Show Tho foh fo- fo h af Y Il gal rY r- r I Y Q MERRY CHRISTMAS i 0 i i I IJ 7 f ar gi MN y wJ I I f 1930 i uIt ar far HEALTH TO pro ALL A AH LL H NATIONAL r o z 0 t b 0 u uK o w l I t H a POj N to 1908 I tk By ELMO SCOTT WATSON THEN HEN you buy a big bib sheet of W Christmas seals seuls does docs it ever occur to you that theres there's an m Interesting story back of the addition of these little scraps of of paper to the list of symbols s sym symbols m bols of Christmas time Ume And do the names of Einar Ool- Ool boell and EmU Emily I P. P Bissell come to your mind when hen you stick one of these ga colored gayly-colored little stamps on ont t b 11 Christmas package and send it awa away to carry earry its message of Yuletide cheers cheer Its fiS s well as the message that you are arethus arethus arethus thus helping in a great humanitarian work If It not they should for It Is Isto Isto isto to a Danish postal clerk and an American Amer Amer- ican Red fled Cross worker that we owe the idea and development of the Christmas seal Back in 1903 a man named Einar a postal clerk In the post office of of- S' S flee fice at Copenhagen Denmark was busy in the division of outgoing mail It was Christmas week and he was literally buried burled In cards and letters The faster he sorted the faster they Io in For a moment he lie paused In serious thought then his face brightened These Christmas cards and letters should have an additional stamp stamp stamp-a a benevolent stamp or seal at a small price within the reach of all Wh Why not hot call It a Christmas stamp Even a two vo ore about fourth oue-fourth of ofa n a cent stamp on all nil these cards and letters Jetters would create a mighty sum If the plan could only be realized Christmas Christ Christ- inns mas is a time of generosity and good goodwill goodwill will when we send scull a n kindly thought even to those whom we neglect the whole year through Two ore each on every greeting would mean a n sum to be reckoned with wIth well well then to the task He went with his plan to the head of the postal service and und others with Influence in In- In- In fluence and authority And so when the first Christmas seal committee was formed Including among others six representatives from the postal department de der the interest of ot the postal employees was Insured from the start In 1904 1004 the committee met to discuss discuss discuss dis dis- dis- dis cuss the purpose and ond use of ot the possible pos pos- sible income from the Christmas seal and it was decided that the first obJect ob ob- ob- ob was the tine erection of f a hospital for or tubercular children and In general the Income froth from the seal should al ul ways wn's be for tor the fight against tuberculosis tuberculosis tuber tuber- In one oue form or another Upon application to the then Kin King Christian IX secured the permIssion per per- mission to have a likeness of the deCeased de der ceased Queen Louise on the tine first Christmas seal and the king became so EO Interested that he himself selected the picture which he wished used Naturally Mr 11 and his committee commIttee com com- felt feIt some anxiety over o the outcome outcome outcome out- out come of their first let v r II n. n 1 venture an ventures an form by bJ the National I Tuberculosis sis association Ills His Ji story of The I First Christmas Seal eal follows fol December the the World war seven years ahead but a deadlier de war at Hood tuberculosis flood tuberculosis is taking tenth one-tenth of all nl who died from froni disease dis dIs- ease folks case folks evel everywhere where wondering what could be done to stem stern the tide Mid December 13 Dragged a D ragged d dirty lt newsboy walked walled Into a Philadelphia newspaper office ollice ce Reaching up to a marble conn counter tel higher than his head he put down downa a copper cent one me mc sisters sister's got It What he was given Is the seal Illustrated above directly under the letters Ch In the title o of this article article ar ar- title Noontime December 9 0 D. D 1907 1001 in Wilmington capital of little Delaware Delaware Dela Dela- ware two pretty prett girls In Red fled Cross uniforms taking their place ut at a 8 table in the post ollice corridor asking ask ing a quarter each for little I pa pay envelopes envelopes en- en en thus labeled ne I 2 IA T. T One Penny Apiece Issued by the Delaware Cross to stamp out the White Plague Put this stamp with message bright On ever every Christmas letter Help the fight And make t tho o New hew Year better These stamps do not carry any kind of mail mall but any kind of ot mail mall will carry them Mid morning Mid mt ruing December 11 1907 eighteenth floor of the North American Amer Amer- America ican ica building in Philadelphia a day member of the staff in his hist cubb cubby cubby- hole A uA lady to see you ou passin passing a n card engraved engra Miss u EmU Emily I 1 P. P Bissell Bissen Is uIs she good looking 1 Sure Show her in Enter the secretary of the Delaware Delaware Dela Dela- Delaware ware Red fled Cross on busi lJusI- ness She had come to ask a favor or of ot th the Sunday editor and thought shed she'd pat her respects to the columnist columnist columnist col col- who hoped the Sunda Sunday editor editor editor edi edi- tor had granted her wish He had not She had wanted him to run a n little story about this taking tak tuk- In ing a D sheet of stamps from her hand hand- bag Delaware was worried about tuberculosis needed a few fen hundred dollars to start caring for poor pa pa- She hud had read Jacob