Monte Vista journal and Monte Vista graphic-reporter., 1921-12-03
Christmas
Message

oilitt tl lHt iOoiLltStcF 1 ptneIhi,
Washington, November 22, 1921
To the Boys and Girls of the United
States;
Christmas is almost here.
Your great Post office Depart.
ment has a big job and needs your
help,
Think what 1t means to be Santa
Claus to our lOO, 900 900 people and
10 deliver Christmas parcels to every
family in this great country within
the short space Of a few days and
without disappointment.
1t can be done, and we're going
To do it If we may have your help.
l want to enlist the active assistance
OF every boy and girl in the schools
of our country in getting parcels
mailed THIS WEEK to relieve the
rush that comes directly before
Christmas.
VIII 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, for. unless we do. Uncle
Sans 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 we'll wrapped
and tied and addressed plainly in
order that they may arrive in good
condition with their Christmasy APP
pearance unspoiled You can put on
your packages, DO not open until |
Christmas
There are some other things. too.
in which you can all assist in i'm
proving the mail service and in saw
ing our great government millions
OF dollars year that is now wasted
because Of our oarelessness-
and mine.
Every day that you drop letter
in the mail boN. iO,0OO.0GO other
letters are already pushing and jam
ming through the postal machinery.
One letter a day iOs each family OF !
five persons in the United States is
given TO Uncle sam 10 deliver. Il
when you send parcel to the
post office for mailing any day
there are about 100000 other
parcels ahead OF yours passing
through the postal hopper. This is
in ordinary days; at CHRISTMAS time
1t is multiplied many times.
One family in about every ten
puts a badly addressed letter In the
mali every day. This mixes up over
100000 half addressed letters
with the 20.0OO,OOO fully addressed
letters. That means that the fully
addressed letters must wait on the
slow moving poorly addressed let
ters just like the larger boys and
girls are delayed by bunch of
bad kids tagging along.
You boys ana gIrls can help the '
postal service and save your father '
some money, because he has to help
pay the cost OF searching addresses Y
IN letters and parcels sent out by
his one careless and thoughtless
amlly in every ten. 1
First find out II your family is
he careless one. then bear in mind
hat your letters must he handled
40 al a
ng in pest offices and ON sway1ng
lOstul cars OF mile-a-minute mail
rain, often under poor light
The address on every letter. card.
lr package must he correct. COM
'lete, and lcgible. including the
louse number and name of street.
md the Form" address should be
n the upper ieft-hand Voruer so
hat the mail will be returned to
'ou In case II Is not delivered Do
rot abbreyiatc names OF States. be-
.ause so many look alike when abb
iroyiated.
Put the proper amount Of post
~ NA FNHA iNAA'lN wrap iHf
larcols carefully. Avoid fancy writ
ng. which causes post office clerks 4
md letter carriers to stop and study
md thus lose time. Make III. ad-
lrcas plain aud easily read. aud al
Nays use pen and Ink or typewriter
and light-eolorcd envelopes. 80 as
10 save the eyes OF the pos, office
clerks. Do not use envelopes OF
unusual size, The little ones that .
are so fr"qucntly used for cards
ind notes at Christmas and other ,
holiday times cause AN untold
AMOUNT OF trouble and labor. as
hey viii not III our cauc.ling ma
hines and must therefore he can
'clcd by hand. Because of their