Found in Collection Boxes.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 52

Found in Collection Boxes.

"The world is more charitable than many people are disposed to think," eaid the secretary of a large London hospital recently to the writer. 11 We sometimes have qncer proofs of this in our collecting boxes. " In addition tc the money &nd the buttons, for we find a great number of the latter, we get many other things, some of which prove of . value. Old coins, certificates of shares in various companies, a thin Bilver chain, and a pair of small gold earrings may be taken as samples of the miscellaneous contributions. "A box from the East End district contained a very pathetic offering. It was a tiny silver lookefc, whioh bad evidently suffered rough usage in being forced into tits two. Aooob>

panying it was' a scrap of dirty paper, on whioh was scrawled in a child's handwriting, < I gives mi lokib orl I 'aye for gebtin' muther wel.' " A curious way of giving was that of a man who placed an IOU for £5 in the box. The name and address of the donor were given, and on being communicated with he forwarded the amount by return of post, bat gave no explanation of his eccentricity. "Perhaps the most singular, and certainly the most profitable, find was a properly signed and attested will, written on half a sheet of note paper and doubled up. It proved to be that of an old gentleman who had some time before been a patient in the hospital, and he took this means of showing his gratitude for the treatment he had received. " Inquiries were instituted, and the testator was found to have died. He had no relatives, and at no will could ba found at bhe time of death, the property, which was over £1000 in value, had been put in Chancery. The finding of the will, however, put matters right, and tha hospital benefited by the old man's -generosity."