WE IMm M
M
(
TTc rE7TTJTTi.'V7
17 lulV' 1
ii
i
I'm savmq up tKSr--,
to W a?
t'RlNO the weeks Just before the holidsve the
Di Chicago Fenny Savings society hi been
I busy advising Its depositor bow to spend their
I money at it has been all the rear in teaching
them how to aave It Before It various sta
tions children wait their turn In line to draw
out a part of their savings and oonrert It Into
Chrlntmaa cheer.
This year's result of the ruah on tha bank will atand out
bri.-h aa Uatty In the association's memory, for over 110,000
r
has been drawn out to make a Christmas for Chicago's poor.
For the Chicago Fenny Savings society has revised tha
familiar adge, " Save your pennies and your dollars will
take care of themselves.' Its version reads: "Save your
pennies, SO that by and by yon will have a dollar with which
you oati buy something; worth having." At Christmas time
it feels that Ita mission la similar to that of the second spirit
in old Scrooge's dream, which scattered generous gladness
along Its wsy, and sweetened the humble dinner of tbe poor
with the fragrant Incense of Its magic torch.
Pennies the Foundation of Family Happiness.
If you want to know the value of a copper cent you
should have gone at thla Christmas time to some school In a
poorer district of Chicago where the Penny Savings society
lias a station. Tou would have gained a respect for this
smallest coin of the realm which, In your careless opulence,
you may not have had for a golden eagle. It la wonderful
what a penny saved can do. A penny spent Isn't worth the
copper that is In It. But a penny saved, even more than a
penny earned, may be the corner stone, not only of a public
charity, or of a private fortune, but also of a family's
happiness.
" I'm saving up to twy a turkey. vTe ain't never had none
ssssassBSSk AE BTEBPINS, famous In stage circles for her
"4 ff marvelous instep dancing, Is to spend her first
I Christmas with her parents In Chicago since
IVa B she was ft years old. Thirteen long years of re-
Mssawi nearsais. traveling, one nignt stands, nsunting
ftjel ''fun homesickness, sod how st the height of her
wi; V 1 sueresa. with the hardest hut tips won nnlv CI
years old. She chooes to give It all up to stay
at home la pear and quiet with her mother.
She say "I'm so happy, I'm So happy " a dosen times ft
day and her bright eyes attest the truth of this declaration.
" No." she maintains, " I shall never again go on the stage
I've had enough."
Thla voluntary relinquishment of stage life goes to show
that success cannot atone for the drawbacks of the stage.
Mae Stettblna must have com dancing Into the world.
Almost as soon as she commenced using her legs as a meant
cf perambulation, she danced. She never ran. or hopped, or
jumped like other children she danced, tier mother tells of
missing her when she was a mere baby, and after a long
search fending her following a street plans dancing gayly
along to the music. The child attracted attention every-m-heret
a lively little sprite, an animated bit of thistledown,
a feather tossed hither and thither by the wlnda of heaven,
f ne day while dancing along the street she joined a group of
cl.lldren about an old organ grinder and hla monkey. Soon
she was dancing furiously. A man. passing, stopped and
watched the wee elfish mite who divided honors with ths
monkey. He Inquired where she lived and later called on her
parents. He was a theatrical manager and wanted the child
in his company. Mae pleaded to be allowed to go where she
" could dance to pretty music all the time," and finally ar
rangements were made. From that time till a few weeka ago
she has lived on the stage, never seeing her mother but tor
short visits.
Smiling Face Uasks Christmas Loneliness.
Did Mae Stebbins not love her home and ber mother more
tl.an success she would still be on the road, dancing her young
lift away, evtn aa ahe danced away her childhood and girl
hood; but greater than her love for dancing waa bar love for
a domestic life. All tbe long lonely years during which audi
ences were being amused by her she was secretly dreaming
tf the day when ahe should go horns to stay. Each Christmas
found her far frown home, found ber homesick and lonely.
She was a plucky little mite, however, and no one guessed
bow her heart ached. She had formed a plan of her own and
she held steadfaatly to her Idea; but what It cost her could
bf Imagined if a certain big dull from which she has never
parted could only repeat the sobbed out stories of " wanting
mamma." Even dearer than thla doll was sn old fur bus
wltll a head Which seemed so much like her kitty " at
home that she snuggled up to It every night and wept out her
childish grief sad troubles when no arms but " mamma's "
would do for s resting plane.
