Jesus Wept

15 December 2008



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Salvation Army Can't Rattle Tins in UK

Charities come in all shapes, sizes and purposes. Some are more effective than others, holding down administrative costs and delivering the funds and good deeds to those in need. Few can rival the Salvation Army for efficiency and the general goodwill it has created among the people around the world whom it serves. So when its street corner carolers in Britain were told by upper management that they couldn't rattle their tin cans, the silence of the stupidity was overwhelming.

A spokesman for the Christian charity said, “We want people to donate from the best of motives, so we advise collectors to avoid rattling their tins or asking people directly for money when stood on the high street.” Morally, one can't argue with the ideal of purest motives. Nor should anyone feel guilty about walking past without tossing in 20 pence. However, letting passersby know that the band and the carolers are out to raise money does no harm.

The Telegraph reported, “One volunteer with the Christian charity said she had been told that rattling could also offend other religions.” The paper added, “rarely-enforced laws regulating public collections are now being used by some local councils to limit their work, sparking anger from donors and performers. Band members who breach the rule face being moved on or even prosecuted.”

One old-timer \pointed out the foolishness of banning tin rattling while allowing music to be played. "I've been doing this for more than 40 years and I fail to see how rattling a tin could cause offense. If I was shaking a tambourine I could do it all day – if I shake my tin, I could end up in court."

Naturally, this journal believes in following the law and wouldn't encourage anyone to shake their tin contrary to local regulations. At the same time, one could envision a few thousand of the Salvation Army's foot soldiers standing at city hall of some third tier town and defying the ban with vigorous rattling of several tins. Local law enforcement probably couldn't cope, and the point would have been made.

“God bless us everyone,” as Tiny Tim said, and who would argue with that?

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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