The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-11-28
First Charity Stamp Issued in
1862 and Method Is Now
Popular All Over This
World.
WAR AGAINST WHITE
PLAGUE BEGUN 1904
Through the Medium of
Stamps, They Being Sold
to Raise Necessary Funds
to Stamp Out Disease.
~ PHILIP p. JACOBS.

~ PHILIP p. JACOBS.
Assistant Secrtary National Asso-
citation for the Study and Prevention
Of Tuberculosis.)
New York. Nov. 2s.--Who hrst
thought OF the Red Cross Christmas
seal is q question many persons will
ask a. he places the pretty seal on
the hack Of his holiday note this year.
The stamp or seal has very interest
Ing history. II has gained popularity
the world over as an emergency re.
lief measure. In 1868, the first "char.
ity stamp" made It's appearance In
Boston and was designated as the
Boston Sanitary Fair stamp. About
the same time similar stamp was
issued in Brooklyn with the inscrip-
tion, Brooklyn Sanitary Fair post.
age" This fair netted 100000 to the
soldiers' hospital fund. Similar
stamps were issued in later years dur
Ing the civil war in New York. Spring
ter the war this method Of raising
funds was discontinued In this coun-
try for . generation, although II found
vogue In Portugal. Switzerland. Aus
tralia, France. Spain. Denmark. Nor
way. Russia. Sweden. and other Eur.
opean countries. At the present time
thOre are several hundred different
types Of charity stamps in use In all
parts Of the world. while seals and
local gatherings are also used to q
considerable extent.
Met at Copenhagen.
stamps were Art ussd for anti-tub-
seculosis work In Norway and Sweden
In 1904. At Copenhagen In the fall
q 1904 committee Of Afteen met to
discuss . plan whereby an idea for
Christmas stamp advanced BY Mr..
Holboel. . postofice onicial might be
put into practice.
On the Recommendation of this COM
mittee. It was decided to print 2.000..
900 stamps and to sell them ut 2 oere
each (about one half cent?. the pro-
ceeds to 90 toward the erection Of q
Children's Seaside tuberculosis hos
pital. similar to Sea Breeze hospital at
Coney Island. Tho commission pro-
vided for profit Of flve cents on each
sheet Of fifty stamps for the local post.
oflces. but % enthusiastic did the of.
hcials become over their work that
they sold and handled all the stamps
and refused to accept any reward. At
the end Of the season which lasted
only from December 8 to January 6. It
was found that 4.113.00O stamps had
been cold. or about two for every
man. woman and child In Denmark.
The comfortable sum of 6S 900 lron-
er (about $20.00O) was realised for
the hospital The receipts last year
from these stamps In Denmark were
Ave times ~ large.
The Danish stamp was really the
inspiration for the Red Cross stamp in
America. In July, 1907. Jacob Riis
published In The Outlook" the story
OF the Danish stamp and called upon
the people In this country to adopt
some such device to support the ma
tional anti-tuberculosis crusade. Be
cause Of lack Of funds and other
pressing obligations the national asso-
citation for the study and prevention
OF tuberculosis could not accept Mr..
Riis's challenge. and no other nation
al body felt charged with the respon-
sibility of undertaking so new a ven-
ture.
Women TO the Rescue.
The seed sown by Jacob Riis might
have died had not . little group Of
women In Delaware. headed BY Miss
Emily p. Bissell. seen the possibilities
OF . Christmas stamp. For the pur-
pose OF gaining support for y state
anti.tuberculosis campaign in Della
ware. the scheme was launched. and
within three weeks from December z
to Christmas. nearly 100000 stamps
were cold In Delaware. Philadelphia
and Eastern Pennsylvania. and nearly
$1,000 was realized for the tubercu-
losis ilght.
The leedsrs in this sale were close
~ allied with the Red Cross society of
Delaware which had taken an active
part In the movement. The American
Red Cross also gave the Delaware ex.
pertinent tts support. and the directors
Of that organization decided to try the
sale Of Christmas Tuberculosis stamps
on national basis. After some hesi-
tation about the amount Of stamps
that would be needed. an order for
100000 stamps Of . design by How
ard Pyle was given. SO successful was
the sale. however. that when the cen
70 count up on Christmas day. 1908.
Il WAS found that 10000. 900 stamps
had been printed. $4,000. 900 sold TO
local agents. and nearly 1900. 900
we're cold at one cent each. yielding a
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