Evening star., 1947-12-28
News About Stamps
By jones Waldo Fowcett

times; the postage stamps of the
United States, and the Universal
Postal Union. Next come "The
Birth of a Hobby" uses and
Abuses of Postage Stamps, Postage
Stamps as Big Business" Stamp
Dealers and "Philatelic Philan-
thropy." With regard to stamps
specifically, he tells about their
sources, their personality" their
condition, philatelic exhibitions, the
appraisal of philatelic property and
philatelic literature. The last por-
ton Of the book is devoted to "The
Patriarchs of Philately," well-known
women philatelists-and Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Mr.. Kehr inevitably reflects his
own especial interests. He refers
repeatedly to his travels, his friends
and his and their enthusiasms. This
gives his work an intimate touch
which is engaging and occasionally
revealing. Both veterans and be-
ginners among collectors will enjoy
his impressions Of his contempo-
raries at home and abroad-Alfred
Lichtenstein, Theodore E. Steinway,
Col. Hans Lagerloef, John v. p.
Heinmuller, Adolphe Menjou, Car
ter Glass. jr.; James Hughes and
Beverly King among the number.
The leaders among "big shot" phi
latelists, as he regards them, are
congenial characters. perhaps be-
cause their avocation involves all
nations, all classes, all conditions
of folk.
But there is more to Mr.. Kehr's
book than his reactions to the world
in which he lives. His scholarly
achievement is what will make his
volume helpful to collectors. With
out attempting to be encyclopaedia,
he has brought together a gold mine
OF data on stamps that will enrich
the albums of his readers. Adhesive
labels which hitherto have been
simply colored scraps of paper be-
come adventures in magic under his
touch. In this sense, Mr.. Kehr has
established good pattern for other
philatelic authors. He therefore
merits appreciation for what he has
done both directly and indirectly
the book itself and the influence
which it should have.
To prove the antiquity of one of
the oldest rackets operated against
the philatelic public, the following
paragraphs from the New Haven
Palladium, reproduced in The Star
of September II. 1899, once more
are reprinted:
Every few weeks some one an
nounces himself as the victim of the
100000 postage stamp hoax. 1t
is firmly believed by many people
that If 100000 stamps are collect
ed and forwarded to some one a
bed will be provided for an invalid
boy in some hospital or a home for
an orphan will be secured, or large
amount of money will be paid
Churches have been the special
victims. and there is hardly city
in England, the United States, Aus
tralia. India or any other country
that has not had several church
members begging, borrowing and
helping themselves to postage
stamps in order to make a million
that will 60 to clothe and feed some
orphan.
THE swindle originated In the
fertile brain of postage stamp COL
lector at Stettin, Germany He de-
sired to get vast collections to sort
out and sell again, and hit upon the
plan to set the whole civilized
world at work for him gratis He
preyed on the sympathies of people
by announcing that an orphan
would be cared for in the Syrian
Orphan Home for every 100000
stamps sent to him. This worked
well, and the next dodge was the
starting of a mythical mission in
China. the holy sisters of which
were said to have agreed for every
100000 stamps sent to them to
save from the Jaws of the crocodiles
of the Yellow River at least one
Chinese baby and then educate and
christianize it. The stamps were
sent, not to Jerusalem or China, but
to Munich or Stettin. The last
claim on the sympathy of the world
that has been made by this German
is that for 100000 stamps home
for an old lady or an old gentleman
will be provided in one of three
homes-one in London, another IN
New York and third in Cincinnati.
For 100000 stamps bed will be en-
doWed in a hospital and for 100000
a home will be found for an orphan
for one year. 1t is estimated that
the Stettin man has collected over
100000,0O0 stamps in the United
States alone. One of his circulars
was received by New Havener
yesterday. 1t is clever dodge to
get something for nothing"
Mr.. and Mrs. Harry L. Lindquist,
we'll known in Washington phila-
telic circles, have returned to their
home in New York after an air tour
of Mexico and Guatemala.
A special cachet commemorating
the Tooth anniversary of the found
ing of the American silverplate in
duStry in 1847 has been prepared