EXPERIENCE OF A CANVASSER FOR THE BRUNNERTON RELIEF FUND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 10581, 4 April 1896, Page 2

EXPERIENCE OF A CANVASSER FOR THE BRUNNERTON RELIEF FUND.

[TO Tilt EDITOR.] SiR,-Thiuking I wottfd like to give a little help to the sufferers in the late disaster, and also enjoy tho spectacle of the universal brotherhood, &c, I Btartedl off on Thursday afternoon, regard?e» of the teeming rain, with the object in view of collecting a little money for theßrunnerton sufferers. With high expectations I paid my first visit and preferred my modest request as follows: "lam only asking for ove shilling each, as Ido not intend to canvass those who are abfe to give more, nor those who I think can t afford r.ny tb'ng at all."JßTbis householder rep] i- 3 that she did not think she. could subscribe to-day, seeming to imply that bad it been 10-mo/-roio she mighthare subscribed largely—but not saying sohowever. Householdor No. 2 stated in the same qualified tone that she thought she would not subscribe ihii weefr. Householder No. 3 failed td answer my knock. I presume ahe had I seen my approach and was watching ma behind the window blind. No. 4 excused herself because "'she did not know th& people at Brunnerton. Tiey were all strangers to her." I replied, " So they are to me." She was wealing a silk blouse. No. 5 saw my approach from the ba^'c door and sent a young man to the front door—a young Adonis wearing two rings and a row ©f fine corkscrew curls ott his forehead — he informed mo that " he had no change." 1 I told him to go and ask his mama if she had any. He returned saying that she bad not. No. G gavu th» No. 7, declined the shilling be>cars9 her husband ''did not get hia pay at all regnlar." Al,thongbi the eighth house and its occupant were far less pretentious than any I visited", totheir honor be it said, more tban four times the amount I asked for was cheerfully given, and most willingly. Being by this time wet through, was it any wonder that your correspondent returned home weary and disheartened. In rnoafc cases even the names of these people ate unknown to me, but they all appear comfortably off, the houses something better than cottages, the children, for example, wearing Indian pinafores. It has olten been a wonder to me who buys that expen«ive trash that the hawkers b?ing round to your doors. Now I know. Theae are the people who say of people like myself that we do nothing to help them. It is evident they do nothiog to help one another. Each of these cases I have quoted, and hard cases they were, stood with the door tightly held eyeing me us a cat does a mouse. They evidently expectod I might push in and extract the shilling by force. It must not he thought that I was totally unsucs stful, for that morning in a short walk I had with ease collected a good sum, and at the earliest date shall re3ome my collecting, my faith in human nature being not wholly shaken, in spite of the blow it has received. Thi3 is merely au account of a Bhorfc afternoon's nniqne experience. Here ia a disaster the like of which has never before occurred in New Zealand, by which 45 widows and over 200 children are left to face tho ;vorld alone— a somewhat cruel world I am tempted to say when I think of all the refusals received in this canvsss,- to subscribe a modest shilling to help the widow and orphan. I am glad to think it wasnotalways thus in Taranaki, surely there is not a household in town " that cannot afford mie shilling to help thosara such sad distress at Brunnerton. In conclusion I will state that the following people have taken charge of lists which are limited to one shilling": — Miss Cottier, White and Carter (Eliot-street), Mra Pearce, Mrs Ricketts, Mr Veale, and Mr Neil. It is only those who cannot afford to subscribe largely who are asked to put their names on these lists. Aa many as can in a family should subscribe. Thanking you in anticipation I am, &c, Canvasser.