The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-12
If the scheme Worked

Talk of reviving the old chain-letter
scheme for use during the presidential
campaign raises the question what it
would mean if one of the chains could
be extended without a break to it's
ideal end. OF course that would be
impossible, for long before it would
have reached its end it would W used
up all the visible supply of postage
stamps, paper, ink, pens and human
beings. Few persons realize this, how
ever, and a few calculations based on
the ideal conclusion will amaze by the
magnitude of the figures involved.
Almost every chain-letter plan re
quires each recipient Of a letter to
write to three of his friends. urging
pon each to follow some particular
course of action and to continue the
chain by writing to each of his friends
a similar letter. Each letter is sup
posed to be numbered according to its
position in the chain, from one to fifty.
For some inScrutable reason fifty is US
ually chosen as the number where the
chain breaks off. Thus the person
sending the original letter would num-
Der his own "one' and the three he
sends two" The third series would
be numbered three and so on up to
fifty"
If every recipient of a letter from
"one'' to fifty were TO obey instruc-
lions by writing three letters the total
number of letters written would De g.
200, 600, 900, 600, 600, 900, 600, an inconceiva-
BILE sum. A mile is $3.50 feet, or $3.50
inches, long. A postage stamp is one
inch long. Three septillions two hum
dred sextillions of them would make
a string $4,000, 900, 900, 000. 900 miles long,
or twice the distance from the earth to
some of the far consultations of the
milky way. AS a square mile has A.
OLA, 4S9, 600 square inches IN it, or room
for about 5000, 900, 900 postage stamps
cover $40, 900, 000, 900 square miles, or a
surface equal to that Of the earth and
all the planets Of the solar system.
Piled 800 deep, the stamps would cover
the earth's surface, which Is in the
neighborhood of 1000, 600, 900 square
mills: If Lake Michigan were made of
mucilage there would hardly be enough
gum stickum in it to make the stamps
adhere. If the earth were made of pa
per there would be barely enough pa
per for the stamps, envelopes and pa
per needed for the 5000, 900. 600. 900, 00O,-
600, 900 letters.
All h gold mined by man since the
beginning Of time YOU not pay for
the stamps at 2 cents each. In fact,
the sum total of the value of all wealth
produced in the history Of man would
not equal the sum of the value of the
stamps. Any lad who has learned the
elementary principles of multiplication
and division can figure hat out and
can make many interesting %calcula-
tions on the basis of doubling and
trebling figures one after the other
The problem is something like that
in the fable of the crafty lover and the
old king, which is as follows:
60. king," pleaded the ardent lover.
after the great ~potentate had refused
him his daughters hand, great me, I
prithee, one boon ere thous Danish me
from thy kingdom, nevermore to behold
my adored princess"
Name thy boom" demanded the old
king, testify.
"It is that thou wilt give me one
grain of wheat from thy storehouse
for the first square of the sixty-four on
a chess board. two for the second
square, four for the third, n so on,
doubling the number of grains for each
! successive square and promise me thy
daughters hand if thou failest to give
| me the grains" declared the sutton.
"Thy boon is granted spake his ma
jesty, with a wave OF his sceptre, and
my kingly word is pledged Begone."
When the royal keeper OF the gran
aries found that it would take more
| wheat thar had been raised OF earth
| since the great pyramids were reared
| on the banks Of the Nile he told the
king. who, to redeem his word, gave
his daughter to the young man who
had won her by so sly a b~argain.-Ex.