The Detroit times., 1916-03-17
The Chain Letter Nuisance.
~ Or. rRANk cFSANA
Copyright. 1915. b. Frank Crane,
The other day | received in the mail

the I0IioWlng letter.
IAN ANCIENT PRAYER
:" % Lord. implore thee to bless all man
kind. Bring us 10 thee. Keep me to dwell
In thee
"The plan is to have this prayer sent
all over the world. II is said ia ancient
days that all who wrote it would be free
from calamity. AND ALL WHO SUP
PRESSED 1T WILL MEET WITH
SOME GREAT MISFORTUNE.
Copy it and send it to nine friends
in nine days, and on the ninth day you
win meet with some great JOY. Don't
break the chain! Sincerely yours"
II is always delicate matter TO re-
prove anybody who seems honestly re-
ligious. BY general agreement modern
folks. especially Americans. let one an
others faith alone. no matter how
strange it seems.
But the above letter is sample Of
several have seen, and it must be wide
ly circulated.
And it is distinctly vicious and can do
nothing but harm.
Against the little prayer itself no one
could object, were it uttered simply and
heartfully. But just because nothing
can be said against it, the effect Of 1t.
as it is presented. is bad.
The windings of fanatic minds are
hard to follow. One of their tricks Of
twisted logic is to get your consent to
some general, Objectionable PROPOSE
ton, and to insist that therefore you
must accept all the peculiar tenets Of
their sect.
For instance You believe in the Bible.
don't you? Well. then, you must grant
$3.50 nj So -
h6use, and the danger Of twiddlins your
thumbs. of beginning any enterprise on
Friday. and Of avoiding the number thir-
teen. Naturally.
This sort Of curious reasoning is the
gist of all religious intolerance.
Because this little prayer is good,
THEREFORE,, If you write it nine times
you will have luck, and if you don't the
COLLINS will get you.
II might be merely amusing, but there
are many who cannot approach any re-
bgious proposition lightly. They argue
it can do no harm to make the nine
copies, and if don't, and anything
SHOULD happen. would be sorry.
1t is a petty and absurd superstition.
but it serves its purpose in rendering
good and honest people unhappy, at least
uncomfortable.
These chain letters are an unmitigat-
ed nuisance. They annoy those whom
they cannot brighten.
They are purely heather, for the es-
sence of heathenism is that the Deity il
influenced by our acts Of hocus-pocus.
How any one can conceive that the
Governor of the universe can be moved
to punish a man simply because he de-
clnes to do what some crazy person de-
mands, is beyond me.
Let me not be misunderstood. have
no wish to interfere with the convic-
tons of any human being, however IRA
tional they may appear to me. They
have as much right to their beliefs even
to their credulities, rs have to mine.
But when one attempts to coerce me
by mail into joining in with his peculiar
acts of piety, and threatens me with dis
aster if refuse, his letter goes straight
into the waste basket.
So long as religious effort is turned
toward making ones self and others bet.
ter, happier, and stronger, It il entitled
to the respect of all, but religious med
ding and the use of superstitious
threats ought TO be ignored or rebuked.
IIoE OH N ATIfR Al GAG