Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-12-11
HOW RED CROSS
SEAL ORIGINATED
1850 300 Stamps Sold IN 1914 In Fight
Against tuberculosis In Uni
ted States.
HELPERS CIRCLE HAS SALE
Stickers May Be Procured in Numbers
Of Down Town Stores and Each
Sale Helps.
HELPERS CIRCLE HAS SALE

Nearly 1880 900 has been raised by
Red Cross Christmas Seals In the last
seven years. and yet many people who
win buy these holiday stickers at this
& eight annual sale do not know how
the charity stamp idea originated.
II was war that brought forth the
charity stamp-our Civil war Of 81 TO
's5. Some of your grandmothers first
(. played "postoffioe' with stickers sim
liar TO Red Cross Seals way back in
1862, when they conceived the idea OF
selling stamps at fairs Tor the benefit
of the relief funds for the soldiers
hospitals In Brooklyn, Boston and
elsewhere. Nearly 81. 1000 900 was rails
ed In this way before 1865. After the
war this method OF raising money was
discontinued in this country for q gen
GRAFTON. although 1t found vogue in
Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, France,
Spain. Denmark, Norway, Russia. Swe-
f den and other European countries.
There are now several thousands OF
different types Of charity stamps used
In all parts Of the world, as many of
10 being used In Austria for chiidfen's
hospitals alone
First Used in NorWay.
Stamps or seals were first used to
get money for the auti-tuherculosis
crusade in Norway and Sweden in
1904 TO Jacob Rtis, the well known SO
cial worker of New York, and to Miss
Emily r Bissell, the energetic secre-
Y tary OF the Delaware Red Cross, joint
~ belong the honor Of originating our
American Red Cross Christmas seal. In
1907 Mr.. Riis's interest was aroused
by the receipt Of a Christmas tuber-
cniosis stamp on a letter from Norway
He published an article about this
queer looking stamp in the Outlook
and suggested some possible uses for
\ 1t In this country. Miss Bissell at once
saw an opportunity here and prepared
stamp. from the sale Of which her
society realized $4,000 for tuberculosis
work. So impressed was she with this
success that she induced the American
Red Cross TO take up the sale in 1908
on national basis. With very little
organization and with hardly any at
II tempt at careful advertising the sale
that year brought IN over SI35, 000 for
anti-tubereulosis work in various parts
/ of the United States. In 1903. with
more thorough organization, the sale
was increased TO $239. 600, in 1910 to
nearly $4,000. in 1871 to over $780,
900 and In 1912 TO over 100000 In
1913 the sale was Increased to nearly
$4,000 and last year, in spite of war
and hard times. % per cent more. or
55,G00,0 600 seals were sold, totaling
$550,000 for the anti-tubereulosis war.
The Helpers circle OF Kings Daugh-
tiers has charge OF the sale of seals in
this city and has placed them in many
OF the down town stores where they
may be procured. The circle has as its
special work in the city the care Of tu-
bereulosis patients and from every
seal the circle receives g certain per-
centage for the work here. Mrs. F. W
Bahnsen is the chairman of the COM
s mittee Ia charge and she will be glad to
give any information concerning the
sale that may be desired.