The dream that bad early formed Itself In ber mind and
. .
Tu'X cratl-ie, Vr
School 5ank . r
y b r?
j v f
tefore. but we'll have one this year," Mis' proudly one thin
and ahabby little Cro?sus.
" I'm goln' to ret an out o' eight present for me mudder,"
enrouneed a newsboy, who, through tbe agency of penny
aarlnira. ia able regularly to help hla parents pay the rent
and buy their winter' coal
I'm r"ln' to ret a llcenae for my dog," timidly confided
to hla kindergarten teacher a B year old capitalist, whoae
stocking was beld op by a piece of stout suing tied round tha
knee.
v..-1 f
wiiji;:s.
The real curse of the poor la Its wrong estimation 'of
values. It Is this fact which the Chicago Penny Savings
society takes as its working hypothesis. As long ss money
s the standard of value, it reasons, the monetary sense must
be developed, and out of this will grow gradually a com
prehension of true values In the other relations of Uf6.
The movement is, therefore, not Intended merely for
children. It is as well for men and women of small Incomes,
who have been in the habit of looking upon their labor aa
their only capital, and who have regarded the uncertain
future and the inevitable rainy day as gaunt specters of
dread.
The work was Inaugurated seven years ago last June.
I grew out of a suggestion made some months before by
the Rev. R. A. White, then a member of he philanthropic
deportment of the Civic federation. Ita friends, who were
among Chir.sgo'e most prominent citizens, atarted It with
contributions amounting to 67!i. which provided It with a
suitable equipment and money for running expenses.
Work. Wholly tor Depositors.
The society is run wholly in the Interest of its depositor
The men who are back of it, and whose names give It stand
ing In tbe financial and philanthropic world, have no ulterior
which grew to be a life purpose was to build a boms for bar
mother a beautiful hums which she should earn by dancing.
She hoarded ber money carefully, putting every cent she
could spar In the savings bank and denying herself many a
girlish plaasuro that the home fund might grow faster. All
thi- years when she was traveling from coast to coast, from
the gulf to Canada, this wee girl held to her dream, telling
no one, only tbe old fur bead and the wax dolly.
Dream at Last a Reality.
Tears passed Into years till at 18 Ma Subblna was th
greatest Instep dancer tn America and she had $10,000 in th
bank. Her feet were said to be made of rubber, so perfectly
could she bend and turn them. She originated aome of th
most difficult dances on th American stage. But In the
midst of the glare and dasxle of lights, through tbe clamor
or applause, ber name beading eountleaa billboards, ber In
come increasing through It all thla, young girl read only one
message home and mother. She came to Chicago with her
Cio.noo meaning to buy her home right away. But she was
disappointed.
Sfellni rAen 6 fears old-. '
V
, 1 -
S5h
motives of private gain. They even pay for the privilege of
seeing the institution succeed. Tear after year they make
up out of their own pockets the deficit in its budget a deficit
which la unavoidable, alnce Its only earnings are the Interest
raid to It by the big savings bank where It keeps all the
money that haa been deposited with It. As It makes a prac
tice of urging all depositors who have accumulated a dollar
or two to open accounts at regular savings banks, Where
they can draw Interest on their money, the society
r.ever has In Its possession a large aum on which Interest
accrues for Its support.
The association uses the Stamp system of deposit. Each
depositor owns a stamp deposit card, on which Is written,
besides the owner's name and address, the Station Where It
was taken out and the date of Its issue. Deposits can be
made only by buying and attaching to the cards the steel
engraved stamps of the society, which are made in the de
nominations of 1, 5, 10, 25. and 50 cents. Money can be with
drawn rmly by signing the receipt on the stamp deposit cord
and by giving It up, either at the station where Issued, or,
under certain circumstances at the central office of the
society, in the Tribune building where Mlrs Ellen L. Higbey,
the cashier is In charge. No sum can be withdrawn which
is lees than the amount represented by all the stamps at
tached to the card.
The society carries on Its work by two different methods.
