Tombstone epitaph., 1921-12-11
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

ted States:
 Christmas is almost here
 Your Post Office Department has a big job ahead and needs your help.
 Think what it means to be Santa Claus to our 100.OO0.00O people and deliver Christmas parcels to every family in this great country within the short space of a few days and without disappointment.
 It can be done. and we're going to do it if we may have your help. want to enlist the active assistance of every hoy and girl ill the schools of our country in getting parcels mailed this week to relieve the rush that comes directly before Christmas.
 Will you go home today and take this message to your parents and friends?
 Our postmaster has asked us to mail our Christmas parcels this week. Tor unless we do. Uncle Sams load may be so heavy the last few days before Christmas that he won't be able to deliver all the presents by Christmas Eve.
 The parcels must be well wrapped and tied and addressed plainly in or der that they may arrive in good con dition with their Christmasy appear ance unspoiled You can put on your packages Do not open until Christ mas
 There are some other things in which you can all assist in improving the mail service and in saving our great Government millione of dollars year that is now wasted because of our carelessness-yours and mine
 Every day that you drop letter in the mail box i0.OOo.OO0 others let ters are already pushing and pam ming through the postal machinery. one letter day for each family of five persons in the United States is given to Uncle sam 10 deliver. When you send parcel to the post office for mailing any day there are about >.uUu.0o other parcels ahead of yours passing through the postal hopper. This is on ordinary days: at Christ mas time il is multiplied many times. one family in about every ten puts q badly addressed letter in the mail every day. This mixes up over D. u00.OO0 half-addressed letters with the 4o.oo0o0v fully addressed letters. That means that the fully addressed letters must wait on the slow moving poorly addressed letters just like the larger boys and girls are delayed by bunch oi bad kids" tagging along. You boys and girls can help the Pos tai Service and save your father some money. because he has to help pay the cost of searching addresses on letters and parcels sent out by this one care less and thoughtless family in every ten.
 First find out if your family is the careless one. then bear in mind that your letter must be handled by skilled mail distributors standing III post of fices and on swaying postal cars of a mile-a- minute mail trains. often under poor light The address of every let ter. card. or package must be correct complete. and legible. including the house number and name of street, and the From" address should be in the upper left hand corner so that the mail will be returned to you in case it is not delivered. Do not abbrevi- ate names of States because so many look alike when so abbreviated. Put the proper amount of postage on your letters and wrap the parcels care fully. Avoid fancy writing, which causes postoffice clerks and letter carriers to stop and study, and thus lose time. Make the address plain and easy to read, and always use pen and ink or typewriter and light col ored envelopes, so as to save the eyes of the postoffce clerks. Do not use envelopes Of unusual size The little ones that are so frequently used for cards and notes at Christmas time and other holidays cause an untold amount of trouble and labor. as they will not fit our cancelling machines