Old Favourites as Price of Admission to Theatre More than a thousand Shanghai children paid tribute on Sunday' to the spirit of Christmas and made seerifices for their less "fortunate fellows when the Nanking 'Theatre was the scene of the greatest Toy Festival in local history. The house was full to overflowing and children made full use of all' the standing Foam legally available.
Sponsored by the Rotarians io order to secure more toys for the! city's less privileged youngsters, ths that started. at "10.30 raught a toy as an admission fee.
At 830 yesterday morning, the procession of cars Inden with Christ. mas offerings began to arrive. Hardly much later, a queue of children either alone "or accompanied by amahs and parents, "stood in drizzle wailing to be allowed into the theatre.
Every one clutched a toy.
Exactly how completely the spirit of Christmas invaded homes al! over the city may be judged when it is explained that more than 500 were: turned away after the theatre was Packed to capacity. Even 0, the children insisted In many cases on leaving their own sacrifice on. the stocks of toys that flanked the malo Staircase of the theatre.
There were small girls who hugged bedraggled dolls and gulped with, real feeling when they laid their most precious possession on the heap that counted up to about 5,000, articles, each a beloved possession. A little tad, pulling his thin coat up tightly against his narrow- chest laid toy in the pile. It was probably the only toy he had possessed judging from the look in his eyes wien slipped from his grimy "fist. "That's for the poor kids that ain'i got any," he muttered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.