The ODD ANGLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 242, 13 October 1942, Page 2

The ODD ANGLE

(By MacCLURE.)

• "AND THAT'S PRAISING 'EM" She was a nice girl, that tram conductress, and she blushed when old Alf gave her the bunch of cyclamens I had specially picked for our little parson cobber's wife. Her boy, she told us, was in Egypt "still going strong." She was glad Mr. Usmar had returned that £90 grant. "It sort of restores one's confidence in human nature, don't you think?" she added. Yep, we thought that w-ay too. "Besides, him doing that robs the mingy ones of their excuse for dodging contributing to the Patriotic Fund. You wouldn't believe how many of them have used that incident to say that anything they've got to give they'll give direct to the boys without anyone getting a dip out of the lucky bag." "She's an intelligent girl, that," old Alf remarked as we alighted. Sure she is, I agreed. That remark, though, of hers about the "mingy ones" who exploited the Usmar grant to cover their own meanness worried me. And yet I suppose it's only natural to take advantage of any cover offering in self-preservation—especially in an attack on one's pocket—for that type who strive so hard to preserve both their honour and their cash, I mean. "Mingy ones," I observed to Alf, but he used a much worse expression—one I often heard used in France. "And that's praising them," he added. • HUSH MONEY And now to hark back to those "mingy ones" who have used, and will probably keep on using, every known trick and ingenious argument to evade their obligations to our boys overseas. Take their stock argument. "Anything I have to give to the boys I will give direct to them." Will they? Well, an odd one or two of them may. With the rest this is just camouflage to cover their mean little souls. And those that do will probably not give wisely— nor well. The onlywwa r to do that is to pay ir to the organisation that has been built up for just that purpose. It's not just a case of "dishing out charity," as some folks seem to think. It's all a present from us stop-at-homes who have been given— or wangled—exemption; a tiny present out of the fat cheques we keep on drawing weekly. And we ought to give it gladly as hush money, conscience money—if for no other reason. Anybody "charitably" inclined can give away a bob or two direct to a needy Digger, but that should not interfere with his (or her) paying in to the Fund. • A TRUE STORY And now let me tell you a perfectly true story that carries with it any moral you wish to read into it. Last Tuesday I received an anonymous letter postmarked Epsom, and from a lady, I guess. In it she wrote: "Dear Mr. MacClure, would you please deliver enclosed to a returned soldier with the gratitude and best wishes of Repentant." Enclosed were two £5 notes. It so happened that the Rev. Charlie Chandler was present when the letter was opened, so that ought to settle that argument. You 11 notice there were no tags attached. I was to "deliver" it. I took it that the writer meant a returned soldier of the last war and sent it to me for that reason. Now, getting rid of a tenner to "a returned soldier" should have been an easy job. The Scots strain in me, however, was positively shocked at the idea of giving any old Digger so much money. We'd give it to ten— better still 20 returned soldiers, old Alf and I decided. But to whom? • A "SHOUT" AND THE LiADY PAYS To whom? Now you could have answered that question. Old Alf did, but I ruled out his suggestion. When you start giving money away you've got to do a lot of explaining. You just try it out some day. We got over that by showing that letter. "Are you sure you didn't write it yourself, Mac?" one half-dead Digger wanted to know as he gratefully pocketed the £1 note we gave him. Now that is a reputation to have; a joke's a joke, but for the son of a Scot to write himself an anonymous letter enclosing £10 and requesting himself to give it away—. Well, to cut a very long story short, we split £8 5/ among 13 needy Diggers. Then last Sunday morning we slipped out to an institution and left the balance (£1 15/) amongst another dozen sick ones. And we didn't "third degree" anybody, although, had we had £10,000 to distribute I'm afraid we'd have to have a better method—and, of course, an office—and a salaried staff. One grateful Digger remarked, "A lady like that restores a man's faith in human nature, Dig." I'll say she does. To the lady whoever she is I can only pass on the Diggers' thanks. And might I add my appreciation of the trust she placed in me, especially for omitting the tags.