The Washington times., 1913-12-07
POST CARD IMMUNE
FROM SPUG CRUSADE
caaaed Sentiment Souvenirs
Survive As Christmas Fav-
orltes, Despite 0nslaughts.
By FLORENCE E. YopER.

By FLORENCE E. YoDER.
SpuE or extravagant giver. card
ter or card lover, it is as difficult
- escape buying a picture. post card
Christmas time as it is to grow
, like a normal child and never have
7 q measles. There is always some one
for whom there is nothing so appro-
late as a Christmas souvenir card,
n your soul you may hate the Gus
ilm, canned sentiment may irrltate
on ad nauseum, but as surely as the
time passes you will wander into some
shop, a friend will inveigle you if :you
90 not succumb of your own accord,
and you win select with what taste
, on can muster some inane expression
" the seasons greetings, with which
"a tag" a friend.
But if YOU should be one of the great
majority who love the postal card and
Who deluge ali their friends and enc
mics, whether they expect a return
ard or not. you haunt the post card
shops with the devotion of A lover.
There is the religious Christmas card
for Sunday school pupils, old, and very
sick persons. The extremes of age are
fond of favoring one another with this
sDecies. The verse or prose card eN-
pressing friendship in any degree
ZONES next. Great care should be eX-
ercised in the choice of this card, as
II is apt often to result in either hatred
or marriage. Although an open eN-
I.-ession of almost any sentiment Is
oEten fatal, conservative people will
Ike the most awful chances on cards
nf continent
ricture of the church steeple with
Seasons Greetings tersely stated, or
the aforementioned religious style
lone are safe. A man can be judged
, OF only by the company he keeps, but
Nv the postal card he sends. ut Is
ardfy fair. however, to condemn him
N the Christmas effusion, for the mad
less of choosing mounts TO the brain
nd often has been known to cause
:. complete, however temporary, aber-
ration OF mind.
Pretty Cards Cheap.
Ten cents will purchase the prettiest
Ind of a Christmas postal card. hand
7aintcd. and more than often possess
nr real artistic value. Printed cards
re from 1 cent up TO 10, and bear any
wishes to convey.
Aside from the Views of this and
foreign countries, the first souvenir
cards were maTvels of art. A few of
them may be found now in small shops,
yhere their beauties blush unseen The
lower embossed card is one of these,
nd the tinsel covered picture of the
church in the moonlight. Likewise was
the young bride standing behind her
seated husband fayoIite.
But like the lace valentine, all these
have passed away. and a series repre-
senting every holiday or personal oc-
aston for iubiiation. has taken their
ulace These, for the most part are
made in Germany, although thousands
uf exceptionally artistic cards are now
made in this country. A Detroit pub
asnins firm makes the best views, per-
laps, CT any which are sold. Pho
rngraphers are sent out all over the
.ountry, the cards printed in Detroit
md then sent out by the hundred
thousands to the towns which they rep
-esent. An idea Of the enormtty of the
ale of these views may De had when
II is known that one dealer in this city
orders 10000 views of Washington
which are invariably sold inside of
nree months. OF course. the fact that
his city ranks with New York and
Niagara Falls as one of the greatest
~ouyenir selling districts in this coun-
Try. is TO be taken into consideration.
View Card a Story.
The view card is a whole story by
tselr. being the foundation stone for
he operations of the post card fiend
Who not only collects with the avidity
of an ant. but VINO showers others with
souvenirs of Ills journeys.
OF $42S,I7S spent by this country on
imported post crds alone, in 1872
tS90.791 worth came from Germany
With the highest average cost of "A post
ard about ] cent and the lowest aver
age cost abous ,. cent, a faint idea of
the number OF cards brought in can he
gathered.
One Of the very latest styles in Christ
mas cards is made here in Washington
n the workshops OF a prominent book
scller and stationer. Absolutely indi-
Tiduai. made one at a time by hand
and with the name and sentiment
heavily engraved. tneSt cards represent
he last word in the canned sentiment
nc. Il IS really wrong to speak of
rhem all as being type cards. for in
many cases. the verse for the engraved
plate IS made by the sender Of the card
himself. These cards IN certain types
are kept in stock. the only change in
The engraving being il the name, but
he individual orders are infinitely more
personal. Where other cards are made
by the hundreds. and sell for % cents a
hundred. these made by the three-part
hand process, cos: SO a hundred.
The taste Of both dealer and public
IS bettered every Gay in the world by
he natural demand for artistic cards.
'Or + is the assurance of every dealer
that the general tendency is toward A
higher degree Of the artistic sense.
Biggest Sales Season.
Christmas is the biggest season of the
year for the sale Of the picture post
card a slight attempt to investigate
the importation, manufacture, and sale
flabbergasts even the Government No
attempt is made TO keep a record of the
post cards mailed either at Christmas
time or at any other season of the
Year. Its styles are as varied, its
phases as complex as life itself The
story Of its growth and spread com.
parcs with nothing AS well as the ban
IAN tree or the epidemic of d conta.
giUus disease.
Special regulations for the size, print.
ed matter and legitimacy We're con.
sdered, and then the Government
washed its hands Of them. Their sale
is taken up by drug stores, department
stores. and all kinds of shops all over
tne world.
Profits on wisely selected stocks ar,
enormous, but at the same time thi,
business has lured many into bank,
Tuptcy. Thousands of dollars invested
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