Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-02
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Some folks carry their hearts on their
sleeves. The City of Washington, not
having any sleeves. is painting its car
diac pictures red all over town.
Chain stores, mass production fac
tories, branch banks and bloc legisla-
ton we had gotten used to. but bud
geted charity-that is something else.
Efficiency! What an age of efficiency
this has become! Henry Ford, after
creating synthetic horsepower, now
talks Of making milk without COWS
synthetic milk. like synthetic drugs and
dyes, 'neverything. Now come experts
with their symbols of hearts of Char
ity. Inc" If this were England, 1t would
be labeled Heart Company, Limited. If
it were France, it might be dubbed La
Occur, Anonyme" Being America, we
must be satisfied with Charity, Eff
cheney & System Co., Inc.." manufac-
turers of chests and budgets.
y y
Somehow, this undermining of broth
erly love staggers one who will miss the
tambourine and the bonnet and the
doughnuts and all that touch of human
nature which made the tinkling of sill
yer so charming to the modest giver.
How we learned to love those dough-
nuts and all that went with them, at
the front! The gentle, friendly smile,
the unassuming service and self-sacr1-
flee, the human touch amid dreari-
ness and desolation!
Maybe the camp cooks and K. Ps.
might have boiled flour and sugar in
fat and called it doughnuts-all at the
expense of the commisSary-bu it is
certain that they would not have tasted
the same as when Sallie passed them
around and shook her tambourine at
| the eaters. 1t isn't just flour and lard
that makes real doughnut, in peace
or war.
And for a decade the memory of
| what went with the doughnutS has lin
gered in association of ideas connected
with the continuing activities among
the poor and needy. here in this land
of great prosperity and charity.
But the Modernists seem to have
beaten us Old Fogy Fundamentalists
clear off the platform when they plump
facts at us. For example, where Is
the sentiment that pays IS per cent
expenses to raise a fund of 100000
| or whatever the total amounted to-in
support of so great and so good a man
| as 'Old Salvation Army" when 1t can
be done for less than 6 per cent?
we Cue UIle SdlNdtlOIl ftIIIly OIily Ut-
cause it is such an outstanding demon
| its admiration. fails to support worthy
causes with adequate funds. Was there
ever a more self-sacriflcing organiza-
| ton In America than that of the
"Sallies"? And yet Washington fiunks
in failing to support even that I'M
selfish victim of our policy of "Let
George Washington 10 it," George
shows his military training by always
passing the buck" And so--am I
telling secrets?-the Salvation Army of
the National Capital has run about
$50 900 "in the hole" The Community
Chest will not provide for that debt,
but may keep off the sheriff by paying
the interest on it until some benevolent
folks die and remember the debt in
their wills.
That is only one organization out of
81. which 1ind themselves in a pickle
and turn in desperation to the Modern
lists who offer to budget the whole of
Washington's giving, and to go out to
the highways and hedges and compel
| more givers to come in to the feast of
love for fellow man.
Will the tambourine become dead.
broken? At headquarters they rejoice
that the half of their force which has
been used. heretofore, in gathering
dimes and quarters for the work of
relief so poignantly needed will now
be released to carry that relief to the
distressed and unfortunate. The
tambourines are so happy that they
are jingling automatically-they can't
keep still. Their efficiency is doubled.
THE poor We have with you always"
and there is no competition between
their relief and the human touch" Of
the box of alabaster.
X X
A charity budget seems quite In
harmony with the coming of an engi-
neer even in our Government If q
waterpower were utilizing only a small
part of the stream, and letting all the
rest, like the plunging; Niagara. serve
no useful purpose but scenery, what
would an engineering administration do
about it? The experts of the Com
munity Chest discover that there are