The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-12-17
where SANTA
GOES AFTER
CHRISTMAS
Reporter Interviews Him to
Discover Why He Shows Up
Only on Christmas Eve.
CATCHES HIM. AT WORK
Reindeer Stuff Found to Be
Merely a Blind for His
Real Job.
BY DWIGHT S. ANDERSON


Where does Santa Claus hide after
Christmas?
Unless this genial, bewhiskered old
gentleman can show a good reason
Tor appearing in public but once a
year, and then retiring for twelve
months into seclusion, he is fake
philanthropist. =
In some quarters it is doubted
whether he personally delivers all the
packages that are found at the fire.
place Christmas morning; in others
C has even been whispered that he
IS so lazy he gets the inmates Of
Home for Rich Old Uncles to lick the
Christmas Seals he uses to decorate
bundles. Reindeer driving once a
year gives him quite thrill, but as
Tor hard work at times when news
papers consider him poor copy
Santa Claus simply doesn't deliver
he goods.
So the reporter burst into Santa's
Office one day. Here, Santa" he
said, SIS what people are saying about
lou. How Gomez"
The room was crowded with chill
iren, most of whom were naked to
the waist. Two nurses were weighing
a boy on pair of scales in a corner,
writing down his weight as well as
height on a chart. Santa himself
stood in the center Of the room boss.
ing the job.
Meets Santa Face To- Face
Make it snappy," breezed Santa
with one of those worldwide grins of
his. 1--WE got twenty more kids to
examine before five o'clock
Where do you go after Christmas?"
the reporter asked.
Everywhere. Just now l am ex.
amining these children for signs Of
undefnourisnment or incipient tnber-
cRlosis. That's part of what do all
u year round. On top of that, con-
d open-air schools in some places
sypport preventoria in others, where
dren can go and live in the open
and sunshine. / am busy almost
Nerywhere with health education in
The public schools. The best gift
give is health, and give it, not only
at christmas time. but all the year
round"
Where do you get the money to
do all this?" asked the reporter.
THE people give it to me when they
buy Christmas Seals, my boy. A
penny at time the money rolls in.
Last year had the tidy sum of $4,-
75O,000>to expend in the United States
] always see to it that practically all
the money given me when people buy
my seals stays in their state and ia
spent to fight tuberculosis in their
own community"
"Santa!" cried the reporter, you've
been selling Christmas Seals for al
most twenty years. Have you &C.
complished anything?"
I've helped cut the death rate from
tuberculosis in half during that time"
answered Santa, "and besides that
there are more than 600 tuberculosis
sanatoriums in the country now. and
there were only two or three when /
started. Confidentially here he
lowered his voice so the children
could not hear him, ''the big reason I
call on all the boys and girls on
Christmas Eve is to take peek into
their homes while they are asleep and
see how my health work is coming
along"
Where He Gets The Money
De you collect all this money your.
self2" the reporter asked.
"Qh, no. no. no, that would be i'm.
possible. Ican't be everywhere. Plenty
OF men and women volunteer to collect
this money for me-otherwise so huge
. sum could never be raised a penny
at . time. And almost everybody In
the country knows by now that
christmas cea's Fl hit tuberculosis