1914-09-11aas

“Today is the last day of the Hamilton branch of the National Patriotic association’s colossal campaign. Yesterday at noon the recording clock in front of headquarters showed the sum of one hundred and thirty thousand odd dollars.”

          Hamilton Herald. September 11, 1914.

          It was felt at first that the $150,000 goal of the three day fund-raising campaign would be easily attainable, and would be surpassed considerably.

          There had been a huge amount of work done to collect cash and subscriptions but on the second day of the drive, the goal had not been reached.

          The canvassers had worked hard and had been very successful but as the final day began the canvassers and others with the Patriotic Fund were determined to work even harder.

          There were interesting experiences which the fund volunteers had encountered :

          “Many are the stories told by the collectors while at work.

          “One man who was interviewed by the collectors came to the door in his shirt sleeves. He was asked for a donation and refused. Then he told why he refused.

          “ ‘I have two sons now at Valcartier,’ he said. ‘My two brothers have also gone. At the present time, I am looking after four women and ten children. Do you still want that donation?’

          “The collector decided that he didn’t, although it was the only refusal of the morning.”¹

               ¹ “Tangible Proof of Hamilton’s Loyalty : Whirlwind Campaign Gets $150,000 For Patriotic Fund : Rich and Poor Open Purses Freely For Merciful Cause.”

          Hamilton Spectator. September 11, 1914.

          The Hamilton Herald reporter also heard of some interesting tales from the volunteer collectors:

          “The various canvassers while making their rounds bump up against some obstacles, which are hard to overcome, and in some cases the people are already such good work in a quiet way that no effort is made.

          “During yesterday’s work, one canvasser called at a house and asked for  a subscription. The answer he received was : ‘I think I am doing my share. At present I am supporting the entire families of four men at the front.’

          “One of the canvassers when turning in his report to the captain of his team, wrote, ‘Not at home – dead’ after a name.

          “A subscription that was very welcome was that made by an old woman, eighty years of age, who went to headquarters and asked : ‘Is this the place where you pay the two dollars to the soldiers?’ She was informed that it was, and her two dollars were immediately forthcoming.

“There is a certain amount of grim humor in a story told by one of the National Patriotic fund canvassers.

“The canvasser, who is a team captain, while making his rounds from the lists he secured from the city directory, called at a certain home.

“ ‘Is Mr. So-and-so in,’ he asked.

“ ‘No, he is not in’ was the reply.

“ ‘ When do you expect him in? I would like to secure a subscription from him for the patriotic fund,’ said the captain.

“ ‘He will not be in again, he’s in the cemetery,’ was the answer.

“Naturally, the captain beat a hurried retreat.” ²

               ² Fund Has Passed $150,000 Mark : Collectors Disappointed In Not Reaching It Last Night, But Today’s Efforts Left It Behind By Good Margin : Street Railway Receipts Were Disappointed – Amusing and Pathetic Incidents of the Canvass Are Reported”

          Hamilton Herald September 10, 1914.

          The Hamilton Street Railway had agreed to turn over all cash receipts from one entire day. The riders on the street cars that day were encouraged to pay cash, and not use any tickets that they already may have.

          In announcing the Hamilton Street Railways offer, the Spectator gave the details as follows :

          “Passengers can give any amount they wish for their ride as the entire receipts will be donated to the fund and the committee suggests that every person ride on the street cars if it is only for a short distance and in that way help such a worthy cause.

          “The management of the street railway has shown its loyalty by making such an offer and it is up to the people to do the rest.”³

               ³ “Cash Fares”

          Hamilton Spectator. September 9, 1914.

          While the street railway receipts amounted to $1185.35 much lower than the intended target of $3,000. To have overcome that shortfall, each employee with the street railway company, drivers and conductors as well as those at the barns, agreed to turn over their wages for the day.

          At the Central Police station on King William street, fifty-five policeman on parade all pledged to donate one day’s pay to the National Patriotic Fund.

          The policemen stationed at the Sherman avenue north were debating whether to donate to the fund, or direct their funds in a different direction:

          “ ‘I don’t believe they will give it to the patriotic fund. They have been talking it over for several days, and have decided to donate a day’s pay, but this money will go into a fund for the poor and needy of East Hamilton. Policemen on the beats are in a position to learn just what families are really in need, and there are many in East Hamilton who will be strictly up against it this winter,’ said Inspector David Coulter.⁴

               ⁴ “Police Donate : Give Day’s Pay to Fund – East End to Follow”

          Hamilton Spectator, September 9, 1914

          Hamilton’s “Poet Laureate” of the day, William Murray added to his financial contribution the following poem :

                              “Our Patriotic Fund

                    Bravo, Hamiltonian patriots!

            You will never be behind,

          Constructing what our land all through

            Approved with heart and mind –

          Without a thought of being dunned

          A powerful Patriotic Fund.

 

          With all our heroes in the field –

            Who knows where they may roam?

          Our dearest duty is to yield

            Support to them at home;

          And so we all, however summed

          Will help with our Patriotic Fund.

