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A Uttle New York City Cirl Who Never Saw a Christmas Tree
And What Came of It
I am sure you will be well enough by Christmas
to get about and—" Here the speaker stopped
and looked about the bare little room. She was
going to say "Help fix up your Christmas tree,"
but she knew well, enough there would be no
tree in that squalid little room, so she finished
her sentence with: "—go somewhere and enjoy
a Christmas tree." The sick 'child looked up at
the beautiful woman with wondering eyes.
"What's a Christmas tree" she asked.
The lady looked at her in astonishment. "WTiy,
my child," she gasped, "do you mean to say you
have never seen a Christmas tree"
The little girl nodded.
"I ain't never seen some of them, too," piped
Up the little girl's sister.
"I guess perhaps they seen some in a store
winder," said their aged grandmother apologetically,
"but we've never had one here. They cost
money."
This occurred early in December in 1912. The
lady was Mrs. E. D. L. Herreshoff, of New York.
Interested in charitable work, she had been making
her customary rounds among some of the
east side poor. Although Mrs. Herreshoffi knew
how bitterly poor were these people, it had never
occurred to her, she explained afterward, that
there was any one, even in the slums of New
York, and especially any child, who did not know
what a iChristmas tree looked like. She was
shocked beyond expression. She had merely suggested
seeing a Christmas tree to the sick little
girl as a means of bringing 'cheer to the little
sufferer.
For the relief of readers who are impatient it
should be explained that this particular poor little
sick girl saw a real Christmas tree that year, and,
furthermore, it was tn ber own squalid home, and
laden with many presents. Mrs. Herreshoffi seni
it there, all trimmed and gift-laden. But the matter
of this particular little girl's getting a tree is
not the important factor in the growth of the idea.
It was the little girl's declaration that she had
never seen a Christmas tree. This was almost
directly responsible for a great Christmas idea
which, within two years, has spread across the
continent to more than a score of cities and towns.
On Christmas eve, 1912, a fifty-footChristmas
tree towered in the center of Madison Square
Park in New York. Last year a seventy-five foot
Christmas tree appeared there as by magic one
night, and glistened with a thousand electric
lights on Christmas eve. This year an effort will
be made to secure a hundredfoot tree if possible.
After Mrs. Herreshoff came away from the
squalid little tenement two years ago, the idea
of a municipal Christmas tree occurred to her.
She talked it over with friends, and together they
went to the city authorities.
"Did you know," exclaimed one of them, "that
there are children in New York who have never
seen a Christmas tree" The official did not
doubt it. He knew his New York, and he was
prepared to believe anything.
"We want the city to put up an immense Christmas
tree," said the spokesman; "put it up in some
park not too far away from the central part of
the lower east side."
"The idea is all right,"the city official admitted,
"except for one thing. We could get
the names of thousands of poor people from the
charitable institutions, line them up by districts
THE CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 81.
and hand gifts out to them, but there would be
a riot, and, furthermore, I do not believe in public
giving. These people do not want to stand
out in a public square as objects of charity, whether
it is Christmas charity or any other kind."
'I had no idea of putting gifts upon such a tree,''
declared Mrs. Herreshoff.
"What else is a Christmas tree for" the city
official asked in surprise.
"A Christmas tree is to represent, in a way,
the spirit of Christmas. It is to be lighted with
brilliant lights, and to keep ever green in our
memories the natal day of Christ.'"
"I don't believe it would interest any one without
presents on It," the official demurred, but finally
it was decided to put up the firstmunicipal
tree, and Madison Square Park was selected as
the site. A fifty-foot tree was ordered, and
every newspaper in the country printed a little
SHEPHERDED.
B. F. M. Sours.
Have you heard the tale of the deathless
joy
That the anclMit shepherds heard
•Have you felt the thrill of the deathless
song
That has all the nations stirred
For the Holy One, for the Christ of
God,
Then came to the earth to dwell.
To tread the paths 'his people trod.
And ills name, Immanuel.
