Show letter from denmark inspired first christmas seal sale it JACOB RIIS first farat parson in the united states to suggest the use UM ot christmas seals to raise money to fight tuberculosis was jacob rita tho the noted author editor and settlement worker in an article in the OUTLOOK for july 1907 ho he described a stamp he had received in the mall mail from a friend in denmark whore they had been sold to raise money tor for a hospital tor for children ails urged the adoption ot of the idea in the united states this article came to the attention ol of emily bissell ot of wilmington delaware who decided to use seals as g a means ot of raising money tor for a similar hospital on the banks ot of the brandywine river she designed the first sea seal sold during the christmas holidays of 1907 the next year the project became national after that tuberculosis associations soon were formed in every state and in many cities and towns until today as the sale of the christmas seal begins there are such tuberculosis associations and commit committees teea in the country and instead of less than sanatoria there are now from coast to coast the seal pays tor for all year round local health work especially among children and supports nuch projects as clinics nursing service torla and other forms of tuberculosis antl work in jacob riis article he be explained how successful the idea had proved t to 0 be for three years in denmark he said that other charity stamps had come and gone without linding finding continuous public favor 1 I 1 think I 1 C can an guess the reason wrote ails 1 thoy they have the right spokesman it remained d tor for christian Ander sens countrymen to enlist I 1 at santa claus what I 1 want to know continued ails Is why we cannot here borrow a leaf from santa claus danish year book and do as they have done why should we not have a christmas stamp printed by a tuberculosis committee not tor for the purpose of building a hospital let each state or town build tta its own but tor for the purpose of rousing up and educating the people in this most moat important mattert what might it not mean in revenue to finance the cause that creeps along where it ought to run but much more than thit that what might it not 1101 be made to mean as an educating medium in fighting the white plague t practically every man who saw this stamp on a letter or on a postal card it Is posted on both in denmark would want to te know what it meant and when people want to know half the fight is won von it Is 13 because they do not know a few amazingly simple things that people die of tuber cu losis 1 I am pleading fot for the half sail ail lion poor souls all over the land whose faces are set today toward an inevitable grave because of ignorance heedless ignorance and tor for the fi lends who grieve with them and tor for them anco the above was published the death rate from tuberculosis in the united states has been reduced almost two thirds which means a saving today of lives per year despite this fact one out of every five deaths among persons between 15 and 46 45 Is due to this disease the vai waged with money from christmas seals must go on unabated until 11 tuberculosis la Is utterly banished |