THE WHITE INVASION.

Evening Star, Issue 14523, 26 November 1910, Page 8

THE WHITE INVASION.

George Bernard Shaw wroto a play sonic years ago entitled ‘ Arms and the Man.’ It brought on itself an avalanche of criticism, because in it he represented Woman as the huntress, man as the prey. If the author needed vindication he could have had it in Dunedin to-day. Woman was the huntress, Man was the prey. Not Unit man did not like being hunted. He may not have liked it at the..start, but he soon got used to it —got even to enjoy it." Dunedin may be full of canny Scots; but how many men wont home last night —from business, from the trots, from anywhere—remembering that to-day would be Hospital Saturday '! It is safe to say that the majority forgot. Dozens of them ackuowldeged it. They issued from the domestic front gate, hastening for the accustomed tram at the accustomed time. They felt in the waistcoat pocket for the concession ticket, or for the email change in its proper lair. Approaching the car they were rudely awakened. In front ol them a box rattled. On either Hank a box rattled. No matter how early the hour, there was a girl there with a box, and in that box there was a rutile. Putting aside all speculation as to wheth'r the collectors recognised the value oi tic principle of the decoy duck and stalled off with a rattle in the box, the laci remains that to-night there are very lew men in Dunedin who cm claim that they reached the see no of their daily l.dair;without having run the gauntlet of rattling boxes held out to them l>v idea! collectors.

Ideal in every way thesr collectors were. In the fire I plan* they were out curly. All thp strategic points in 1 lie City and suburbs must have be,ui captured before the enemy was awake. Somewhere about 9 a.m. is the fashionable bom - in a certain suburb at which to leave for the City. At tho terminus were 1 sixes wailing. -No matter at which end or at which tide one boarded the car, boxes were insistently or insidiously projected. A man taken by surprise sometimes makes excuse;;. Having just cninc. out of his gam lie could not plead previous contributions. Hoarding a, tram he <ouid no| plead lack of change. Some lie.sitaii:r;iy did ;o. and sought to rely on concert ion tiekeis, !i was merely instinct. sunbed out on the instant by generosity- -and the sphinx-like immobility or the sweet persuasiveness of the collector.

Victim.?, having " parted ont.” begin «omelim«s to condole wit ii ihcntsclv.. Bui what about the collectors cliorhAll the celt-denial is not with the giver. Shortly after nine o’clock a .suburban girl took 101 l of the pasrciigiTS who hoatded the car at l,he slopping place whose she was riall. Sits* juiiqad oil lius car just a a it rc.suim <1 iis jommy, walked to her corner. ami I• a ightv. ay j< I!iuiJ js■<! down on the middle of the a.pualt loot path, it was not a lit- of despondency —she had reaped quite an average harvest. It was (dicer physical tiredness. •* }Ji;\v loin; have you heen ojt duly;" one. of the <ol!eetuis was asked. She. was a tall, delicate, almost fragile looking "id. bill by no means the least energetic a baud stationed at one of the hm-iest spotc ill the City. i " Siuco half-past- eight. ' rite replied. j “And how long ate y..u going to slay j on? Don't you lake it. in turns in relievo j Olio another- say, every couple e>f hours’;” j "Oh. I’m going to slay on until half- I past two.” site answer'd. " icu see. 1 ( have to leave (own this aft-Tiii.oii. fo Dm 1 .going straight on. .‘die had no tone ter | further e-edidences. Hi" w,:.-. oh a; a t tattai ttl right our into the middle of the j road to r.iirp’v-.e an unMism ■.Me, pie- ; oceiijti. d, ami Miumwhal poM ly sen! I'm.an. | Thai w,..? ahmn the Inrc.s . : interview ; Tliev w«.re to i busy. Tiny had other ii-.b i to fry when they found the. one wanted i to •js-l com-vliing out of them ven if il i

were only a lino of copy—instead of their getting something out, of him—even if it were only a penny.

Even if one is fortmialo enough to he blessed with a personal acquaintance with a collector, she cannot spare him much time, She sees him limn afar, rushes up and holds out her hand —-with a. box in it. Conversation is spasmodic, and only to he bought with coin. “How do the people treat you?"

“Oil, ail right. ’ She turns swillly and bars someone's way with her box. twinning on her heel and forcing the half-caught contribution down (hr iffaw of her machine, she faces the next question.

“Are any of them rmir to yon, or surly ?" “J’nde! No. ! J limy try io get past me, 1 walk light up with them to tlm corner. They give bct'crc they get there. One man—an old man - iri si to take no notice of me. I wa- holding the box almost under his m, e. dnsl before ve got to the corner he sp i!;r. He put two shillings in ilm box, and tai.l : ‘ Your company we.s worth its'’ Truly Man loco:- io im prlmd and wheedled by Woman, esjewialiy if the ha Not that every me .; ov ■ ■- ;.t >•;>• hj lime of ,‘Tmh t-onm s'Tmd „ ;l pa.-x wok!. Willi many it w n not a mete exi umh i! vi.'iim.;. Tie y ‘"c.Taoa d that they iiad