And the shepherds heard; but his
sheep are we,
And we love our Shepherd dear.
And he fiUls our hearts with peace
and song,
And our lives with hope and cheer;
He came: He lives as our Shepherd
now.
And we follow him alway;
But hark!—the angels still we hear,
"The Christ is bom today!"
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Kent in the evening, mostly maldng the trip
from Sunnydale to Kent on foot. This program
was continued throughout the winter, but
item about the order for this immense tree, and
the search in the Adirondacks for one that would
be suitable. Explanation was also made in the on April 7, 1889, we changed the place of
papers that this was to be a municipal Christmas meeting to the Y. il. C. A. building, which was
tree. No sooner had Mrs. Herreshoffi's idea of a a help and the audiences increased. From this
public celebration and a municipal tree been announced
than Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, of Bos­
date we held services in Seattle every Sabbath
and our services in Sunnyside during the week.
ton, heralded the plan with pleasure and stood
sponsor for a similar tree to be erected that year A petition was prepared and sent to the Synodical
meeting of Kansas Presbytery, which met
on historic Boston common. The mayor of Hartford,
Conn., was approached by women of that at Belle Centre. Ohio, asking for an organization.
This petition was signed by 50 members
city with a newspaper clipping telling of the New
York and Boston plan, and all she said was,
or prospective members, and three adherents.
"Wlay not Hartford"
There was still ample time and so Hartford
The petition was granted and a Commission
had a Christmas tree set up in front of the State was appointed to organize the congregation
House. In San Francisco the same idea took
root, and there a group of municipal Christmas
trees were set up in Golden Gate Park.
On Christmas eve in New York, 1912, workmen
had placed a gigantic electric star on the top-
(Continued on page 14.)
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF SEATTLE
COXGEEGATIOX.
By Eev. T. M. Slater.
With the appointment in 1888 of Eev. S.
Dell Johnston by the Central Board to conduct
tvork in Seattle, Sunnyside and Kent, a
new chapter in our history was begun. Eesponding
to my request for some account of
his •work, Mr. Johnston has written me a personal
letter in wliich are recorded many interesting
items which he has very kindly permitted
me to use in the preparation of this sketch
-^nd believing that his own statement of manv
things is the very best that could be given and
will add vividness to the account, I am, with
slight alterations of the order in which it came
to me, giving the story of ilr. Johnston's work
ia his own words.
"I arrived at Seattle, Xov. 3. I found four
members at Kent: Dr. and ilrs. W. H. Ewiii»
and Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Pinkerton. Se\L'n
at Sunnydale: Mr. and Mrs. David Elsey and
daughter, Mrs. Jennie Yiesle}', Mr. and Mrs.
Gaxdner Clark, and Mrs. Sarah Graham and
her daughter, ilrs. Jennie Nichol. I preached
the first sermon Sabbath morning in the Sunnydale
school house to an audience of 18. Mr.
David Elsey had been conducting a Sabbath
School at this place for some time, and I rode
over from Kent through the rain that morning
on Dr. Ewing's horse, piloted through the
woods by Heni-y Ewing. The Sunnydale and
Kent contingent were enthusiastic and helpful.
They deserve great credit for what they
have done in establishing the work.
''At Seattle I found two members, Mr. D.
B. Ewing and Charles ilcArthur. Seattle at
this time was booming, and it was difficult to
find a place to hold service. After sldrmishing
around I found a foreigner, a Christian
lajTuan, (Norwegian or Danish) who was holding
religious services in a hall over the store
at Fifth .\.venue and Pik^j Street. He agreed
to divide the time with me, each occupying
the hall on alternate Sabbaths. I preaclied at
Seattle one Sabbath, and the next I would
preach at Sunnydale in the morning and at
and to ordain and install me as pastor. This
Commission consisted of my father, Bev. N. if-
Jolxnston, Eev. N. R. Johnston, D. D., and Elder
W. H. Ewing of Kent. The Commission
met August 8, 1889, in the Pike Street Hall.
The great fire of June 6, 1SS9, having de-