then shouldn't that make you al
the more tolerant towards and re
sponsible for the chap who didn't have
your luck?
Charity doesn't mean putting some
thing in the other fellows hand. II
means getting under the other fellow
skin, sharing the ache Of his load anC
the drag of his weakness.
1t means understanding his sill
shirts.
If you can't do that, your Chart!
isn't the real goods. It's only a gaud!
gesture.
! Copyright. 1925. King Features Syn, Inc