CITY MISSION'S THANKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 9, 11 January 1941, Page 8

CITY MISSION'S THANKS

(To the Editor.) Sir, —On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Wellington City Mission, I wish to thank most sincerely all persons and firms who gave so generously to the Christmas party the mission held for children of our soldiers and the poor children of Wellington. Some hundreds of children attended and the party was a huge success. Thanks to the generosity of these people and firms, hundreds of children enjoyed the luxury of ice creams, sweets, cake, biscuits, oranges, and soft drinks. Thanks to their generosity, Father Christmas was able to hand each one a Christmas present. Thanks to their generosity, numbers of children who were ill and who were unable to attend —who were sick in hospital—who were too young to: come themselves and who had no one to bring them —had Christmas presents dispatched to them. To a child; these things mean more than we understand —in anticipation, in enjoyment," and in remembrance. To the children of the poor these things mean more than we can conceive, because they get so little of luxury, so little of enjoyment, and so little of good times to remember. Some of the children were so young that as Father Christmas made his appearance on the third storey of the boys' hostel, next door to the mission building, and looked speculatively down a rather sooty chimney, this marked his first appearance to their youthful eyes. Christmas is the great festival of the Church of England; it commemorates the birth of Him Whose passionate love for children was so often expressed; and Who bade us so many times to be good to them. The trustees of the mission feel that in striving to make the children happy at this festival time they are carrying out Hi? wishes and His behests. The trustees wish to thank the members ot the band who so generously gave their services for the afternoon, and also the three members of the police who assisted so helpfully. They again wish to thank all those who made the Christmas party possible. In giving as they did—money, goods, or services—they have given thrice, to the children, to themselves, and to Him Whose memory and Whose glorious birth the party commemorated. We cannot quote better than the famous words of Lowell:

Who gives himself with his alms Gives three.

Himself, his hungry brothers, And Me.

-7-1 am, etc,

D. S. HANCOX, Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Wellington City Mission