Editorial: For whom the bells toll

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 | 9:12 a.m.

Salvation Army bells will ring again for the less fortunate during this holiday season, but their sound will be fainter. The Target chain of discount stores has banned this symbol of giving from its premises nationwide. And Wal-Mart has limited the bell ringers, often volunteers from community service groups, to a total of 14 days a year in front of its stores. As a result, The Salvation Army in Las Vegas estimates it will have $50,000 less this holiday season for helping needy families.

In the days before the Wal-Marts and the Targets, with their locations in privately owned strip malls, there were stores in most cities lining public sidewalks on both sides of long downtown streets. There, bell ringers could volunteer their time during business hours with no danger of being ordered to move along. Downtowns as retail centers are almost nonexistent now, as shoppers have gravitated to the malls and the big discount centers. The Salvation Army bell ringers, their mission dependent upon heavy foot traffic, were forced to move with the crowds.

In a sign of the times and in a sign of things to come, however, bell ringers are becoming annoying to retail executives. A Target spokeswoman framed its decision as one of being "fair" to other charities, which the corporation has long barred from its premises. So The Salvation Army too is being barred, its generations-old tradition now seen by corporate executives as an anachronism.

We hope the mission of The Salvation Army doesn't disappear with its bell ringers. It won't, if people send donations to: The Salvation Army, Christmas Kettle Fund, P.O. Box 28369, Las Vegas, NV 89126. Also, donations may be made through deposits to account number 3668284031 at any Wells Fargo store location.