The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-12-18

apiece their sale supports over 1000 affiliated
tuberculosis associations and committees
throughout this country. The twenty-ffth an
niversary seal of 1881 bears the usual double
barred of the worldwide fight against
tuberculosis and good old English stage coach
such as Washington Irving describes in his
famous sketches of old fashioned English
Christmas celebrations
Another way in which we spend a goodly
proportion of our Christmas money is on cards.
which last year cost the American public some
S5O,OOO,OOO not counting engraving and post
age The first Christmas card was sent out in
1916. The idea was that of Sir Henry Cole Eng
lish gentleman and social reformer; they were
designed and Autographed and hand colored to
his order under the direction of ]. c. Horsley
member of the Royal academy. The cards were
by inches large, and bore three panels sepa-
rated by leafy trellis. In the two side panels
were scenes illustrating the charitable acts of
feeding the hungry and clothing the needy;
in the central one the whole family, grand
parents, parents and children, all holding I'D
brimming beakers and about to drink to the
recipient "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year" At the bottom was the word From and
q blank space to be filled in with the name of
the sender.
Cole ordered and sent out 1000 of these novel
Christmas greetings and may imagine that
they were received with great deal of curios.
ity, if not of enthusiasm. However, the card be-
came really popular only in the 1905 when
along with everything else they were highly
ornamental and senders stroye to Guido each
other in original and expensive designs The
''best people in this country got the craze about
1873, artists OF note found it more profitable to
prepare Christmas scenes for cards than to
paint portraits, and poets of consequence did
not think it beneath them to compose fitting
sentiments for them. An exhibit of Christmas
cards was one of the features Of the centennial
exposition at Philadelphia, and showings of
them at the American art galleries in New
York, the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston and
the Art Institute in Chicago included the work
of such men E. H. Blashield mural painter
and ]. Alden Weir
AS the result Of our present need for indi-
viduality, the Christmas cards is no longer a
sheer work of art, but commercial novelty
and a good racket. This year in addition to
the conventional design of religious theme or
showing snow scenes carol singers, holly
wreaths or candles, have the card decorated
by Scotty, the little terrier who is just now at
: the zenith of his popularity, or bearing a mod
ernistic design, which, however incongruous to
a thing old fashioned Christmas, never
theless is always striking and fresh in appear
ance. Most 1881 cards are interesting also be-
cause Of the paper on which they are printed
There great many stocks with shiny sur
faces, black, gold silver; bright candy stripes
dash gayly across Others and one very popular
paper is rough-surfaced and almost spongy in
texture and brings out any printed design of
lettering in elear-cut outline that is most effec-
tive. The most individual card Of them ALL of
course, is that bearing the reproduced photo
graph of the sender. of his family or his pet
wire-haired terrier, the fish he caught last
summer, or the snug study corner where he
writes.