"TRUTH" ANSWERS "LUCEM."

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 March 1910, Page 2

"TRUTH" ANSWERS "LUCEM."

To the Editor. Sir,-—" Luceni " is unnecessarily Severe in his letter when lie classes nearly every institution in Levin ias "public mendicants." I admit that me institution T could name is always "pushing the plate," ami we are sick of it, but 1 object to every institution being condemned •as blood-suckers. "Lncem" evidently belongs to the class of well-to-do men who, in their selfishness, will not help anything in the town, and his letter * justifies what I have already said. Who was it that helped the Fire Brigade in its early days? Was it not the tradesmen? And very little came from outside the town. Jt was coolly said, "If a Fire Brigade is wanted, let those pay who are in business and would suffer by a tire; ' and for years there was no other way of keeping the brigade going except by going round with the hat. And what sensible man can object to a subscription list going round for a school picnic, or to provide prizes for athletic sports? Ts it not a duty to help such things? What would our Horticultural Society be like to-day i 1 spocial prizes had not been contributed by the public—mostly by tlie tradesmen, as the list of donors will show? We have only to look over the columns of the local paper, from time to time, to know who helps the place along. 1 say it again that the well-to-do class do not help as they should. "Lncem" talks about "financial self-reliance," and adds that anything "that is not strong enough to stand upon its own legs had better be let drop." Tho story of Mar lev's ghost, as pictured by Charles Dickens, is worth reading, in connection with "Lucem's" letter. Marley wore a chain "made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, .ind heavy purses wrought in steel:" . . Marley said, "I wear the chain I forged in life; I made it link by link and yard by yard. . . My spirit never walked beyond our counting-house; never roved beyond the narrow limits of our moneychangiing hole." Your oorrcsnondent "Lucem" hob-nobs with those who can stand upon their own legs, but he cares not to help on any institution or poor cripple that cannot stand. He is one with those who in spirit never rove beyond the limits of their moneychanging holes.—Yours, etc., TRUTH.