"AN APPEAL."

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 219, 23 December 1909, Page 5

"AN APPEAL."

To the Editor.

Sir. Ir» contemplating our Christmas Appeal our thoughts have turned -to Charles Dickens immortal Christmas Car* 1 ?. If. always drves us j*«ed and vve have r«.-?-i part-* of it 3j.-r.in ar.-t Stave been inrrr.-.singly itrpresse-l with life's contracts OM man Scrooge seemed tmp-rrvtimts to gentle influences (fever man v.-;u?--3 fecial I-hmnlile indeed. Nobody cvrr stopped him in the street to say with gladsome look?: "My dear ScrooJ?r. how are ymi? When will you come and see me?" No licegar implored him to bestow a trifle. No children asked him what it wa.* o'clock, and no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place of Scrooge. "If I could have my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with hi? own pudding and buried with a stick of holly through his heart. He should."

But what a transformation in heart and character by the visons which Scrooge bad on that memorable Christmas* Eve and v hat a new world London was to him next morning. He looked so irresistibly plea?ar*t in a word, that three or four good humoured fellows said "Goad morning. Sir, A Merry Christmas to you." and Scrooge said often afterwards that of all the blithe sounds he had ever heard those were the blithest in his cars.

The Christmas spirit had taken possession of biro and prompted generosity and good will to everybody and to help tbe children of tbe poor became bis delight and especially to show kindness to "Poor Tiny Tim" the ailing child of his clerk "Bob Crotchet." Naturally everybody reciprocated and Old Man Scrooge became a happy man because the Christmas spirit animated bim. We particularly write to those of your readers who have the same spirit, for wc urgently need their help. We are thronged by women and children for svhom Christmas has not any happy associations and whose lives are hemmed around by loneliness, poverty, and in stome case* by sickness also. We do not suggest that in Auckland they are numerous in the same sense as in tendon but there are some who have reached the extremity of poverty, and not a few homes like Bob Crotchet's witb its poverty and its Poor Tiny Tim, who, because of physical suffering is at once tbe care, anxiety and delight of tbe other members of tbe borne.

We do not knowingly assist those social parasites who live by imposing upon the generosity of their fellow* bqt oeeds sucb as toe above, "patiently bbiDtf and frequently bidden, appeal very strongly to as and we want to belp to bring something of Christmas to them. This, however, is impossible except by the financial and other help of your generous readers, but we depend upon them for they have shown their sympathy by helping in the past. Some months since t appealed on behalf of two families, both of whom arc now "round the center" and are able and willing to belp themselves and others also. It is our policy to belp people over temporary but pressing difficulties and most of our work is amongst such and on their behalf we ask a generous and prompt response to this appeal. Cheerful belp of this sort will contribute more of Christmas happiness to the giver than to the receiver. W«'!I those who will ••sift us please communicate with Mr H. E. Pacey, care of Dairy As.«ociaitiop. Wellesley Street, or with SISTER KENNETH, for the Auckland Methodist Mission with which sh incorporated thf> Helping Hand Mission. Rose Road, Grey Lynn, Hth Decebmcr ]i»'.>9.