a fortnight ago at the Taiori thow. a couple of days ago at the Taiiuaa Park show, all the wee!; in pi eces where men congregate to gossip aid drink. They wore already (at 11 a.in.) 10s. 16s, or ill lighter in pocket than when they left their iicmc.s in the morning. They mentioned that they had heard S'lnie laik about badges secur.iig immunity, purchasable by a half-crown < out rilmtioii. Had anyone seen any ? .No'.' \\ ell—evening would cc.nie come time. They tumid to go—and faced the inevitable box. There was a jeiiiM —and yet cm; more rattle. llesi!.,;mv in tins beleaguered avails nothin:,. 1; is i apposed not, lu be a Lg..,d point, in a lie.Among Vi-lav’s gallant army in v. liila were a, lev; - a very few whc„.e hesitating, hash!id mien betrayed the eifort which .‘street- collecting meant- to them. It may have Ir si a few coins to their boxes. On the other hand it may have gained them a few. Compr.t-sion is nd- among the vanished viitue;, even m tins romineici:i| a.;,-, ard there is oveiy prospect that to-night the u-.suhe of todays collection will prove it.

Tbc iir-'t count. lao-.t at 11.30 a. in realised £l9O, rotnpaie 1 with £lB2 la Year.

I’OitT (.TIAI.MKHS AM) DiSTIiH !. (A litvling "'as energetically canltd <;a a*. Pun. (.’halm-. is and .surionniiiiig distric.s. i’ort t’haiiiicr.s was the centre •from which lolkvtiug was canie.l on at (larcy Bay, i’urakanui. Mussel Pay, portoliello, Saw • yews Bay, Buikee, and Si. i-euiiarik-. Th,I’dlovtitnu* were* nr,do utniei tin auspiceoi the Dunedin licapita! Sattird-iy -u.5..- | ualion, who. u’ has h.-eu ai ra.l. .-hail j hand i.vfr g, the ilusj.;; d Board £SJ of the amount i m k-i fed a: Jo rt t h-abaels in j full setliciiicm of 1’ at I home:--. obligations j 111 le.-.pect !o the lulia.i: i.w.piiai. '!!"„■ lu.al col!<■( lion ai J '<u t ('nalnm-rs ia.-i year amounted to £73, and, judging by tin- ,-a.i- . I Yaw-Ms' activity to-day, t.iii; a.iioiml u ii! I A t in • Alin-.id,l a Tln-al i<- i o-night- I be. ; «..r. su-i_- hy ih- Fuji \v.od I •* | co'im-etio.i v. i: ii lin i oils.-! •‘ . . i I'i.iidn ids lio.-nua! ia \\3■ 1 iw■ - Ti , i in,ml nail.- a o'- !„ n- v.nti a i to-day. hour, lint m-hhei- in- n- l : --- ;m-b--m.- ’ ; the ’.ii-aial cTuyv is r.n-a un-• <! for Mon-ia . | HAYWABD’S Pit TUB BS. . ■ Burins flail this rlienmoii. v. hi-h v-.., w- (t ~ ;at t'-mled. 'I ho ]hj Mac- will b- dawn i„. , i nigin. Tltcv ii -an'-idd’y ii- l!n-j.. l ; , ; i an enth- aim in c of tiicker. ami tin -.- ,-mI ! ten-st. Tin r- are. in .-n’dil ion. . . a-- ex, .J. | lent comic flaw. j j PBKSBY'i BRIAN t'H! I,I)I*KX’S HOMF. , ; ; at hj - o £1.0'.!1 tov.-'.ido a m w ,o;t.ig- , , t > be built on iai-d .•i.-.-mni'-d at Auden/,.; - B.iv. i lit; I’K-sbytcri.-iii Toting Women's ; ] il-lo i aof ilumdi'i ai.d snbuile- ii-I-l ; la.-L inght in Bums ll.a!! a niosi e.njovabio i ; loiiccu. Tie- jdii'ti v.-.-us erowdi d to tieU doors. ’Mr U. A. Axvbri:. (!„■ kind!" w !-ii|s-rii'ti-::.|cni of in- teams. c,xphi iij I'-.'t i ■ b ;ii!--rrli-d to ),-avc Tori- J t (j;/ic.s, Y":v 1 ; n-w collage will b ■■ v;-d fer bns .ai-1 gj-i s iOld-'!- Ice years old. tin- pr-v-t t:l inane at • t!iant’s Braes for boys b.-twie-i ta-it -.mi I fourteen years, whil- Mr Axels,--u’,- own ! inline n i'l b - i-wi bji: of tie- A.->■■•)-eialieii and a i: ..-ide.xi-e -ha- <hk-r levs ! le.it-'inig ti.nhs. The whip t larib s hj -vj ■ | ebeidv rai-eii £,-.00 of tin- .01.0C0 wanl.’.l. J ihe lu'st part- '-j ].->* nndit s pn-ograinnic ,-jwas. a Jiiiiy- pioO ' 1 in- Hi.?-, of .fov.' cnaet.ol by i-.aa.e.wx -] l ■l< i raw i jheni lhe - (imiit’s f fia.-s Inane, Tin,- stage v,-;n; i, Jcrl’<-..-t bowej- of Iwnity, and the ciiiMfru. eiifeiiiig into lie- fervid .-pint of the mot.at 1 rdory. dciightci! their nnditoin. The /ecottd ])art was furnished by uicnibci.s ojj I trie Austral Girton Club (ex-pupils of | ton College), and a very admirable enlr-r----j tuinment t-hey offered of monologues, rcciI tationfi, and soi'gs.