Evening star., 1931-12-06

well, things we'd like to have our
selves, For instance" she said eagerly.
suppose you've been entertained by
some one this year, or suppose you've
got a grandmother or a cousin or some
old school teacher, or some one you
usually forget That's the person to re-
ceive a present."
well 1 for one simply couldn't af-
ford it." one girl, and by no means the
poorest girl. observed
1T wouldn't cost us SO apiece Pamela
argued.
"And what good would it do?"
1T would do all the good in the
world. 1t would mean that just we 26
girls here would make more than 500
purchases. and wrap up more than 500
parcels, and buy pretty wrappers and
ribbons and pastors for them, and cards
and postage for them. Why" Pamela
exclaimed. warming. IF every one who
could do that would do it this Christ
mas, even with the cheapest and the
littlest and the simplest things, this
|. would be the biggest, happiest, most
! glorious Christmas we ever had!"
&#
GDAMELA, don't talk nonsense" a
Il bored voice drawled. This ma
tional depression is very serious thing,
my dear You ought to hear my father
! talk about it. l was going to get my
car this year, and my sister was going
TO get her fur coat and now ."
I'm not talking Of cars and fur
coats" interrupted the first speaker
. I'm talking Of books candy, magazine
subscriptions, bowls and glassware and
toys and perfume from the five-and-ten,
If you like. 1t isn't the presents them
Sa1vee II lent thair
It's, the fun of opening them,
the excitement, the pleasure old per-
sons and sick persons and lonely per-
sons feel when something unexpectedly
comes in the mail Out of this Nation"
Pamela argued 1000 900 persons could
give 20 extra presents this year That
would mean O000 900 gifts, 10000 900
cards, 10000 900 wrappers, added to
what we'd have anyway. That would
end the depression" Pamela concluded
Auperbly. ''for a while, anyway"
In the end they quite solemnly pledged
themselves TO membership in the
Twenty More" Club, and began excited
lists as TO the lucky 20 friends who
should be surprised this Christmas One
girl told me the next morning that her
father was so much taken with the idea
that he was going to propose it at the
Rotary, and l hope he does. Another
girls father opened his pocketbook and
took out big yellowback.
There's your 20 more. dear" he said
But, daddy" stammered the
stupefed daughter you've been talking
hard times, you've been saying you
Couldn't"
Il know I have" he said, but it
seems TO me you girls may have hit
upon one way out
THIS Christmas, in memory Of the
Baby's unsilenced voice that comes
ringing down TO us through the long
Twenty More" Club by this" said
that voice, shall all men know that
We are my disciples, that ye love one
another"
His birthday is the greatest feast
love ever knows. Alien nations. nations
that do not come under our wide-flung
category of "Christendom. never know
a festival like this one Why not make
this Christmas, following bad year,
q special Christmas, as an act of faith
that 1882 Is going to bring us better
and easier times? Why not count up
your 20 today, those 20 friends who are
sick of the talk Of depression and hard
times, who are afraid and perhaps for
sottSA, anu Oi every cay LOT Ine next
Is business days gather up small gifts
for them? They needn't be expensive
gifts. Which one CT us has not seen
some exultant child displaying the red
pencil my auntie' sent him for
Christmas, or the feeble old mother
proudly lingering the post card with
holly wreath on it? Furs and motor
;, cars are gifts. but an initiated ha1dker-
Grief is a gift too and so is a box of
cDukies and SO is an ink eraser.
One woman, down in a Long Island
eswnEears ago, used to make a special