Sunshine Every Day in the Year 



FREQUENTLY the formation of a Sun- 

 shine branch or circle is the sudden crys- 

 tallization of kindly impulses which have 

 "been floating about in the community — held in 

 solution, as it were. After organization in 

 such cases the first question usually asked i^, 

 *'What shall we as a circle do?" "How shall 

 we proceed to scatter sunshine?" In order to 

 respond to a number of queries along this line 

 we shall hold over our monthly installment of 

 news of state fields work and suggest a few 

 ways in which branches may find profitable oc- 

 cupation. 



Certain activities suggest themselves; they 

 are governed by the law of supply and demand. 

 There are others which do not suggest them- 

 selves so readily. For instance, in almost every 

 community a Sunshine Emergency Bureau 

 would be an unqualified blessing, and yet how 

 few possess one! Here is an inviting field for 

 service. The object of such a bureau is to have 

 always on hand articles required by the phy- 

 sician and nurse in medical and surgical cases 

 among the poor or unfortunate. These articles 

 include bedding, maternity bundles, bed-pans, 

 rubber sheets, cots, a stock of simple remedies 

 to be used in cases of accident, and another of 

 ^delicacies for invalids and convalescents. 



A delightful field for action is that of in- 

 teresting the children in Sunshine. Children 

 are very susceptible to influence, and are eager 

 to do things. It is easy to enroll them as Sun- 

 shine Juniors, and keeping up with their loving 

 hearts and eager hands will furnish an average 

 adult band pretty steady employment. 



Another inviting Sunshine activity, which 

 can hardly be overdone, is the work of collect- 

 ing and distributing magazines and illustrated 

 papers, and of clipping and arranging their 

 contents for permanent use. By loosening the 

 wires at the back, magazines can be taken apart 

 and the pages put to a variety of uses. Serial 

 stories can be stitched together, collections of 

 articles or short stories made up into easy shape 

 for invalids to hold, envelopes labeled and filled 

 with anecdotes, jokes, pictures, etc., etc. 



Then, since Sunshine is constantly assuring 

 the public that it is not a charity, instead of 

 giving away to the needy, and so pauperizing 

 them, why not try a better way ? Several Sun- 



shine societies have passed on good cheer this 

 winter by collecting cast-off clothing, mending 

 it neatly, and then offering it for sale in the 

 poorer districts at merely nominal figures. These 

 sales confer a real favor upon poor and over- 

 worked women who would othervdse be com- 

 pelled to purchase sweat-shop clothing or go in- 

 sufficiently clad. 



In almost every state there are a number of 

 "shut-ins." What more beautiful work could a 

 branch take up than the cheering of one of 

 these— the state presidents would doubtless 

 gladly supply names and addresses. Sunshine 

 circles might profitably devote a share of their 

 energies to systematically brightening these 

 lives which are shut out by circumstances from 

 ordinary social pleasures. 



This incident recalls one reported by one of 

 Sunshine's state presidents: 



"Several years ago a young girl was obliged 

 to come to the city to earn a livelihood. Her 

 grief was intense at the thought of leaving her 

 widowed mother, but fate was inexorable. She 

 sought comfort in spending her Sundays writing 

 letters to her dear mother. A year ago that 

 mother passed away. Unable to place a me- 

 morial window or costly tablet to her beloved 

 memory, the daughter conceived a most touching 

 way of commemorating it. She wrote to the 

 state president for the names of two members 

 who would be glad of a daughter's letters and 

 love, that she might continue her work of writ- 

 ing letters filled with love and cheer, as a loving 

 memorial to her beloved mother. She continues 

 to cheer and bless two lonely women in sore 

 need of sunshine." 



A Sunshine need is reported by Miss May 

 Pancoast (Jobstown, N. Y.), who is a shut-in 

 from rheumatism. She will be grateful for 

 reading matter and also for silk scraps and 

 ribbons for fancy work. 



To Readers of Sunshine** 



Omng to lack of Space the Sunshine depart- 

 ment will be discontinued. A similar depart- 

 ment, however, conducted by Mrs. Walker, is 

 appearing .every month in Pets and Animals, 

 an illustrated juvenile monthly (fifty cents a 

 year), also published by the Floral Publishing 

 Company. 



