Caring for the Poor at Christmas Time
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SALVATION ARMY WOMEN HANDING OUT C1IISTMAS DINNERS AT THE ARMY STORE-Photo by a Stuff Artist
i rsu lime or all the year 18 mis- not have the necessaries unless iriven to
it, and then the Christian charily takes
hold and affords relief. As a rule, this
relief takes the form of eatables and wear
ables, but often it becomes more practical.
f I fortune more pathetic nor when
f I it Annenlii rtinp Irrt.ulsf miv tit
fortunate than during the holi
days. Perhaps this is because tha
wretchedness and sorrow of the world are
more apparent by contrast with the happi
ness and prosperity now everywhere evi
dent, or that, mellowed by the realization
Of our own blessings, we uro more sensi
tive to what the other half has missed,
but be that ns It may, If tho city's poor
never has enough to eat or to wear ut
any other time of the year, or any other
means of knowing that It sometimes enters
Into the consideration of tho others, It Is.
assured not only of the necessities but of
many of the luxuries us well, on tho two
great days, Christmas and New Year's, with
a liberal sprinkling during the Intervening
week, if it will only make Its wants known.
In fact, so generally established has be
come this holiday provision, that not only
the applicants aro ministered to, but tho
highways nr.d byways are searched by
the well wishers, lest some deserving on?,
too proud or too sensitive to ask, be over
looked. In truth, this holiday feast has come to
be something moro than a cliaiity of food
and clothing and the supplying of bodily
wants, It has reached out not only to tho
poor in puise, but to those who by chance
or by choice find themselves on the other
Bide of the palo that separates society Into
two great classes.
But, while the ultimate aim of tho
Christian organizations Is to reach the de
serving poor and needy and to succor
them, it has come to tliut understanding
when no particular stress is laid on the
word "deserving." It is enough to know
that the family Is needy and that it will
has been demonstrated beyond doubt that
a certain percentage of the habitual Indi
gent are beyond redemption in this regard,
but that doesn't relieve humanity of re
sponsibility for their care. Another of the
their necessities until the very last, their
prldo withholding them from applying for
llu assistance that Is waiting for them,
(lit the other hnnd, the unworthy or un
deserving, are the ones who generally push
the fastest to secure assistance of a na
tore that will relUve them from the neces
sity of putting forth any of.'ott. All at
tempts to distinguish by hard and fast
rules between these classes have been
failures, but organized charity has been
nah1ol to exercise some discretion .in deal
ing with them.
tine of the best examplts of olgin'ldl
charity work known to modern times is
that of the Salvation army, it has its tHs
tlnctly religious ns.pt ft, but this Is sec
ondary to Its work of relit f. The original
platform of Central I'ooth was "S..up,
eoiip and salvation." Ho would tils! feetl
the man. then cleanse Mm extt rn.iliy and
finally rt novate Mm internally If pens ble.
Hut he never denies him food. Working
i.long these lints anil making Its head
quarters among the submerged mil. Ions,
the Salvation army has become the ureit
rst agency of the soil probably tint the
world has ever Known. It j;oi s timing tho
ones ii seeks to reach; Us active nvmbe a
come from II. e cioeses that can only be
reached by such means as it exert Ises, and
It Is then fore peculiarly filled to g t Ht
the cases It deals with. Knowledge that
the other church organisations car nit ob
tain is tlilly afforded the Kalvat'o;i army
ami It moves with thllnlte nfornia:lon
whet. ever it s -ts shout an expcdi.lon' of
relief or eriat d of mere;-.
For many days before Chrlstmis th
lasxits of the A-my rtooil on the public
rtreets, solit Itlng In tl e'.r unol truslve but
effectual way eon'ributiois to be devoted
to the puip.se of providing Christmas din
ners for the pt or. One of the considerate
methods of the Arm;- is shown In the fact
that It Is so arranv.el Hut the faintly
should not le Ohilurled on that day, but
that tho dlnnt r should be eaten at tha
D1Nl..l?,AS,,C,FTS .AT SV'A.TI.? ARMY STORE, READY TO GIVE TO TIIK rEOPLE NEEDING CHISTMAS
U1NM.U-1 hoto by a Stuff Artist.
Charity workers who have studied the
question from the standpoint of uctu.il
experience, have almost desi.ired of doing
any permamnt good for the poor. It
points that must be given consideration la
how to i each those who will help them
selves, but are so situated as to be unable
to do so. These people us a rule conceal
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home, wherever It was. A store room was
rented down town, where the supplies were
concentrated and tl.e pr.nlsl ms divided Into
"dinner" lots, enough being placed in each
tasket to provide a substantial meal of tha
searo-i's ptovendL-r for each average family.
While the provisions were being gathered,
other workers of the Army were looking up
the people who would need to be given a
dinner on Christmas, and providing them
with tickets that would cntltla them to a
basket or whatever relief was needed.
How this was taken advuntage of is shown
In tho photographs made by The Ree atnff
artist at the store reom on the duy before
Christmas.
Aids to Memory
"When I was out west a few weeks ngo
I ran across a couple of fellows that used
to live here. Do you remember Rlllover,
who had a lunch counter around the cor
ner here some time in '97?'
"Yes, I remember llillover. I lent him $5
once and ho never paid It."
"That's the same man. Ho never paid
anybody. Well, he'B in partnership now
with Hkimbridge, who used to keep a hard
ware store In tho next block. Remember
Bklmbrldge?"
"No, I've forgotten him. I guess he
never borrowed any money of me."
Chicago Tribune.
A Misfortune
He had been telling the thrilling story of
bis escape.
"So the automobile got beyond control?"
Bho remarked.
"Yu-.i," he replied.
"And was wrecked?"
"Ya-as."
"Rut you escaped injury V
"Oh, ya-as."
"Seems too bad, doesn't U?"Cblcag
Tust.