Judging by the number of poppies told on Thursiay by ladies of the community. wearing the badge of the United Services' Association, some 6,000 persons demonstrated their remembrance of needy "Tomies" by pinning on the symbolical red Mower. The sale of pop) spread itself fan-wise through the business district throughout the morning and about 50 ladies proved competent in dispensing the flowers from their small baskets in return, for a donation, Practically all the portant down town corners were!
covered" and a large number of hongs canvassed during the sale. Ladies gained experience in approaching people of all dispositions and very few rebuffs were reported. The good-natured tendencies of, Shanghai's men, moreover, were apparent when their particular strong-olds, like hotel bars, were assaulted by smiling poppy-sellers. Whether the ladies sealed the heights of the "longest bar in the world" is not recorded but the threshold of the Shanghai Club witnessed many a surrender.
This strenuous campaign ended in the downtown district at noon yesterday, but was continued throushout the afternoon by a group of workers who boarded ships in har-and reported considerable sss in these quarters. On the whole this year's sale is declared to be entirely satisfactory by those in charge of the work, and the tin receptacles with their slit covers to receive the customary $1 for each poppy, or more as the individual donor felt inclined to give. filled up rapidly during the rush hours.
Many of the ladies engaged in this service declared that they thoroughly enjoyed doing the work, not only for its own sake but* for the interesting side-lights afforded on human nature. Paramount among paradoxes was one lady's statement that the-banking district was hardest to collect from and that Kiukiang Road lived up to its reputation of being in a tremendous hurry. by rushing past before poppies were dispersed in as large. numbers as one might have imagined in this quarter. Hotel lounges and bars were particularly vulnerable spots and lived up to a name for good-natured leisureliness.
Among the high-lights in coll ing was the rosy-cheeked little girl whole enthusiasm netted her about $130 in her small tin box, and the number of tens and fives in the collections proved her cleverness at encouraging people to be generous givers.
As is custom remarks relative to the "saving" of one's poppy from a previous year might hava been overheard at lub bars, and this type of economy even extended to the more tangible forms dernonatrated by the thrifty soul who wanted to decorate himself and family of five for 20 cents. Fortunately for the sellers. "conscienjous objectors" to buying poppies were few and far between, though these too were numbered among the non-buying public. To their credit be it said, however, that a certain shamefacedness in' their manner! when getting out of buying made the salescladies feel that another year may find them softened to the extent of placing their mite on the!
ea" "At the, other extreme one iust_mention also the several courteous Shanghai residents she While not members of the allied mies during the war were extrenvely gracious when approached for this post-war contribution The Ladies Responsible In charge of the work at Headquarters and receiving the money Voxer as they were filled up were Mrs, E. H, McMichael and Miss Elwin and the following ladies wore engaged in the sale:—Mesdames Bolden, Walker, Chariton, Martin, Harris. Denison, V. Craddock, Tebbutt, Fitzgeraki, Hitch, Holland Banner. Byrne, Keller, Hughes, Cosgrave, Storer, Bichard, Atkinson, and Wiley. and the Misses McNeil, Fletcher. Jones, Marshall, Everall,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.