Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-30
HASKLN;S
LETTER
FIGHTING WHITE PLAGUE
BY Frederic j Haskin

the signs that Christmas is surely
approaching is the appearance of the
tuberculosis Christmas stamps. This
year there are to be 1000, 000, 900
of these stamps offered to America.
To visualize a billion stamps you have
only to imagine a belt of them strung
more than half way around the
world. The seals, however, are des-
tined for a greater purpose than
that of papering the globe. The
penny that each one of them brings
in helps to cut down the death rate
and the suffering from tuberculosis.
1t is an old story to say that in
this country the annual death rate
from tuberculosis is much higher
than the number of American World
War casualties. There is no news In
the fact that 95 per cent. of the peo-
pie are infected with tuberculosis
before they are eighteen years old.
In the majority of individuals the
disease does not become active at
the time of infection, because the
body is strong enough, OF cared for
well enough, so that the germs are
killed or lie inactive in the glands
of the chest. But later, illness or
weakness may lower the resistance
Of the body and latent germs begin
to grow and spread.
In other words, tuberculosis is
one of the great insidious enemies
of health. And the Christmas seal
is the tiny but powerful emblem of
the national crusade against the
deadly tuberculosis germ.
The money gained by selling the
ca 10 10 TYaoI i,
out the disease. Beds for tubercu-
losis patients are established in hos
pitfalls, and also clinics are maintain
ed, where persons may go for pc
riodic physical examination, so that
the disease may be discovered in
time for successful treatment. Pub
lie health nurses are given special
training in detection and care of
tuberculosis cases. Research work
of Importance in combating the dis
ease is carried on. Lectures and
demonstrations are given. A health
crusade in which several million
school children take part is carried
on to teach daily health habits. And
open air schools and camps for chill
dren predisposed to tuberculosis are
maintained.
For sixteen years, with one ex-
eeption, the stamps that make this
work possible have been on the mar
ket at Christmas time. But the story
of the stamps is not always familiar.
even to the persons who buy them
most literally.
.
The idea of selling seals to raise
funds did not originate in this eoun-
try. Sixteen years ago, Jacob Riis
a letter posted from Dem
mark n bearing a little, decorated
sticker on the back. He inquired
ABOUT the peculiar stamp and learn
ed that in Europe such stamps were
being sold at Christmas to raise
money for anti-tuberculosis work.
Mr.. Riis wrote a magazine article
on the subject, and it happened that
the article was read by a Red Cross
nurse in Delaware, who was working
hard for a small tuberculosis hos
pital. She arranged for a local sale
OF similar stamps at Christmas, and
raised $1,000 for this first tubercu-
losls sanatorium in Delaware.
The next year the interest of the
Red Cross organization was aroused.
and under the direction of the
American Red Cross a nation wide
sale of seals was held. This time
the returns were $4,000.
For some years after that, the Ma
tlonal tuberculosis Association and
the Red Cross worked together on
the annual seal campaigns. 1t is in
teresting to note that back in 1910
Red Cross officials felt that the
christmas seal had about reached
the height of its vogue and would
probably bring in less money each
succeeding year.. 1t was shown thai
In some communities fewer seals
were sold in 1909 than in 1908. But
20 OFFSET the losses, other communi-
lies became interested in the project
and each year the profit total grew.
In fact, there have been few years
when returns from the stamps did
not show a material increase over
preceding years. Last year the
sales amounted to more than
$3,S40,000.
Many people habitually think of
the stickers as Red Cross seals. be-
cause the early seals bore the Red
Gross emblem, but the fact is the
campaigns are now conducted by the
National tuberculosis Association
alone. Since 1919 the double barred
cross has appeared on the seals.
.
The cross with two bars, one cross
Ing the standard a little above the
other, was carried by the patri-
archs OF Jerusalem and Constants
nople. and is still used in the Greek
Catholic Church. 1t figured in the
history of the medieval crusades.
When Godfrey, Duke OF Lorraine,
rode into Jerusalem and became
ruler of the city, in 1899, he chose
a double-barred cross to be his
standard. And when he returned to
France 1t became the standard of
his household.
The bars of the white Cross of
Lorraine are much farther apart
than those of the patriarchal cross.
During the recent war, this Lor-
raine Cross was adopted as the in
sigma OF one of the American d.
visions that happened to be located
In a section of France where 1t is
popular.
The history of the double barred
cross makes it a fitting emblem for
a crusade and 1t was chosen to rep
resent the worldwide tuberculosis
campaign at the International Con-
ference held in Berlin in 1902.
This year the seal to be sold in
this country displays two of the
double-barred crosses. and, below
a picture of a little child sitting be-
fore>a fireplace. In the flames the
child sees a vision of Santa Claus
Planning a seal that will sell tc
the extent of a billion copies is ar
exacting task. 1t is particularly diff
6cult in that the artist must draw