New Britain herald., 1929-12-02

and that the white plague cleaned 1o0,O 900 victims in the United States in 1889 alone. His plea for SUD- port of the Christmas seal cam- paign reads:
 ''lt hardly seems necessary to remind anyone in this day and age that as the Christmas season ap- breaches, the time for the sale Of Christmas seals likewise arrives. For many years past, the two have gone hand in hand. and while the Christ. mas season for many is time of merriment, it is well to recall that some are unable to appreciate the joy of the holiday season. and 1t behooves all of us to purchase Christmas seals to the utmost of our ability and thereby be better enabl- ed to enjoy the Yuletide for having helped to fight tuberculosis.
 Good Old Days"o
 "Onc often hears the latter part of the thirteenth century referred 10 as the gay nineties' or the good
  might be justified in speaking with pleasure Of that period and of the periods prior to it, but in other re- spects it must be recalled with hor. TOT. In the good old days per sons suffering from common dis ease, which was then ref"rred to as the white plague but now common ly referred to as tuberculosis, were summed and made very uncomfort- able by most of the people with whom they came in contact. Little was done for these patients to en- courage them to battle their misfor- tune, which was liable to befall any one. and this was only natural enough. for during most of the nineteenth century the white plague was considered as incurable, and one suffering from this infectious disease was considered to be doom- cd 10 long, lingering and waste. full death with no hope entertained for their recovery. Approximately l50.OO0 persons died from the white plague in the United States in 1899.
 How times have changed is an expression often heard in this the twentieth century. and well it might used in the case of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis patients are no longer stunned with fearsomeness by their neighbors and friends. They are not doomed to die with no hope of recovery. Citizens are not as liable to become infected with the causa- tive organism of tuberculosis Deaths from white plague have de- creased by about 50,000 per year in the United States. And one asks. what has brought about this change for the better"' The replies are many, but one of the greatest fac tors in bringing this improvement is the sale of Christmas seals, the pro- ceeds of which are used by many organizations, such as the National Tuberculosis association, the State Tuberculosis commission and the local Tuberculosis Relief society, to promote the campaign seeking the eradication of tuberculosis. This is accomplished by education, provi1- ing sanatoria for tuberculosis pa tients and thereby lcssening the dis semination of tuberculosis germs among people who are healthy, giving care and treatment to those patients who cannot obtain accom- modations in sanatoria, establish ment of clinics for the early diag- nosis of tuberculosis, helping 10 build strong bodies In the young by encouraging proper nutrition and fresh air camps and many other ways.
 Benefits Cited
 ''TO say the least, the saving Of 50,O00 lives annually in the United States is. as no one will deny, worth many times the amount expended by every one each year, and it is hoped that the proceeds resulting from the Christmas seal will b9 greater than ever this year."