Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-07

50.
letters are attracting attention just
now. A good luck chain letter which
the recipient is supposed to copy nine
times and mail to nine other people
has brought in some indignant COM
munications to the post office depart
ment.
This particular letter. which is to
Ego three times around the world,
forming a good luck chain. is typical.
1t says that great happiness will come
to you in nine days if you mail nine
copies within "a hours. If you don t.
you will surely be a victim Of bad luck
and stress is particularly laid on the
misfortune which awaits anyone VINO
breaks the chain. In fact. the promise
of happiness is given in about 10 words'
All the rest Of the paragraph TO- be
copied is used to put a superstltlous
fear into the receiver of the letter 10
force him to continue the chain.
The restriction of only two days
grace in which to forward the letters
is a psychological touch. If no tine
limit, or a distant date. were set. the
individual would be apt to forget all
about the affair. Also. by fixing the
number of copies at nine there IS a
good chance of advancing the cham
surely and rapidly. People would grow
disguSted and revolt if too much work
were required.
Copies cs this letter. which seems TO
be broadcasted all over the country.
have reached some interpretations
persons. and they seized pen or type
writer to demand why the post office
should allow such matter to clog the
mails. One writer was indigant that
such things should come to him dis
guised as legitimate correspondence.
Whether he thinks the post office de.
partment should open all of his mai
or use an X-ray or a ouiJa board IN
order TO extract the annoying cham let
tiers is not certain. 1t is certain that
the post office annot distinguish a
good luck chain letter sent first class
from any other mail and II Toes not
try.
There is a section of the penal lode
making it unlawful to send through the
mails matter having a threat expressed
on the outside. When chain letters
containing any threat are mailed on
postal cards. they are withdrawn by
the postmaster and not delivered. What
kind of luck the sender has coming 10
him in that event it would be interest
ing to know The magic chain is GER
tainly damaged if not broken.
But when the good luck c~ommunica-
tions are sent as first-class matter. the
post office delivers them ike any other
mail. The originator of the letter re
mains anonymous. so that action is
practically impossible. The only cure
for the lucky chain letter epidemic
rests with the public. If the people
refuse to cooperate, the project can
not spread.
Geometrical Progression
A little figuring shows'that il nine
series of persons should carry out the
instructions of the original writer of
the current chain letter. the number
of persons assured of good luck within
n month would be 43j,S4S.0JO-four
times the population of this country.
Anyone knows that. even if that many
persons would write a chain letter.
there isn't enough extraordinary good
luck. or bad luck either. in existence
that could be applied in a month to the
population of a continent.
Yet a chain letter gets serious at
tention from large numbers of people
as is shown by the protests which the
postoffice department has received
have come from different parts of the
country and have been spread over a
considerable time.
Why anyone should want to start a
chain letter is a problem in psychology.
There is a type of person who likes TO
feel that he is exerting power. BY
forcing Or inducing a large number Of
people to do his will he gets a thrill
Of pleasure. This type of person who
does o exercise power over others in
his daily life may be the originator Of
a chain letter. This is. however. only
a theory. Some chain letters read like
the product of a ioke-loving school boy.
The good luck cpistle is only one
type of chain letter. 1t is perhaps the
least Objectionable type because it does