 

Athol Bank, Hamilton September 8, 1914                       Wm. Murray.

 

          As the last day of the three day campaign approached, it was decided to produce another newspaper advertisement to strongly encourage Hamiltonians to, in the words of the campaign’s motto, ‘Give! Give1 Give!’

          The final advertisement featured a poignant engraving showing a woman in a sparsely furnished room, with four children. One child was by himself on the floor, his slightly younger sister is standing, clinging to her mother’s dress while the eldest child, a girl holds the youngest, a baby. The mother looks wistfully toward her imaginary image of her husband, the children’s absent father. In the vision, she imagines him in army uniform, carrying a bayonetted rifle and leading some other troops across a smoky battlefield.

          The copy for the ad read:

 “Last Call !

  Send in Your Contribution Now to the War Relief Fund.

 Friday Last Day of Campaign

 We make a last minute appeal to those who have yet to give. Every dollar will be needed, as this mighty war will bring awful hardships to the families of our soldiers deprived of their bread-winners. The whole city could not be covered, some parts had to be skipped.

We Urge You to Give – Something – Be It Large or Small.

What greater cause to enlist your sympathies than this War Relief Fund? Make Friday’s total one that will startle the whole of Canada with the patriotism of Hamilton.

USE THE COUPON – Send or bring it with your subscription and get a receipt for your contribution – a receipt you will cherish as a memento of your personal part of this occasion. Here’s the coupon, fill it in, tear it off and mail it to headquarters tonight.

WAR RELIEF FUND

          ENCLOSED find a contribution of $   which you may add to the fund for helping our soldier’s women and children.

Name …………………………….

Address ………………………….

Make your Contribution Large – 2 Years in Which to Pay

Patriotic Fund Headquarters on King Street East

The final push was successful, even more than successful:

“Exceeding the most sanguine expectation, the three-day campaign on behalf of the National Patriotic fund ended last night with a grand total of $180,000. To use an expression much employed employed in the great indoor pastime known as draw poker, the citizens of Hamilton not only saw the $150,000 desired as this city’s contribution, but went it $30,000 better – with more to come.”⁵

⁵ “$180,602 Raised in Thirty Hours : Hamilton Does Herself Proud in Worthy Cause : Patriotic Fund Far exceeds Objective Set : Large Number of Big Subscriptions Received”

Hamilton Times. September 11, 1914

A celebratory luncheon was provided in the basement of Centenary Church for all who had worked so diligently to put the campaign over the goal.

Sir John S. Hendrie had formally announced the three day total and then went on to say:

“It is the largest subscription ever given in the city of Hamilton, and it was all given within thirty hours. There were very few refusals – less than ¼ of 1 per cent. I think that every man on this committee must feel proud of the citizens of Hamilton for the way they have responded to the call at this present time.”⁵

At the luncheon, the members of the various campaign teams engaged in a good deal of good-natured banter between themselves as to their efforts:

“Every team captain accused some other team captain of stealing subscriptions which rightly belonged to him.

“Anyone drifting into the basement of Centenary Methodist church might well imagine he was at a ball game listening to the bleachers give their candid opinion of the umpire. There were cries of ‘robber,’ ‘pirate,’ and ‘oh, you burglar,’  across the room.

“Groans greeted the announcement of H. J. Waddell that his team had collected $20, 808 during the day. When Mr. Waddell explained that $20,000 of this was from the Bank of Hamilton, which donation rightly belonged to his team, there were more groans.”⁵

Special mention was made of the efforts of Mr. Fong Young, proprietor of the popular Young’s Café on King William street. Mr. Young had offered to canvass the Chinese population of Hamilton. He said that he had not received even one refusal to his request for a donation, and in some cases, the very last dollar was taken out of the tills of restaurants and laundries and handed over.

The Hamilton Spectator carried a fulsome tribute to Hamiltonians for the support of the campaign :

“Never before – at least within the memory of living men – has there been such an outpouring of practical sympathy on the part of the people of Hamilton as that which came to a climax last night.

“The raising of over $180,000 toward the National Patriotic Fund in a whirlwind campaign of three days is an achievement of which every denizen of the city may well feel proud.

“The officers of the movement set a splendid example by their own initial and magnificent contributions. The captains and members of the several teams, according to their several ability, did likewise. The people responded so spontaneously that to ask was to receive, and in many cases the gifts were pressed without the asking.

“The universal sentiment appeared to be that those who could not go to the front themselves ought at least make the lesser sacrifice of caring for the dependents of their representatives – the men who have gone or may yet be called upon to go.

“Vicarious suffering must, so far as possible, be lightened by those who remain.

“The scenes when the final returns were announced were indescribable.”⁶

⁶ “Hamilton’s Tribute”

Hamilton Spectator.   September 12, 1912.

The “final” announcement was that well over $180,000 had been raised for the fund. When the excitement died down and the headquarters was opened on the following Monday, the contributions just kept coming in so the decision was made to keep the campaign headquarters open for three more days. The final tally was eventually over $200,000.