The home of her dreams could not be purchased for thi
amount and she had beld ths dream too long to glv up
r.ow. Back she went to the stage, dancing, dancing, dancing,
every night, many afternoons; for two mors years shs kept
this up, until now, with money enough to complete the carry
ing out of ber long, long dream, she is again In Chicago, ber
dancing slippers thrown away and stage Ufa left behind for
ever. J
Christmas the Hardest Day of ll.
" A young girl's life on the stage Is much like the life of
ether girls,' she saya "She is always wondering about ths
'-VV-' . Sy
damps "have
In some cases Its depositors come to It, and In others It goes
to them. On the one hand It has stations in the pubKi
schools, the social settlements, charity bureaus, stores, mis
sions, day nurseries, and even in private houses. On the
rther hand, it has collector, who go from door to door In
their aelected districts and gather up the savings of its
dtposlLors. These buy from the central station a quantity of
slcmps, paying in cash their face value. The agent Is reim
bursed wben he sells the stamps to drpoaltora, and the de
positors, in their turn, withdraw their money by presenting
their stamped cards to the cashier of the society, according
to its regulations.
The value and function of the station method is well
Illustrated by its successful operation in one of the schools
in the Ghetto, where live the poorest and also the thriftiest
of Chicago's poor. In the Jewish ManuaJ Training school.
the principal of which. O. J. Mllliken. Is one of the trustees
of the Penny Savings society, the work has become an Im
portant part of the educational training of the school. Near
ly every child there, from the kindergarten up, is saving Its
money for aome definite object, a necessity or a comfort. So
f xed a habit haa thla beoome with the children that the candy
man, who used to haunt the curbstone with his inviting push-
to her unknown life of girls off the stage; what It would
be like to go to a big school with lots of other girls; to amuse
one's self all the day; and to have one's mother always. She
ijngs wistfully for these things; but the worst day of all the
year is Christmas. Boxes from home often fall to reach the
young traveler in time, and she must Watch others joymaking
while there Is no joy for her. Often a little child Is with a
strange company many miles from home and there is no one
to take an interest In the wee mite. One Christmas I remem
ber particularly well--I was only B years old 'no box came
em! no plump stocking greeted my gar.e on awakening. I
know I cried my eyes most out. It was especially hard, as
a little boy In the company had hla mother with him and he
received many beautiful gifta. The next year I waa the only
child with our company and they a-ot me up a lovely tree.
My, but I was happy! They all laughed to I see my eyes
shine so. j
" The holiday season Is the hardest of all the year for
professional people; two performances on ChrlBtmaa day,
and the week before Christmae our pay Is alwaya cut down
half. Thia ia done on the plea that this is a bad week on
account of ChristmAa shopping; but we must plsy and dance
just the same. Holy week also our pay Is reduced on tbe
same pretext
J
Smuggle In a Christmas Dinner.
" Last Christmas we girls were determined not to be
cheated altogether out of Christmas pleasure, and aa there
was so little time between the matinee and the evening per
formance we planned to have dinner In the dreaslng room.
There were six of us in the secret and we each carried a
share of the dinner and some dishes In a big picnic basket
to the matinee. Between acts we took turns setting the table
and laying out the dinner, and when the last curtain went
down we dived pell mell off the stage into our impromptu
dlring room. My, but that table looked tempting. We had
everything good we could think of and the walla decorated
with wtga and costumes and the smell of greaae paint didn't
spoil It one bit.
" It waa a gay little dinner six dancing girls, all far from
their homes, hsvtng Chrlstmaa alone in the big dark theater.
We had toaata. and funny stories, and all sorts of jolly times
to keep us from being toe swfully homesick. Ws hardly
had time to finish before the evening performance. Every
one on the cara that night wondered what we had in those
big picnic baskets that rattled so. And, just to think, ths
other girls sre still dancing and singing again thla Christmas,
while I'm at home.
Hard to Give Up Career.
" Nearly every girl on the atage dreams of a day when she
may leave It. Tou see, It isn't so easy as one might think.
It la alwaya bard to change occupations, and the stage is no
IP
Z " '"V '
P Y
cart, does not now think It worth his white to eome near
the school, except In the season of the Jewish festivals. Many
(i the children sure enough to clothe themselrea, and the
afown people of the neighborhood, most of whom are either
mgplrkers or toll In the sweatshops, are saving regularly
through the pmny sovinfrs station of the school sums which,
in Individual rase, aggregate f 1.5(1 a day.
