One November it became clear to childish minds in certain parts of
Whilomville that the Sunday-school of the Presbyterian church would
not have for the children the usual tree on Christmas eve. The funds
free for that ancient festival would be used for the relief of
suffering among the victims of the Charleston earthquake.
The plan had been born in the generous head of the superintendent of
the Sunday-school, and during one session he had made a strong plea
that the children should forego the vain pleasures of a tree and, in
glorious application of the Golden Rule, refuse a local use of the
fund, and will that it be sent where dire pain might be alleviated. At
the end of a tearfully eloquent speech the question was put fairly to
a vote, and the children in a burst of virtuous abandon carried the
question for Charleston. Many of the teachers had been careful to
preserve a finely neutral attitude, but even if they had cautioned the
children against being too impetuous they could not have checked the
wild impulses.
But this was a long time before Christmas.
Very early, boys held important speech together. "Huh! you ain't goin'
to have no Christmas tree at the Presbyterian Sunday-school."