CHRISTMAS SEALS

Fitz-Greene Halleck speaks somewhere of "Seals that close the pestilence". Although he uses the phrase in quite another sense, these words may fittingly be applied to the Christmas Seals now on sale in practically every public place throughout the country. We may not think when we plank down our dime or quarter that the sale of these stamps does a really great work. As every member of Freshman Hygiene is told, one out, of ten deaths--and that is a pretty large ratio, considering the long list of fatal maladies--is due to tuberculosis. Moreover, the disease can usually be prevented merely by hygienic living. People will live hygienically if they are educated to it. And the proceeds from the Christmas Seals are used for just such education. In that way, every penny spent for a seal goes to "close the pestilence".

Last year the National Tuberculosis Association secured four million dollars from the seals--a considerable amount--but consider this: during the holiday season, approximately a billion letters pass through the mails. If each of these letters bore a seal, the Association would secure two and a half times as much as it did last year. We suggest, therefore, "a seal for every letter".