fills fills' stor story about the Danish Christmas Christinas Stamp Stump in the Outlook wondered If Delaware couldn't Iss Issue e one and find sell enough to build a n small shelter shelter- here hele It was but she was afraid afraid- Downstairs Downstairs Downstairs' I went the occupant of the cubb hole cubby hole two steps at a u time to the office ollice of E E. A. A Van Valkenburg Valkenburg burg president and editor of the paper that had been first to displease displease dis dis- please the doctors b by proposing pub publicity Deity as us the weapon to use a against the white plague Heres the way to wipe out tuber tuber- half shouted half the man from upstairs as us he waved ell the tile sheet of or stamps under the editors editor's nose I What the hell do you Jou mean menn A brief brIet explanation Tell Miss Bissell the North American Is hers Iners from toda today How flow soon suon can we have ha of the stamps was asked of the lady from Delaware She gasped and ton said shed she'd telephone from ton that evening e Fifty thousand she echoed as she left that too many Ten o'clock the morning of December De De- cember 13 13 1907 1007 a few rew thousand of or the stamps they were so- so called so-called at first on sale In the publication and a n few more at Dt a booth hooth In Saua makers Also a n top column five five- bank bunk head on page one of the North American Next ext da day the whole editorial editorial edi edl tonal space devoted de to a n plea to buy these bullets in the battle against the worst foe Ne Next t day a seven column spread on page one and on December 18 13 I with the stamps selling b b. h thousands thou thon u sands and telegrams from ma many pants of the country asking abo about ut them thew The rile presses plesse in Wilmington tull could coul couldn't n nt t print them fast fust enough so 51 a Philadelphia Phila na a- a delphia printer was enlisted Through h Its Washington correspondent the ti IC newspaper got the postmaster ge gen gen- n orals cral's permission to put up a n boo booth t h In the Philadelphia post ollice lobby lobb y From Jacob his Riis on December 19 H J Good for you Jou and for Philadelphia l a and the North orth American Keep Beep it lip up I am glad the little seed I 1 sowed In the Outlook last summer er has hns borne fruit Five da days s 's before Christmas tl the he governor of Penns Pennsylvania Unia I and U the he Pennsylvania anin branch of the National Nation Natio n al Red fled Cross indorsed the stain stamp p Four days dus before Christmas an e editorIal editorial edi edi- di tonal urged that A UA Million 1 Mercy lercy cy Messengers l be bought by the pe peo peo- pie Two da days das s before Christmas New Vo pw Year wn one t i 1 t fn to I the stamp design the demand having having having hav hav- ing grown so The da day after Christmas more than half a million mil lion already distributed to city state and nation Then a u flight of ot signed Indorsements indorsements indorse Indorse- ments from Washington President Roosevelt Secretary of State Hoot toot Secretary of War Taft from Haiti Balti Baltimore more Cardinal n ai Gibbons from other places placeS- leaders in public life phil philanthropy anthrop and and education all nil featured on page one ne n.e. On Ott January S a 8 a check for sent to Miss Hiss Bissell the proceeds of the North Am Americans American's part In this preface preface to to to stamping out the plague several times the sum nr eans cans had hind wanted anted to raise and feared they could not get And as much more from other sources In Penns Pennsylvania All told Delaware and Penns Pennsylvania raised from this first Olst sale of stamps Meantime the National Red RedCross RedCross Cross Cruss stopped looked and listened at an annual meeting to Miss Bis Bissell Bissell sell and the cubb hole cubby hole man and und slowly but hut surely surel decided to get behind behind be be- hind the stamp So the field was wn widened for fOl the second round of these harmless bullets harmless to all nil save the deadly germs On November o 1 12 t 08 the first gun In the second campaign n was t I tired fired h by the North American u page page- one promise to sell of the 1908 1008 stomps stamps and one month later ater to the day It ordered its fourth mil mU lion Meantime EH Every ery r day from November oember l 12 to January 1 1 the Red Hell Cross Christmas Stump Stamp was a u matter chatter of ot page first moment and ninny many a u day it was given hen precedence over all other news in the North orth American it is said President Taft at the meeting of the Ked Hed Cross ClOSS In lu Washington December 8 Two Iwo days later the first page of the North American came CIme out with u border horder of the stumps stamps In ht red and anda a 0 three column facsimile likewise se col colore ored ore 1 Other newspapers rs In man mans parts Huts of ur the land were Joining the procession When hen the curtain curtail was rung down dawn on this act In January the net result of the stamp sale saje throughout the nation was I 1 newer never could have tUl believed belle It said Miss Bissell one one une- and how hose the tinkle oo 0 or that copper cupper coin has bus grown t Annual sales of Christmas seals seuls amounted to to date dut from this source alone Yet Yut the money Is the least part of ot It The Tile messa message e Is what has counted most Between them the death rate rote from rom tuberculosis has bus been cut In h half lt And It Is still going down Its fate fate I Is sealed 1 G 1830 1130 W tal in Newspaper Union |