Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-25
D.c.orphons
Are Scarce
AtYuIetide
BY FRANK sARTwELL

By FRANK EARTWELL
Washington has q shortage
Of orphans.
Servicemen wanting to help
orphans at Christmas are
finding there just aren't
enough to 60 around. It's not
like Korea or Europe.
Good-hearted citizens who
wanted to follow tradition by
having orphans come into their
homes for Christmas dinner
and gifts found this year they
have to wait In line.
Another group of would-be
donors Of Christmas charity
also ran into difficulty giving
away their largess - even
though there are plenty Of
places it could profltably go.
These are the persons or
groups who called the District
Welfare Department and asked
for:
An orphan TO come to my
house to teach my son how to
share"
"A recently widowed mother
OF four children under eight
years" to come to the Office
Christmas party. Or
"A blue-eyed. blonde orphan
under nine years DID," Or
The person who simply
wanted to know of q needy
family to whom he might take
q Christmas basket.
The city welfare authorities
wouldn't give out the names Of
such possible recipients this
year.
What has happened is that
many Of the needs have
changed. And many troubles
have grown up around the old
face-to-face charity, at least
as far as it affects public well
fare.
Miss Marjorie r. Thaxter.
co-ordinator Of volunteers for
the Welfare Department, and
her free helpers, had to take
stance. actually, between the
giver and receiver of Christmas
charity, in many cases.
They had to convince a mill
tary outfit that it couldn't get
500 orphans on Christmas. But
that 1t could have. and would
help tremendously. a group of
delinquents from one Of the
city's training schools.
They had to convince indi-
viduals that it would be better
to present a basket Of food
stuffs to the Salvation Army
workers and let them give it to
families in need than to watch
the grateful smiles in person.
BY and large. the programs
been successful.
All the city's institutions for
children-except one school
for delinquents-were COM
pletely QUILTED with parties.
That meant that each child
would get two full-scale parties
not q dozen over the season
that would make him sick and
| tired Of the whole thing, rs has
happened.
Most Of the party -givers are
groups that originally wanted
ito do something for the or
phans." The personnel Of an
air base, for example, have
learned that O tour Of the base
and dinner afterwards is more
appreciated by teen-agers than
the there comes Santa Claus"
approach.
The teenagers are still the
most neglected asUund Christ
mas time.
On the gift basket front, the
Welfare Department last year
gave out ITO names to inter-
ested donors. The simple telling
Of the name shriveled the souls
Of many social workers. incul-
Gated with the idea that all
public relief must be secret.
Then came trouble. Donors
insisted, in effect, on making
their own investigations Of the
"deservingness" Of the fam
lilies. There were a few cases
where aid, already promised
through the social worker,
was literally taken of the door,
step when the family did not
seem to be in desperate enough
straits.
The opposite also happened.
A donor would find a family in
a bad way, although it was re-
ceiving public assistance, and
continue to help out through
the year. This may be good
charity. but it happens to be
illegal In the District. In the
lexicon Of social work, It
amounts to income supple
mentation." Whatever is re-
ceived from such an outside"
source should be subtracted
from the welfare grant given.
according to the departments
laws and regulations. The sub
traction, Of course, was never
made. So the department
found itself conniving at lille
gality.
For these, and other reasons,
the program was turned over
to the Salvation Army, which
has been doing the same sort
Of thing for years. The Army
simply expanded It's program
from 1000 families to l,i00A