Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 43, Number 345, 21 December 1918 — Page 13

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-1 THE RICHMOND PALLADIUM, DECEMBER 21. 1918 PAGE THM Is There a Santa Clans')

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THE JUNIOR PALLADIUM The Junior Palladium is the children's section of the Richmond Palladium, founded May 6, 1916, and issued each Saturday afternoon. AHb6ys and girls are invited to be reporters and contributors. News itema, social events, "want" advertisements, stories, local jokes and original poems are acceptable and will be published. Articles should be written plainly and on one side of the paper, with the author's name and age Bigned. Aunt Polly is always glad to meet the children personally as they bring their articles to The Palladium office, or to receive letters addressed to the Junior Editor. This is your little newspaper and we hope each boy and girl will use it thoroughly.

How Three Little Girls Played Store Mary Elizabeth, Olive and Muriel are three little Kansas girls who went to visit recently in a small town in Central Missouri. "Why can't we do something, aunty," Mary Elizabeth said one day, "to help make money and things for the soldiers?" "Well, perhaps you can, dear," aunty said. "Let's all get our minds to work and see just what will be the best plan." Aunty was busy that afternoon, as she was helping the ladies with their Christmas boxes for the soldiers, but the little girls got their heads together and did some planning. "I tell you what," Olive said, "I think the best way will be to take money we have for picture shows and treats and buy sugar or syrup with it, and then make candy, sure enough good candy, and get aunty to ' help us with it, and then sell the candy. Now I have seventy cents," she said, pouring out the coins from a small purse, "and I'll give every bit of it, for I do feel so sorry for the poor, tired soldiers who've been fighting so hard." "Oh, that's fine," Muriel said, "and I have lots of money, for the day we left home was my birthday and papa gave me a $2 bill, and I've way over $1 left." All of them went to town with aunty the next morning bright and early to buy as much sugar as was allowed them, and then to invest the rest in syrups and nuts. What a busy day they had, but by night six dishes of lovely candy that was really too pretty to eat, so uncle said, was resting on the pantry shelves. After supper uncle fixed them a tiny booth in the corner of -the yard and aunty decorated it with red, white and blue bunting. The next day the candy went like hot cakes, and some customers left orders for more with the little shopkeepers, who were rosy and beaming in their white caps and aprons. And then the enthusiastic little workers went to work again as soon as their funds had been turned over to the Red Cross committee

from whom they had permission to hold this sale. Now they're workbusily on doll's clothes of the most approved fashion, which they will sell for the United War Work fund, and the mothers of several dollies in town have already ordered wardrobes from the young modistes and the little garments are made so prettily Santa Claus will evidently look some over for Christmas. "You know, doll's styles are very simple this year," Muriel explains. "The dresses are longer and not at likedall fussy and style is the thing. And then, too, on account of the shortage of coal all properly dressed and patriotic dolls must wear underwear this winter and thin sleeves aren't so popular. And we must be patriotic in all we make," and so the little dressmakers are displaying their wares.

THE RED CROSS IN CAMP One time in one of the camps, a Red Cross man found one of the soldiers looking very worried, and asked him what was the matter. "I am worried about my wife and children at home," the man replied. "We'll see about that for you," says the Red Cross man and wired back home and inquired about his family and why they hadn't written to this soldier. Then he went back to the soldier and told him everything was all right with his folks at home and that they had written all the time, but somehow the letters hadn't come. This made the soldier feel very happy. And now he says that if you ever feel the need of anything that you don't know how to get, just go to the Red Cross. Leoline Klus. BOBY'S EXPERIENCE There was a little boy named bobby. He was playing in the yard. Bobby looked around and spyed the rubber hose, put it in the window where his mother and little sister were. The water ran all over the house, flooded everything and spoiled all the rugs and furniture. Bobby's mother spanked him. He went over to his grandmother's crying. His grandmother asked him, "What's the matter?" He said "I thought mamma was a flower but I guess she is not." Esther Kantener, White school, 7th year. First Scout: "What is the difference between ammonia and pneumonia?" Second Scout: "Search me!" First Scout: "Ammonia comes in bottle and pneumonia comes in chests!" Boys' Life.

. . .... t 4 Santa Claus lives now and will live forever, a litle New York girl learned in 1897 from the New York Sun, after she had written the following letter: "Dear Editor I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says. 'If you see It in the Sun it's so.' "Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus? "VIRGINIA O'HANLON. "115 West 95th st." The complete answer follows: Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they are men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith, then; no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus. but even if they did not see

, Santa Claus coming down, what j (would that prove? Nobody ses I Santa Claus, but that is no sign i I that there is no Santa Claus. 'l tie i most real things in the world are tnose tnat neitner children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable xin the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil cov ering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry. I love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God he lives, and he lives forever! A thousand years from now, Virginia nay, ten times ten thousand years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. New York Sun of September 21, 1897. UNCLE SAM'S HELPER Dear Aunt Polly: I have three War Savings Stamps and two Libr erty Bonds. I earned them by helping my mother every week and she paid me. Mary Louise Dillon, age 7 years, 3rd grade, St. Mary's school. That is splendid, Mary Louise, keep up the good work. Aunt Polly. DEAR SANTA CLAUS. Dear Santa Claus, if you will bring A little doll that will always sing; A pound or two of butterscotch, A little set of building blocks. A bicycle and a little gold watch, A phonograph and a music box, A pound of nuts and an X mas tree, A gun to load with beans and peas. If you will bring me these few things, I say, On the coming Christma3 Day, I kind of think, maybe, that I'd Be pretty nearly satisfied. Joseph Acker. What is once well done is done forever. Thoreau. The secret of happiness Is not in doing what one likes; but in liking what one has to do. Barrie. There is no lack of money. What is lacking is the spirt of giving.

