CHARITABLE A PPEAIS Sin,—Hardly a day passes without the post
bringing one or more appeals from charitable institutions. In my experience the number of these ciroulars has increased enormously in recent years. Perhaps as a result of sending donations from time to time, my name has got on to various mailing lists. But whereas one might respond with a cheque to the occasional
letter—they all appear to be worthy of support—the likely reaction to a continual spate of appeals i3 to Put them in the wastepaper-basket, unread. One can't respond to all.
How is one to discriminate? There is no means of knowing how deserving of support some of these organisations are, or how efficiently the funds are administered. It is not difficult to compose a heart- rending letter or to devise a leaflet showing aged folk, crippled people, wretched children or emaciated animals. It is not, in fact, beyond the bounds of possibility that Some of these appeals may be little more than rackets. I would like to suggest that all genuine charitable organisations should not only be registered as such, but that a registration mark or crest (such as one secs on the windows of antique Shops: Member of the British Antique Dealers' Association) should be displayed both on the letter and on the envelope.
Secondly, in spite of protests in the press, certain organisations continue to send, unrequested, five or ten shillings' worth of stickers for use on Christmas letters. This imposes a quite unwarrantable obligation on the recipient to pay up or return the stickers, When he may already be subscribing to various other charities as much as he wishes to give. It is an irrita- tion to the busy and an embarrassment to the poor. Originally, I returned the stickers with a letter of mild protest—but, foolishly as it turned out, en- closed a small cheque. The following year the number increased. Obviously, from their point of view, the ruse had worked. Now I put all such stickers straight into the wastepaper-basket, and shall continue to do O. I shall not furthermore subscribe to any organisa- tion that I know is making a nuisance of itself in this Way,--yours faithfully,
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