Collectors Aim Toward Happy Christmas.
To otrr districts of the city the system of colltrtlon Is
lutrr adapted. Here the collector becomes Q household
1 lend, to whom the fsmily turns for counsrl when In need.
She Is able. In a business wsy, to get at the root causes of
the fsmlly's secret trouble. All the year Ions these collectors
have been qulcfcy and steadily m-orklng to bring about In
unhappy homes of the poor thnt spirit of union and sym
pathy which will mnkt this Chrtstmastlde a seuson of gen
uine good will and Joy. To cite a few specific Instances: One
family has been rescued from the clutches of a loan shark
through a collector's advice and aid: an unruly boy has been
saved from the John Worthy school and given a real Inspira
tion to study and work: and more than one family waa held
together during the Use stockyards strike and tided over
their difficulties.
The shout. "Mamma, the penny lady's coming," which
invariably announcra the colloctor'a approach. Is the signal
for a "slick up" all round. By the time the woman reaches
her destination the mistress of the house has smoothed her
hair, washed her hands and face, and put on a clean apron,
if .ihe possesses one. She Is waiting, with her snvtngs in her
rend and a smile on her shining face, that sometimes Is sus
piciously wet about the edges, to greet this visitor, whoae
riming means for her a self-respect in the hard present and a
tope for the dark future.
J
Love "Penny Lady" Despite Scrubbings.
And the children love the "penny lady," In spite of 'he fact
that her name Is aynonymous with soap and water. Ona
fcmall boy, to mhom a certain collector refused a stamp card
because his hands were so dirty, has taken to scrubbing hit
fct.uokles every day. for fear she may come unexpectedly.
And among the beat friends of another collector Is a youngster
who, when treated by his grandmother not long ago to ths
fcrst bath of his life, cried out In the agony of having his
eyes filled with soap: " 1 Just bet a dllar that penny lady's
to blame for this! If it hadn't been for her I d never havs
got it!"
Maybe aome of you who have read Dlckena' "Christmas
Carol " remember that last picture of the vision of the Christ
mas Present, those wretched figures of a boy and girl that
Tvany a motKer opens a
savings account through.
"Ker children ,
came from out the foldings of the spirit's robe and, kneeling
at his feet, clung upon the outside of his garment a yellow,
meager, ragged, scowling, wolfish pair, but prostrate, too, In
their humility. And one of them, the boy, was Ignorance;
snd one of them, the girl, was Want. Recalling thla, and
pondering it, doea it not seem that the story of the Penny
Savings society is a genuine Christmas story T
v
exception. A girl usually begins dancing young. Bh It
educated for thla life to the exclusion of everything else.
Training and practice make the muacles and cords of ber
feet strong, each year fits her for a higher class of work,
and she can't afford to quit it. for she must earn her living.
It takes much of the right kind of practice to strengthen tbe
toes so they will bear the weight of the body. If you think
it's easy just try pulsing on the toes and see If you can do it.
and then imagine dancing a full number and several encores
In this position. Often my toes were bursted and bleeding
when I came off the stage and the nails split. They getv
hardened in time, but after all thla practice and torture a
girl hesitates to give up dancing, just ss sny one would hesi
tate to give up that which they had spent years in learning.
There ia nothing else a dancing girl can do to make money.
' And so they stay on. all the time dreaming of some day
living a quiet life in a nice cosy home of their own. They
tke their embroidery and fancy work to the theater with
tt-em and often make all their own underwear between acta.
Many girls make up an entire trousseau and lay It away for
the time when they may need It. They read and study, and
the better cIbbs sre ambitious to be just like other girls who
are not on the stage. I know many girls who would do noth
ing on the stage they would not do In their own homes If they
t ad any.
" Irs hsrd life, but I suppose all wsys of earning
living are hard for a girl. In some respects, and stag Ufa may
bavs no more disadvantages than other lines. Still a girt
cun at least have her home and her mother while earning
hir living tn other ways and ahe can be at horn for Christ
mas, snd that's everything!"
Jr-:': v U few
! i