When Matilda Rebelled Matilda is a year old, and a most beautiful Angora puss, with rare pedigree and a splendid coat of white and yellow fur. Every since she was a wee kitten, Matilda has allowed Jane, her little 8-year-old mistress, to haul her around by the tail to pull her ears, jump her up and down on her hind legs and never once did she scratch, or bite or cry out. Then Jane made her stand alone on her short back legs, jump through a hoop, meow for her food and sit up in a little rocking chair all dressed up in a tight doll's dress and a little hat with a feather in it that tickled her nose. She couldn't scratch, so she kept her patience and didn't get the least bit cross. , But now she was getting tired of being a show cat. She wanted peace and comfort. She wanted to lie by the fire, or in the sun and stretch or snooze without, being yanked up and squeezed into clothes that make a cat's head1 ache, and cause a queer feeling in the breathing place. The next morning when Jane dragged out some little sailor pants that belonged to her boy doll, a sailor blouse and a foolish bat with a ruber that went under the chin, Matilda made up her mind she would not wear doll's clothes again, and she fled under the porch, nor could any amount of coaxing bring her out The next day Jane tried again to dress Matilda up and Matilda bit Jane on the hand very gently and slipped away under the porch and stayed all day again. Jane went crying to her mother. "Mother, Matilda's a cranky old thing. She bit me today when I tried to dress her up and ran away and yesterday she stayed under the porch all day. Is she sick, mother?" Mother thought for a few moments and said, "No, dear, I think not But Jane, pussy will probably come out tonight. Now tomorrow morning don't touch her until I am in the room. I want to see how she acts. First I want you to pet her, take her in your arms and hold her gently. Then when I tell you to, get out your doll things and begin dressing her." Jane promised that she would do as her mother asked. Matilda again crept out when she knew Jane was asleep and very A CRYSTAL TRICK. Dissolve in hot water as much alum as it will hold, and place in the solution any object you wish to cover with crystals. Set the solution in a quiet place and in a few hours crystals of alum will be deposited on all the objects. In this way baskets made of iron wire may be cornered or dried grasses may be made to look as if laden with frost. MY CHRISTMAS VACATION. We get out for our Christmas vacation on December 20. I am going to take a trip. I will get on a train here and stop off at Hamilton where. I will stay a day or two and then go on to Madisonville. I will get on a traction there and go to Milford, Ohio. There is only one show at Milford and on Christmas night it will show Margurite Clark in "RichMan Poor Man." I want to see it as I have heard so many people say it was good. I expect to have a splendid time on my vacation. Elsie Baker. Garfield school. The city of Montreal bought a lot of steel several years ago to enlarge the city waterworks, but the undertaking was postponed. Recently the city sold the steel at a profit Of $40,000. the great singer, is Armstrong. The name "Melba" U taken from her birthplace, which U Melbourne, Australia.

Against Being Netted

quietly laid down before the fireplace. Jane's mother brought her some milk and Matilda felt so grateful she purred her loudest and licked hand. The next morning Jane did as she was told and Matilda was so surprised to have Jane gentle with her that she looked as if she were laughing from pure joy. "Now, Jane," said mother, "pick her up the way you usually do and try to dress her." Jane did and her mother saw a remarkable change flash over Matilda. With, an angry dab at Jane she jumped from her lap and ran again to her hiding place. "Listen, dear," mother ' said to Jane. "Matilda has taught us a lesson. She is showing in her own way she doesn't want to be bothered. It isn't natural to treat cats like dolls or babies and it is making her cross. She's a good cat, but you will spoil her if you worry her, and that would be a great wrong. You should be as thoughtful of animals as you are of people and they will respond with kindness. "Will you remember and not bother Matilda any more? Smooth her fur, feed her regularly, but let her have her freedom." And now Matilda is the happiest'eat in the world and watches contentedly while Jane dresses and undressed her dolls. The Fresh Air Freshies By GRANNIE HODAPP. Say, friends, I forgot to tell you that Tony Macurio ha3 a new suit of clothes. And just think, long trousers! Certain boys and girls prefer steps as seats instead of chairs. Clifford Turner i fond of quarreling with babies at basketlball games. aTke my advice and pick on some one your own size. Pearl Bowmer, Lahra Kring and Maria Folckner are fond of chatting with R. G. Christ Hale seems to think study hall rather a useless place. Grannie H. seems to have an unknown friend with a red and white sweater and a brown cap. Please, unknown, make thy self known. Leonard Yost and a few others seem to admire South enth Street park. When it comes to posing for kodak pictures. It is very hard for some girls and boys to get even with some one they wish to get even with. Don't it Leonard Yost? Pearl Bowmer is an expert foundant maker. Some people wish to put things in the Junior. But friends, if you never go up to the Pal., there will never be any thing in there. II you keep on just wishing, it will never be done, "For if wishes were horses, beggars might ride." Jacob Dean had a delightful Sunday afternoon as the dear boy spent it with hit elders. Boys, take his advice and do the same. Some boys would rather play ball with caps than with baseballs. Shine McBride has a new meaning to his name. It is "Shining up to D."