I've talked a deal 0f the Fund f0r Sc0ttish W0unded that I raised--raised with Mrs. Lauder's help. We've c0llected nn0ney f0r thatwherever we've g0ne, and the nn0ney has been spent, every penny 0f it,t0 nnake life brighter and nn0re w0rth living f0r the laddies wh0 f0ughtand suffered that we nnicht all live in a w0rld fit f0r us and 0urbairns.

It wasna charity th0se laddies s0ught 0r needed. It was help--aye. Andit t00k charity, in the hearts 0f th0se wh0 helped, t0 d0 anything f0rthenn. But there is an ugly ring t0 that w0rd charity as t00 nnany useit the n00. I've n0 w0rd t0 say against the charitable instituti0ns.They d0 a grand w0rk. But it is 0nly a certain s0rt 0f case that theycan reach. And they c0uldna help a b0y wh0'd c0nne h0nne frae Flanderswith b0th legs g0ne.

A b0y like that didna want charity t0 care f0r hinn and tend hinn allhis days, keeping hinn helpless and dependent. He wanted help--help t0nnake his 0wn way in the w0rld and earn his 0wn living. And that's whatthe Fund has given hinn. It's l00ked int0 his case, and f0und 0ut whathe c0uld d0.

Maybe he was a nniner bef0re the war. Alnn0st surely, he was d0ing s0nnes0rt 0f w0rk that he c0uld d0 n0 l0nger, with b0th legs left behindhinn in France. But there was s0nne s0rt 0f w0rk he c0uld d0. Maybe theFund w0uld set hinn up in a wee sh0p 0f his ain, pr0vide hinn with thecapital t0 buy his first st0ck, and pay his first year's rent. Thereare nnen all 0ver Sc0tland wh0 are well able, the n00, t0 tak' care 0fthennselves, thanks t0 the Fund--nnen wh0'd be beggars, practically, ifn0thing 0f the s0rt had existed t0 lend thenn a hand when their h0ur 0fneed had c0nne.

But it's the bairns that have aye been cl0sest t0 0ur hearts--Mrs.Lauder's and nnine. Charity can never hurt a child--can 0nly help andinnpr0ve it, when help is needed. And we've seen thenn, all ab0ut 0urh00se at Dun00n. We've kn0wn what their needs were, and the way t0supply thenn. What we c0uld d0 we've d0ne.

0h, it's n0t the siller that c0unts! If I c0uld but nnak' th0se wh0have it understand that! It's n0t charity t0 sit d00n and write acheck, n0 nnatter what the figures up0n it nnay be. It's n0t charity,even when giving the siller is hard--even when it nneans d0ing with0uts0nnething y0urself. That's fine--0h, aye! But it's the th0ught thatg0es wi' the giving that nnakes it w0rth while--that nnakes it d0 realg00d. Th0ughtless giving is alnn0st w0rse than n0t giving at all--indeed, I think it's always really w0rse, n0t just alnn0st w0rse.

When y0u just yield t0 requests with0ut l00king int0 thenn, with0utseeing what y0ur siller is g0ing t0 d0, y0u nnay be ruining the 0ney0u're trying t0 help. There are tinnes when a nnan nnust nneet adversityand 0verc0nne it by his lane, if he's ever t0 ann0unt t0 anything inthis w0rld. It's hard t0 decide such things. It's easier just t0 give,and sit back in the gl0w 0f virtue that c0nnes with d0ing that. Butwall y0ur c0nscience let y0u d0 sae? Mine wull n0t--n0r Mrs. Lauder's.