"FOR CHARITY"

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20956, 9 September 1933, Page 7

"FOR CHARITY"

. § —■ A bright story, with a sporting flavour, of his first visit to a city was told, with apologies previously made for "poetic license," by the Mayor of Dunedin (the Rev. E. T. Cox) at the Dental Association's dinner on Thursday night. Many years ago he had been in Wellington, and had attended a church service. The preacher had delivered an inspiring address on "Benevolence," and he had been so impressed with it that he had made up his mind to put the precepts into practice. The next morning he had met a man who appeared to be in want, and taking his purse out of his pocket he had handed him a couple of pound notes. The man appeared rather surprised, and asked what the notes were for. He had replied for "charity," and the man took the money and disappeared. The following day the man had called at his hotel and had handed him a roll of notes. He had also been somewhat surprised, and had asked what the money was for, and he had received the answer: "For Charity; you were the only one that backed him." Mr Cox said that he had told them he was speaking with poetic license. Had it been a true story he would probably have been a bookmaker's tout for the rest of his life instead of the first citizen of Dunedin, (Laughter.)