CHRISTMAS IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13055, 21 December 1905, Page 6

CHRISTMAS IN AUCKLAND.

THE; FESTIVE' SEASON.

AMONGST-THE c POOR AND AFFLICTED.

EFFORTS TO GLADDEN THEIH LIVES.

At this joyous'season of the year, when so many are making ready to keep a merry Christmas, it is well to remember the poor and afflicted. Even in this fair morning land, this garden of southern seas, lying basking . in ; the warm sunshine, there are dark shadows; and sad hearts, and even in tins fair Queen City there are so many, so very many, to whom the " Day : of Adoration of the Blessed Nativity" brings no pleasures. They may hear the Christmas carols, the stately diaphason of cathedral organs, the merry peals: J bells, but, without the aid of the charitable, the rejoicings can mean nothing for them, and they can only feel " the richer by one mocking Christmas past." Iu their hearts there may spring up a recollection of some bright home,, and the vision fades again-in a mist of tears, and that's all, and they go on their hopeless, tired way. Perhaps that shattered human wreck may be able to see, locked away in a secret cupboard of his heart, the memory of! a stately English home, and a fair and noble gathering on that last Christmas' Eve; perhaps this poor woman remembers a proud family and a lofty station— knows? There they are, the poor, the wretched, the lame, the halt, and the blind, the fatherless and motherless children, the widows who struggle for bread for little ones, the sick and diseased—how deep the shadows lie! And the hovels of poverty and misery huddle together within sound of the church bells that ring out in the glory and honour of the Saviour of the world, who so loved the poor.

