Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-07
EPIDEMICS OF.
CHAIN LETTER
p. O. NUISANCE
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

tiers are attracting attention just
now. A good luck chain letter
which the ractntent "a sunnosed IN |
copy nine times and mail TO nine
| other neonIe has brought In some |
indignant COMMUNICATIONS to the
| nostoffica danartment
This narticrIar letter. which &c
to "go thrae times around the
world" forming a pood incl. chain.
is tynfcaI II saws that great han
piness will come IA Won in nine
DAVIS II Won mail nine comics within
| twentv-four hours Tf Won don't |
Won will surely he q victim of bad |
| iuck and stress Is particularly laid !
| IN tha n,iefortuna which awaits
! anyone who breaks the chain. In
fact tho nror1isa Of hapnIness is !
| given in about ton worY1s All the
reet ne tho naragranb m he coined
is used n mt snnerstitious fear
! ir+o tho recoiyor ~ tha letter. to
force him TO continue the chain.
! Tho ros+riotio, ~ on1y two DAVIS
grace in which ia forward the let |
fers is q nsvch illogical touch. III
mn time limit or a distant date,
wore set tho individual would be
ant TO forget all about the affair.
| Also nv flying the number of
comics Mt nine there Is a. good
chance or advancing the chain
e,rol,, ANA ronidIv peonle would
crow disgusted and revolt If too
mucb worI, were reouired.
Comics of +his letter. which
saems n he broadcasted all over
the country. have reached some
,nsrnorstItious nersons and they
soiyod ,,o,, nv tvnevriter TO demand
wbv ne nostoffice should allow
s,cb n1otter IN cIop the mails. One
! u,ritor Was Indignant that such
tbings should coma to him dis
orised os 1egitimate correspond
moo Wbetbe, he thinks the post
office department should open all
~ mic mail mr. use an X-ray or
oIiio hoard In order to extract the
onnoyirg chain letters Is not Ger
tain II is certain that the postof-
| fica cannot distinguish a good luck
rbain letter sent first class from
anv other mail and it does not try.
There ia a section of the penal
coda making IT unlawful to send
tbrough the mails. matter having
a tbreat Expressed on the outside
When chain letters containing any
threat are mailed on postal cards
| thov arc withdra wn bv the post
master and not delivered. What
| kind OF luck tho sender has COM
49, IN him in that event it would
hn Interesting to know. The magic
chain ia certainly damaged If not
broken,
Rut when the good luck COM
n,unications are sent as first class
n,atter the nostoffice delivers them
like anv other mail. The originator
of the letter remains anonymous so
tbs+ action 10 practically impos-
sihIe The only cure for the lucky
| chain letter endemic rests with the
nublic. IF neonle refuse to COOP
erate tba nroiect cannot snread.
Commercial Progression.
A little figuring shows that II
nine series Of rersons sbould carry
ont the INSTRUCTIONS OF the original
writer of the current chain letter
the number of persons assured Of
GOOD Incl, within month would
he 4S5.84S o50-four times the non
uIafion Of this country Anvona
knows that even if that MANY NOV
sons would write n chain letter
there isn't enough extraordinarv
good luck or had mck either in
existence that could he annlied In
a month IN tha non,1Iatinn n, n
continent
Vet n chain letter gets seriops
attention from large numbers If
people MS Is shown Inv the nrotests
which the posfoffice denartment
has received about ths latest one
The comnIaints have coma frnr,
different narts Of tha country ord
have been snread over a, consider.
able time
Whv .,nvone should want IN start
chain letter is a nrohror, In rev.
chology. There is TYNE Of ner-
son who likes IN feel that he is OK.
erting power, nv forcing or in
ducinr a large number ~ neonIe
to do his will he gets a thrill Of
Measure. This tvpe of nerson who
does not exercise mower over othcra
| in his dailv life NAV he the oriri-
nator of . chain letter This is
however univ n theory Soma
chain letters read like the nroduct
Of =. Joke loving school how
| The pood 1uclf anistIa is only ono
TYNE of chain letters II is nerhans
! the least ohieetionable tvne he
cause II docs not atter,nt 70 oct
money or IN nronota the interests
of Tho opsSinator As soon as tho
chain letter enters the business
field n takes on mora serious
asnect
The nostoffice denartment gets
numerous INQUIRIES from ne0nIe
who reaIjze that tbe chain system
has remarkable nossibilifies a nus
mess device. A firm wants to sell
gloves or stockings or sticl, pins,
nerhans II mans to nrint hooks
of tickets. "a" buvs one ticket for
Isl and sends the ticket and SO
more to the firm. In return he
receives the stick min advertised
and a hook of three tickets.
One dollar is the price OF the
min. He recovers the So sent in