To the Editor of the "Nonrru-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—Considering the commun. ity en bloc and not pharisaically excluding oneself, "I incline to the conclusion that we are. An express sion of opinion from your readers would, 1 think, Sir, prove of general interest.
Of a certain proportion of the community I fear the plain truth about them is that they are self-seeking, self-interested, self-centred. Of the main proportion, it seems not anjust to say that whilst passively unselfish they are not: actively so. Is this estimate correct? Resulting from recent hearing, at the Rotary Club tiffin, a very illuminating resume of the work of the Chinese ttospital Shantung Koad by Ur. Davenport, 1 was moved to get, for once, out of my own selfish rut by attending the annual meeting and now, finally, your glowing anu well merited tribute, in this morning's issue, to the splendidly modest and selfless labours there, aas led to serious introspection on the above lines.
Whatever may be his individual view of the isms and ologies, and hair-splitting controversies, of the deplorable lack of humanitarian and civic spirit in the rank and file of the Chinese, of missionary work, and ete, the average man (usually styled the "Man in_ the street!") is permeated with a strong impulse to humanity and pity.
Herein lies our passive selfishness; one would not fail personally te render aid to an ill, or injured, man in the street but not having himself seen a case, he does not show an active interest in what is done with the scores of daily accident. cases, He is hardly aware of the exist ence of such an hospital as Shantung Road much less of the year-in, year-out, arduous work for love of the clever, trained and very human (in their needs and desires as well as in their work!) ladies and gentlemen of the staff.
approached by a collector, he would band out dollars as che fully as he buys drinks for hie friends or chocolates for his Iadylove, but as to just sending a subscripfion—well, it simply is that does not think.
Last year the number of tram accident cases was 333; this la offset by a handsome donation from the Tramway Ca. The number of motor-car accident cases was 632 (practically 50 per cent. of the total number of cases due to vehicular accident only). How about the off-set! If a certain enterprising, motor insurance woul inaugurate a policy subject to a minimum of, say, 500 applicants at Tls. 5 per annum against payment of hospital expenses for Chinese injured by motor-cars and donate the entire residue to the Hospital, T, as an owner, would for one willingly take out a policy.
Enclosing my card, T am, ote.,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.