Evening star., 1939-12-19
Christmas
Continued From First PageD


The Stars list live crowded in sim
gle room-perhaps with the brother
in-law's family dwelling there, too
1t won't be dinner that's easily
cooked. There is no running water
in these one-room flats. Mother,
taking bucket, goes to the build
ings bathroom. She knows how to
carry the water back without slosh-
ing much. She'll cook on a kero-
sene stove, or more likely on a
little pot-bellied iron stove that's
used for both heating and cooking.
The children will go to the corner
grocery and beg cartons to burn
inside as fuel.
But it will be a gay dinner, if you
give. You can't imagine how gay,
unless you've lived through a winter
on beans and fatback .---~
It Isn't the Food Alone.
+ And professional workers, who
know the families, say it's not just
the food that turns the trick of
lifting spirits It's knowing that
the world hasn't entirely forgotten
them, isn't just turning away at
the sight of their troubles.
They do have troubles. In a very
large proportion of just one group
OF these families, representing about
300 children, member of the
family is ILL., Most common disease
is mild" case of tuberculosis.
hanging over parent or child living
in the room with the rest. To fight
illness you need a fighting spirit,
social workers says, and for a fight
ing spirit you do need an occasional
dinner.
The Star limits to S. the amount
given any one family because there
are literally thousands almost
equally in need. One thousand
six hundred of the children come
from file A" Of certain welfare
agency-which means that they are
certified as desperately in need but
for technical reasons unable to get
any money.
Other hundreds find their sole
recognition In other agency files,
named as wage Garner dead" or
wage Garner unemployable." When
you see the latter title you know
some father is pretty sick.
Not All for Food.
Don't get the idea that every IS
bill you send in will be spent com
pletely on food. Some will 20 for
toys, and Mrs. Helen Weir Martin,
one OF the city's most prom
inent social workers, reports that
much Of the cash sent to families
named by her agency will be spent
for blankets.
1t will be spent for blankets be-
cause there are children in your city
who lie In bed these nights shiver-
ing with cold.
The Christmas Heart Fund will
set aside several hundred dollars for
the direct purchase of playthings
FOR older children. This lump sum
will be given to the city's Christmas
Toy Center-where Miss Sibyl Baker,
director OF Community Centers, will
do the buying. Armies of youngsters
under IL have already been pro-
vided with playthings by the thou
sands of generous patrons who
marched into Toy Matinees last
Saturday with toys as price OF ad-
mission.
Mrs Martin says q lot of families
receiving S. will do something they
haven't done for a long time. They'll
gather around table and look at q
mail order catalogue, thumbing
through to see what they can buy
that will be a treat for every mem
Der. from baby to grandpa. They
will plan together, and family life
which was withering will blossom
again for them.
Why not call your family together
tonight, too. to sit around table?
Discuss what you can give these
families. Five dollars will create a
Christmas for one family, but ask
your family whether you shouldn't
take care Of two or more.
For its part. The Evening Star will
undertake to deliver your gift to the
very neediest children and parents
without one cent for administrative
expense-and guarantees they'll get
the flavor Of fatback and beans out
of their mouths for the most impor-
b.