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Show j : IJSELESS GIVING" jjj IS CONDEMNED Attorney Whitman Opens Campaign Against Annual Holiday Waste and Insincere In-sincere Offerings. New York. Nov. 12 While the plnt of giving giving Judiciously wae commended, the spirit of useless giving, especially at Christmas time, and more especially the constant giving giv-ing of tips, was condemned and appeal ap-peal for nation-wide co-operation was made last night by Mrs August Belmont, president of the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, District Attorney Whitman and Mrs J. Borden Harriman at the opening of the campaign by the Spugs against the annual holiday wasLe of kSH insincere giving gMfl "I. hate graft; I detest the grafter $xM 411(1 1 abhor grafting," District At- torney Whitman Bald at the meetimg j&m ot 1600 8Pug8 assembled to discuss jfcffiHI means for abolishing the "evil." Mr. Whitman said that while his H work was concerned chiefly with the 3pH unwise takers he was inclined to be- ipSfcP 1!eve tQat unwise givers also were 3&V9 R narm to society. In this connection wPJ the district attorney attacked the " tlPPlng system, which ho declared jftgHgl: as pauperiilng "our most willing iffiH workers." and "running the democ- tftj&M ncy ot which we so proudly boast Bpj9 to the older nations." lffM A. country-wide appeal for the MSB1 abolition of the useless Christmas K1 nd a plea for Intelligent and v3fM thoughtful giving -Instead were voiced Hga lat night by Mrs. AuguBt Belmont, MH president of the Spugs, at the open- BMM Ing meeting of the 1913 campaign to H9H be waged by that organization against Insincerity compulsion and waste In Christmas giving NBH Spug Membership Roll. HH At this meeting the membership rolls of the Spugs the Socletv for B 'he Prevention of Useless Giving H1 werd thrown open to all residents of WM th United States who might want to enroll against the foolish Chrlst-j Chrlst-j mas gift. HH Mr. J- Borden Harriman presided lt tonight's meeting. Mrs. Belmont B the orator of the evening. The H original purpose of the society, she Hi ald. was to prevent compulsory glv- ng by girlH In stores and factories .0 their employers, the cuBtom of jH lollectlve giving which the girls felt they could not afford but which they could not avoid without embarrassment embarrass-ment and possible Iosp of their positions posi-tions This was one of the chief objects ob-jects of the society, she added, but not the only one. Another prime attainment sought, she said, was a general cultivation, by all classes of givers, of more thoughtfulness and expression of personality in making Christmas gifts. "We do not disapprove of collective collec-tive giving when It is done on the spur of the moment," she said, "or for some particular cause, because then it means that ou have collected col-lected a sens. of human fellowship of which the money collected Is but an expression. We do approve of It when It Is for the man lower down Instead of for the man higher up. Approve Intelligent Giving. "Some persons think that we oppose op-pose giving Far from it; we do not oppose giing, but we advocate intelligent in-telligent giv!ng; giving that is done with the Christmas spirit of good will as distinguished from givlag that is compulsory, from fear or with the "hope of obtaining reward. "WTe propose to decrease the cost of the gift and Increase the good will; to make the heart of Father Christmas rejoice by little acts of kindness, unselfishness, by putting thought into the gift we send our dear ones Give generously, but from your heart, with all your thought Don't make a business of giving, make it an art. Don't waste what should be a season of good will freely free-ly given." |