Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-08

The ''card BOOM" as our western friends call
1t, began a very few years ago with Christmas
cards. The fashion Of sending these more OF
less pretty cards to remind the recipients Of the
existence of Christmas, and to spare the sender
the trouble of writing notes or calling in person
to wish all his friends merry Christmas,
spread with great rapidity. So many Christina.
cards were sold, and the trade became so profit
abl e, that the dealers sought to extend it. They
theref ore Invented New Years cards, and still
later Easter cards, and called in the aid of the
most skiIlful artists in order to produce cards
for which large prices could be asked. The re.
suit Is that thousands of dollars are now annu.
ally spent on these festival cards. and SO steadily
does their popularity increase that 1t Is eStf
mated that more will be sold during the present
Easter season than have ever been sold at any
one time in the country before.
or course, the card boom has its advantages
1t Is great saving of labor, and in spite of the
fact that vast sums Of money are expended fol
tom. Moreover, the Christmas and Easter cards
exercise a blessed, Outstanding influence
Those curious New England people who until a
few years ago studiOusly ignored Christmas as
being papist festival, and were honestly ignO-
rant of Easter and all things pertaining thereto,
now send their Christmas and Easter cards with
as much readiness as any one else, and, strange
as IT may seem, usually select cards bearing de-
vices that would please the most advanced ritu-
alist.
There is no doubt that Christmas cards do &C.
casiOnally excite the indignation of mercenary
recipients. This is only natural. If the rich
maiden aunt of the seven Misses Smith has been
accustomed to send each Of them annually a
Christmas present of real intrinsic value, and II
that Intelligent old lady now sends nothing but
twenty-fye-cent Christmas cards, not even the
fact that the cards bear the most beautiful
ran Yrnu hn
Smith from calling their aunt "a mean old
thing" and treating the cards with undisguised
contempt. But, on the other hand, the same
maiden aunt can send Christmas cards to dozens
OF people to whom she had never dreamed of
sending valuable presents, and who are really
pleased at these tokens of her remembrance.
The only valid objection against the "card
BOOM is that the growing tendency to use none
but artistic and expensive cards is gradually
converting the sending Of Christmas, New
Years and Easter cards into serious tax upon
economically disposed people.
To some extent it has been possible to use
the same cards more than once, and thus u
save the cost Of buying new ones. Thus, If the
Misses Smith should keep the Christmas cards
received by them last year until next Christ
friends instead of buying new ones for that pur-
pose. There have, however, been grave OBJ
stacles i'm the way of any general adoption of
this practice. 1t is difficult to keep cards in
fresh and unsoiled condition from one year to
another, and the dealers have been careful to
make the cards designed for each season so
manifestly appropriate for that season only that
1t has been very difficult to find Christmas
card which could be used on New Years. or a
New Years card which could be used on Easter.
still more formidable obstacle has been the
incOnsderate practice of writing on the cards.
The great majority of people who send Christ
mas or any other cards write their names in ink
on the back thereof. OF course, this makes
them OF no further use and eXcites in many
Cases the just indignation Of the recipients.
1t is to meet great public want that the
new ''intercOnvertible festival cards" have
been invented. These cards are appropriate
to all seasons. Each one contains an excellent
angel with a trumpet in her hand, a collection
of flowers, and Scripture text, and these three
elements are combined in dozen different
Ways, thus making a dozen different patterns:
The text, the flowers. and the angel will suit
either Christmas, New Years or Easter, and if
the new card meets with the popularity which
1t deserves, the inventor intends to adapt it for
Decoration day and 18th Of July.
While the ''intercOnvertible festival card'' can
thus be used in any festival, it is made of paper
80 treated as to be unfit to be written upon
Neither ink nor pencil will make any permanent
impression on it, and although person may
write his or her name on the back OF an ''inter-
convertible card damp sponge will instantly
remove all traces of the writing. Thus it is i'm
possible for q malicious and selfish person to
prevent his friends from using a second time
the cards which he may send them. 1t is esti-
mated that the money which will be saved by
using the same cards only twice will amount to
the aggregate sum of 5000. 600 annually.
To each purchaser of a dozen Of the new cards
the inventor presents card register, in which a
memorandum Of all cards received and sent can
be kept. This will enable the careful person to
avoid the mistake Of sending "A's' Christmas
card back to him on New Years instead of send
jnSr 70 hard Ix-1 ,xa Too nf,,l
to the philaDthropist who has designed the new
card and the card register, for he has removed
every objection whichhas hitherto been brought
against the 'card boom" and placed the means
OF sending festival cards within the reach Of the
most prudent and economical people.