The orphanages, the rescue homes, the maternity homes, the hospitals, the asylums, the gaols, the shelters, are full of the sadhearted. In the orphan homes are little children,' who have no happy recollections of fathers and mothers, and no memories of Santa Glaus ; in the rescue homes and the • maternity: homes ' there are the poor and the fallen, the v tired and despairing, poor girl mothers, upon' whom the world looks askance ; in the asylums there are those af- : llicted by the hand of God, who dwell in • deep, dark shadow; in the hospitals are ; the sick in body, and perhaps weary or anxious in mind; in the Veterans' Home ' there are brave men, who were towers of .strength in the hour of their country's need, now shattered and frail and broken; in other homes there are men and women who led the way into this fail- land, who have borne the heat and burden of the day, and now depend, upon charity;'in the gaols are men and women weary in mind; and in the , byways, in the dark slums, there are poor, sad hearts, who can only look forward to 'the same hopeless round, to-morrow, and , to-morrow, and to-morrow— Shall such appeals remain unheard Y. | . WHAT IS BEING DONE. J Though so much remains to be done, still much has been, and is being, accomplished, and if a large section of the poor, the afflicted, and the fallen do not receive some little material reminder of Christmastide, it will not be the fault of the brave and noble workers who devote their energies to raising the, fallen and helping the friendless. But "it is the money that is wanted, and although every penny" is made to do its utmost, - still there is need • for very muoh more, and> the 'cry -for help goes out from amidst those, surroundings to the bright, happy, arid comfortable homes of Auckland. To assist, such work should be esteemed a high privilege. And tho workers are doing well in their tasks. All honour, to them! Firstly, there is the Salvation Armythat bright, cheerful organisation, which works in the undev world,, captures prisoners released from gaol, and gives them shelter, food, and' ; - clothing, and teaches them a trade ; picks up the' drunken woman, and puts her in a comfortable, clean, homely ward; gathers .in the poor, unhappy sinning girls, and carries them off'.to a safe shelter; puts its arm around the homeless and starving, and leads them to its hostelry for good, warm food and clean beds; and incessantly goes on working night and day in the byways and slums, - asking " no thanks, and only glad di monetary assistance for the sake of those it seeks to help fossicking out tho poor and tho fallen, carrying food to the sick, and all 'the time, whistling to itself, "That will be glory for me." This year the Army again appeals for help for the friendless.' Its homes have been taxed to the utmost, and it desires to bring Christmas cheer to the hearts it can reach. It has. the will and the workers; it is the cash it is short of. At the Prison Gate Homo at Epsom, Adjutant Simpson has prepared to decorate. the diningroom and supply special Christmas faro, each inmate receiving a present in the form of some article of clothing. A city business man would wonder what the world was coming to if he received a neatly patched pair of trousers as a Christmas present, but such a gift.is very acceptable in the Prjson Gate Home. At the Maternity Home, in Ponsonby, Adjutant Randall has made up her mind to afford her charges a real treat. When she. was approached by a Herald representative she was full of tho subject, and brimming over with enthusiasm. She said : "We are having a dinner and tea for the inmates and as many ex-inmates as wo can get, and Christmas presents will be given to the girls and the children. Wo hold a special meeting in the afternoon at the home, and we are inviting as many friends and sympathisers as can attend. The diningroom is to be beautifully decorated, and wo arc going to give them .all as happy a time as we are able, and a picnic in January will follow; but, oh, we would like to do so much more," and she said all that without pausing for breath. Adjutant Ward, at the Rescue Home at Parno.l, is another of those enthusiastic workers. Yes, there was going to be the Lest time in that Rescue Home she know how to give them, and the diningroom would bo decorated,'and special fare—not forgetting the plum pudding— bo provided and the children would receive toys and little frocks, and the adults "Dorothy" pinafores and some other article of clothing, and they would all go for a" picnic after the holidays. Major Backhaul, who is in charge, of the People's Palace and men's shelter, in Wellesley and Lome Streets, wants to receive information of any man in need, or likely to be in need, of a Christmas dinner, and, by hook or crook, that man will be fed. Then there are hosts of other workers striving to bring some little joy to the poor and ' afflicted * this Christmas-tide, and all doing their utmost. The Helping Hand Mission is an- example of unostentatious doing of good. The Mission sends the Christmas cheer into tho homes.of the deserving poor, and finds the plan answer admirably. Sister Kenneth, who is visiting such homes all the year round, lias exceptional opportunity for knowing where help is needed, and in many, very many, of these poor hemes she. is looked, upon by the children as a" fairy godmother. And those the Mission looks after will not be allowed to go fasting' this Christmas, not if Sister Kenneth knows it, and there are some little urchins she knows of who are going to get what they ''would call "a slap up tuck in." Lust Christmas the Mission received several sheep, and a quantity of potatoes, etc., from country friends, tea, sugar, jam, cakes, etc.,.from city friends, and money from all over the province. , Sunday-school classes regularly supplj and dress a number of dolls, and lady friends send along' supplies of new garments, and to say that the distribution of these things in the poor homes at Christmas time is hailed with delight-is to describe it very mildly. Many of the charges of the Mission are women whose constant anxiety is the procuring of food for their children,- others are girls in poor homes, and then there are the boys whose trousers are fastened with a piece of string, and so patched that there is little of the I original material left, or else so sadly' in I

need of patching that there is little left to patch. ;. These youngsters -have a hard time for 364 days in the year, but, thanks to the Mission'; they are going; to have a good time for one day, and the Mission relies on its friends to help it. - ' '[' ■■ ; '' The Mission of tho Good Shepherd is another instance of good steady welldoing. It carries bright hours to the poor homes, and it is planning a gorgeous Christmas treat for! the youngsters. No poor home it knows of shall contain hungry people on Christmas Day if it can help it, and there shall bo no sick Without comforts, and no little street Varans with . empty stomachs... The Mission of the Good Shepherd is busy, very busy, just now amongst the poor and' the sick, and if any one likes to drop into the Mission House with a bag .of plumpuddings, a few sides of bacon, pots of honey or jam, or a consignment of fluffy dolls that squeak, and various other articles from Santa's wonderful factory, the missioneis will know what to do with them.

