SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 303, 20 December 1922, Page 12

SUNBEAMS' COLUMN

Dear Sunbeams,—

Christmas is with us again with its cheery helpfulness and its Spirt of love. Most of us are thinking of the IHttlfc gifts we shall'buy for ihose we love and of what we can do for those who are in need. W.e are ready, to I say with Tiny Tim, "God bless everybody." We want to see happiness and joy all round, especially among the children, for it i:s the children's season t Sunbeams. But we cannot make everyone happy. Even in our ov/ii country we are surrounded by poverty and misei-y. If it were not so there, would be no need for the social workers' annual appeals for the poor; and needy. Have you ever thought of those poor and needy people, Sunbeams? They were probably quite prosperous at on© time, but for some j reason, 'either through sickness., un-j employment or foolishness on the part of 'the breadwinner, there is, no money coming into the house, and the children are depending upon charity for their bread and butter. Any little extra these poor little mites have at Christmas come from the generosity of people who respond to j the appeals In the papers. |

.Everyone knows this poverty, should not exfat in a land. flowbig with milk and. honey,. as the Bible says, and it would not. be here if we Socialists had our way, but the people' wh 0 are not Socialists. try to ease their consciences by giv'ng alms at Christmas., while they support the system that breeds poverty all the rest of the year. Foolish, Isn't it, Sunbeam's? But is won't last much longer. Our little band of M.P.s has doubled, and as one of the newly elected members said, we will let them see that the welfare of the children is of more importance than the price of butter fat and wool. So wo are entering the New Year with fresh hops and every sign that it will bethe beginning of . btter times for! Labour. Believing this, Sunbeams,! let us all join in having a Merry 1 Christmas. THII RUSSIAN FAMINE FUND Our little comrades have been so generous in helping the starving children of Russia that I want to tell you the news that came m a report from the Save the Children Fund last week, i The good work is stUl "going on and! the children of Smyrnja are also being] fed. Of course, the famine was so terrible iv Russi a that one harvest! can not set things straight. About! 300,000 children are being fed and! cared for there at the present time.! Twelve of the chief towns in New! Zealand have kUchens. bearing their names in Saratov, and besides this there are several kitchens in the names of the people who subscribed £100. Up. till last September little New Zealand's contribution to the Russian Famine Fund had been £74,000 and large sums were still coming in. The report told of a little' boy at Waiua who set out with a j self-made subscription list and tramp-; ed round the district collecting shil-j lings and half-crowns with a few; larger sums from his friends, haying; first contributed some money given! him by his mother for a birthday .pre-j sent. He collected £4/7/3.

So when you, little Sunbeams, who gave your shillings and pennies so cheerfully to the Fund, are enjoying your Christmas pudding think of -lie little' Russian comrades who are also having a good dinner because of the [kindness and self-denial of all the people who helped, and you will hare one o£ the happiest moments of your life. , * * '* # FREDDY'S VIOLIN "I m worrying about the children," Aointie Nell said to her sister, Mrs; Clifford, who had come to the hospital to see her. "You know I pi*omised Freddy I Avould ask Santa Claus t 0 bring him a real violin this Christmas, and here I have been laid up for the last six. weeks, and, of course, have not the money to get it."

"Don't worry about • him," Mrs. Clifford said. "Father and I will mianage to. get him some other little thing and he must be satisfied."

"That's all right," was the reply. !"But you see I promised, and,he will be disappointed If it Isn't there on Christmas morning. You know your kiddies have an Mea that I am one of Santa Claus' pets and if I tell him what they particularly want he will bring it along to oblige mc. Besides I really believe Freddy has a gift for music. Look at the little tunes he picks out on that toy violin. It's simply wonderful, and I want to see him learning on & deoent instruitten,t,

So as you cant-afford to buy him one I am thmking of selling that Jittla miniafcur© of our great-grandmotber that mother left mc." "Selling it!" Mrs. Clifford shrieked. It was the one article of value the family possessed— >a miniature beautifully painted on ivory. "It would be sacrilege. ,, "Nonsense. We never 'Smew the did lady or the grand aunt who painted it. It's _a work of art I know, and for mother's sake I'd like'to keep it, but it's worth fifty pounds. Mr. Walters offered mo that for It. And when ail is said, who sbos it hanging on the wall in my little room 'but just the members of tlio family and a 'few , friends?. Wouldn't it be' far better to have Jit in the Art Gallery whore he wanted to put, it and lot it give, pleasure to the hundreds of people ■with artistic taster *.vho would see It there?" . "No,"' wus the firm reply. "It belongs, to our family and should be kept in the family. Let Freddy wait for the violin."

But Auuf'te Nell persisted, and the cherished portrait, the pride of the family, was sold and presented to thsAit Gallery.

Auntie Nell spent iier Chrlstmarf in hospital, but the monotony was relieved by a visit from her five nieces and nephews, wild with joy on account of the .presents Santa Glaus. h:x4. brought them. Freddy was so delighted with his violin that he to bring it along to show Auntie. The throe little girls Wiere just as pleased with the bran new sewing machine that he had by some extraordinary means brought down the chimney, and Bjaby Frank had a Teddy bear nearly as big as .himself. The little girls knew that the machine was for them all equally, because a book of instruction had been left .in eiaoh stocking and a doll, with the advice to learn how to work i>: anti make the doll scinfi clothes.

Aunti? Nell felt that she had done the right thing in selling; the miniatuco. but she was more satisfied three years later when she heard Freddy play at a pupil's recital, and his teacher said the boy was the mc>st promising pud ii he had ever had. She walked over to the Art daliery to h;ive. a look at the miniature. A young man and a girl were standing in front of it examining it closely. "You wouldn't believe all I've learnt from that Uttle portrait," the young- man. was sayhig , . "AH that fine work —the lace, you know. I couldn't even attempt it, but I've looked and looked and studied that for weeks, and now I caa really do something like.lt.' , "Are you an artist?" Auntie Nell asked , . ' ; Not yet," was the laughing reply, "but I hoped t o bo some clay." They went away, and Nell went cios.e to the little picture—-"You dear old thing." she said, "you're ever so much mvrs use here where everyone' can see you than you were in my room iantl I'm „ quito sure mother .would say 'the same."—MUM.