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72 72 THE KING OF SCHNORRERS.

have devoted so much attention to this branch. I always held strongly that the rich should be visited in their own homes, and I grieve to see this personal touch, this contact with the very people to whom you give the good deeds, being replaced by lifeless circulars. One owes it to one's position in life to afford the wealthy classes the opportunity of charity warm from the heart ; they should not be neg- lected and driven in their turn to write cheques in cold blood, losing all that human sympathy which comes from personal intercourse — as it is written, ' Charity delivers from death.' But do you think charity that is given publicly through a secretary and advertised in annual reports has so great a redeeming power as that slipped privately into the hands of the poor man, who makes a point of keeping secret from every donor what he has received from the others?"

" I am glad you don't call collecting de money vork," said Yankele, with a touch of sarcasm which was lost on da Costa.

"No, so long as the donor can't show any 'value re- ceived ' in return. And there's more friendship in such a call, Yankele, than in going to a house of mourning to pray for a fee."

" Oh," said Yankele, wincing. " Den p'raps you strike out all my Year-Time item ! "

" Year-Time ! What's that ? "

"Don't you know?" said the Pole, astonished. "Ven a man has Year-Time, he feels charitable for de day."

" Do you mean when he commemorates the anniversary of the death of one of his family? We Sephardim call that ' making years ' ! But are there enough Year-Times, as you call them, in your Synagogue? "

" Dere might be more — I only make about fifteen