The copper era., 1908-11-12
The Christmas Stamp of the Red Cross.

was net good for postage, only as a ''sticker" for Christmas letters, post cards and packages. The proceeds | from it were to go toward building a tuberculosis hospital for little | children. It succeeded beyond all expectation, four million being sold at an oere, CT half-a-cent apiece. Denmark has continued 1t since to maintain tuberculosis work, and the Sale in the native land of Hans Christian Anderson has doubled each year.
 America needs such a stamp, but her postoffice officials cannot issue or handle it under the present postal laws; and a special act of Congress would be necessary. Jacob Refs, himself a Dane, wrote an eloquent article, published in the Outlook of July 6, 1907, urging government action in the matter, but thefe were too many difficulties in the way. It seemed hopeless to try, but at this Junction the Red Cross, which exists for just such emergencies, took it up.
 The Red Cross is a great national organization, with branches in each state, formed to act in times of crisis and to render aid in war, pestilence and famine. Tuberculosis, the great White Plague, is the most terrible pestilence in the known world, claim ing one death out of every seven. The Red Cross has taken up tubercu- losis work, therefore, as part of its ''peace activity" The present time is one of crisis in the war against consumption. Each state needs education and awakening in the sub ject, and money for the work. The Red Cross, therefore, with the ap- proval of the postal authorities, took up the Christmas Stamp last Christ mas, and tried it in one state.
 This was the little State of Dele ware-very small, very conservative, not given to enthusiasms, and having only a few shaCks in a woodland meadow near Wilmington as tuberculosis hospital. The state as a whole was ignorant and upinterested on the subject, yet the stamp, print ed and put on the market only eighteen days before Christmas, amazed everyone by it's sensational record. Fifty thousand had been printed to sell at one cent apiece. They went i'll week, and then the stamp got into Philadelphia, where the Pennsylvania Red Cross wei comed it and backed it, and the North American gave it splendid aid. The Delaware schools sold it, the Women's Clubs in Delaware took it up, the newspapers gave columns to it, the department stores, banks, drug stores and hotels sold it. It was sold in the corridors of the Whining ton Federal building, by permission from the government, though not the postoffice itself. The presses in the last few days before Christmas ran night and day to supply the demand. People used the stamps on packages and letters, and business firms on their correspondence. Nearly four hundred thousand were sold, and 1 uCdi y lhi IhOuodhO dOildlo SlOeAA OO from this small unobtrusive penny stamp.
 With this money the Delaware Red Cross first brought an educational Inti-tuberculosis exhibit to Delaware, which was visited hy twenty thOus- and people in ten days The clubs. granges, city boards, teachers, clergymen, labor unions, state of ticialsl were all specially invited on special days, and the whole state was walked up. A nurse was sent to the sanitarium, and a free dispen- sarv supplied with milk and eggs, drugs, and a visiting nurse for the con sumptive poor, and this has gone on all year. One thousand dollars has been set aside as a nucleus to- ward building a hospital. Delaware is now decidedly interested in tubercu- losis work, and all this was done in eighteen days, by a penny stamp.
 The American National Red Cross, this year, has decided to issue the Christmas Stamp in every state. A beautiful stan has been especially l designed by Howard Pyle, the famous artist. It bears a wreath of holly, and "Merry Christ mas and Happy New Year" It will be on sale at the Red Cross headquarters in each state, and it probably can also be ob- tained from local dealers in almost every town after the first of Novem- Der, 1903. It will be sold in sheets, like an ordinary stamp, and also in small books, 9 for 10 cents, 24 for 25 cents, IS for 50 cents, like the gov ernment stamps.
 l The Christmas Stamp is not good for postage. It will not carry any kind of mail, but any kind of mail will carry it. Each one who uses this holiday sta mp will help to stamp out the White Plague" It has been printed this time by the million to supply the demand, so any quantity can be ordered, but cash must be sent with each order, this rule having been followed last year with success. Nobody makes any profit on the I ~