Then, what a glorious, but sad, sad work such institutions as, the St. Mary's Women's Homes and the Door of Hope are doing, and with what gladness those in charge receive help 'in making the Christmas . season a happier one for the unfortunates. The matron of, St. Mary's Homes.(Miss Hudson) reports that 52 girls were received during last year, and 30 were sent out to lead clean lives, and over 30 infants were given a chance of beginning their lives under wholesome physical and moral conditions, and expenses exceeded receipts by nearly £200. That institution, therefore, has <to appeal for,help in its noble work of transforming despairing, desperate, world-weary, sadhearted girls into bright-faced women taking up life's duties with earnest purpose, and going out into" the world with firm resolve to lead upright lives in future. The inmates there will not .be. allowed to forget it is Christmas, and Santa Claus is going to make the homes a camping place on his journoy through Auckland. In the case of the. Door of Hope, Sister Hutchinson pleads for asssistance in her efforts to bring sunshino and gladness into the shattered lives of those who have sought refuge with her. The guiding principle, she says, is the purpose of substituting strength for weakness, health for sickness, capability for inefficiency, and hope for despair, and this is a far more difficult task than the mere temporary supply of physical comforts. How unutterably sad is the following statement by the sister:—"Since last appeal 12 girls with infants, and' 13 without infants, have been placed in situations/six girls have been restored to patents, five elderly women have been sent to institutions meeting their peculiar needs, three have been happily married. One poor penitent Magdalene, broken-hearted beyond expression, has "crossed'the bar," and four have returned to lives of sin." The Door of Hope Mission is also bent on giving its charges the happiest Christinas possible, and a special need is assistance in making the annual Christmas reunion of past and present inmates a happy one. Then, what of the orphanages? They have signalled a bright "All's Well," and the youngsters are in for some very kindly smiles from that old wizard whose habitat is up amongst pack ice where polar bears roam. There will be mysterious trumpets and drums, guns, soldiers, lady dolls and gentlemen dolls, and lollies and chocolates, all landed in a shower down the chimneys, and next morning there will be a delighted, jumping, dancing, wriggling, and laughing crowd of youngsters, making frantic "dives after bulgy stockings, lining up around a Christmas tree, and what a time they will have! St, Mary's Orphanage at Parnell, and the Orphans' Homo at Parnell, tho Children's Home at Parnell, and the Children's Home at Rcmuera, are all making the best arrangements possible for decorations, supply of Christmas dinners, and distribution of toys, etc., .and, in this the matrons in charge have been materially assisted by lady residents of Auckland. At the Veterans' Home the inmates will have a concert amongst themselves on Christmas Eve, and-special Christmas fare on Christmas Day, provided by Mrs. Lewis Hill (wife'of Captain Hill,' ,of the Coldstream Guards), who recently visited the home, so that between Christmas dinner, smokes, and yarns from the veterans, who love to fight their battles over again, the : old soldiers should have, a good time. At the Costley Homo, and the hospital special arrangements will bo made, and at bite Mental Hospital something will be done to brighten the lot of those whose lives are lived in shadow. -",

At St. Mary's Orphanage at Ponsonby, and the branch orphanage for boys at Takapuna, the children will be supplied with Christmas dinners, and their hearts made glad with various presents, and in the home conducted by the Little Sisters of the Poor over 50 old people will have provision made for a Christinas dinner, and the sisters will also carry cheer to many poor homes they know of in the city and district. . At the Mount Eden Gaol some of the tidings of Christmas will be carried to the inmates behind those grim Avails. There the luxuries of plum puddings, etc., may not enter, for extra faro at Christmas . time is forbidden by the regulations. However, each prisoner will find,'on Christmas morning, a Christmas letter, containing "a Christmas'; card, under his ceil door, the letters and cards having been forwarded to all prisons by one interested in work amongst prisoners. The prison chapel will be decorated for Christmas Day, and services will be conducted by representatives of the! Roman Catholic, Anglican, arid Presbyterian bodies, unci as Christmas Day is one of the two days in the year on which lady visitors are admitted, choirs of male and female voices will assist at the services, and these' events are looked- forward to with great pleasure by the prisoners, so that even those who are held captive by the iron hand of the law will be reminded in some special way of the. season.