The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-12-12
CHECKING THE WHITE PLAGUE

(Great Falls Tribune)
In purchasing Christmas seals we not only participate in an
activity that is rich in its reward, but we truly enter into the
spirit of this holiday season. Proceeds from the sale of seals
are used to fight tuberculosis-SO per cent of the sum collected
in Cascade county remaining here to be used in preventive and
curative work, the other 20 per cent going to the state and
national tuberculosis associations to be used in the fight against
the great white plague generally.
This plague has been the scourge of all civilized people. 1t
hourished long before the Christian era. The Chinese recogniz
ed it as far back as the middle of the sixth century, B. C.
fact that tuberculosis was carrying on its deadly work in Egypt
in the year 1900 B. c. Greek medical writer's, without knowing its
cause, wrote of tuberculosis in it's various forms, and in the
writings of Hippicrates are described such conditions as
empyema, pneumothorax and hemorrhage.
Down through the centuries, the great white plague has
high and low, cultured and ignorant. For name and position
mean nothing to this enemy. In every land it has taken wide
toll: An English Keats, a German Schiller, a French MoHerey
a Russian Chekhov, and of Americans, a John Paul Jones, a
Thoreau, a Christy Mathewson.
During the last few years progress was made in this country
ment is due in a great measure to the work of the national TIL
berculosis association and its state and county branches, nearly
all of which has been financed by the sale of Christmas seals.
The seal had its origin in Denmark. One Christmas eve.
Einar Holboel, a postal clerk, was busily engaged in sorting
mail Each letter and package bore a government stamp Each
stamp cost little; each purchaser willingly paid to have his
messages carried through the mails. 1t occurred to Einar Fol
boeh that every letter and package could well carry another
stamp a stamp which would be sold for the benefit of a hospital
for tuberculosis children. When the next Christmas eve came,
the Danish mail was helping to start a health message which
from that time has continued to travel through all the postofices
Of the land at Christmas time.
In 1907 a story written by Jacob Riis about the Danish
seal appeared in the Outlook. One of the Outlook readers, Miss
Emily P. Bissell, a Red Cross worker of Wilmington, Del, was
interested IN a smah tuberculosis sanltarlum' In IsI tubercul-
osis sanatoria were often struggling for support. This one was
no exception. Funds were needed Miss Bissell adopted the
Danish idea and that year raised $4,000.
The next year the American Red Cross carried on the enter
prise on a nationwide plan, and in 1910 made arrangements with
the National tuberculosis association to manage the sale. Until
1919 these two national organizations worked together, and the
sale of seals increased steadily, year by year. From 1907 through
1925 more than sS6,OOOOOO was raised by seals sold for cent
each.
Since 1919 when the Red Cross withdrew from the sale, the
National tuberculosis association with the help of it's affiliated
state and local associations has carried on the sale, and the seal
has borne the official emblem of the association, the doublebar-
red cross. Last year the sale amounted to more than $4,000 900.
The Christmas seals are truly health seals, since whatever
helps to prevent tuberculosis helps to make for health. With
money raised by the sale of seals there have been provided
hundreds Of sanatoria where those i'll with the disease may re
ceive care; preventoria or health camps where children who
have been exposed to the disease may be built up to resist its
attack; tuberculosis nurses to care for patients who are i'll IN
their own homes; clinics where examination and advice are
freely given, and to thousands of people has been given the
optimistic message that tuberculosis is a durable disease.