CHRISTMAS SEAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5497, 6 November 1929, Page 3

CHRISTMAS SEAL.

STORY OF ITS ORIGIN.

WAR AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS.

The Minister of Health (Hon A. J. Stallworthy) stated that Cabinet has approved of the Health Department and Postal Department adopting the system known as the Christmas Seal. The funds are to be devoted to the campaign against tuberculosis, including the establishment of health camps for delicate or under-nourished children, or children who have a tendency to contract tuberculosis or whose surroundings may be such as to lead to their contracting the infection.

The Christmas Seal sale has been in operation in the United States, Canada, and a number of the Continental countries for many years, and has now been adopted in Great Britain. The funds derived from the sale of the seals are usually devoted to the anti-tuberculosis campaign. In the United States last year the result of the sale of the seals during November and December amounted to over £1,000,000. The disposal of the seals is now looked upon as a national event.

The Canadian Tuberculosis Association works in co-operation with the National Tuverculosis Association of the United States, and has adopted the same design and methods of distribution. In November and December of 1927, in Canada 30,000,000 seals were distributed, which procured £17,000 for local committees. Last year 40,000,000 seals were printed, and about £30,000 was raised. In Sweden the system has been in operation since 1904; and the profit from the sale of the stamps goes to the National Tuberculosis Association. In France and other Continental countries the system has proved a great success.

Although New Zealand has the lowest death-rate from tuberculosis in the world, and in common with that of other countries, including Great Britain, it has steadily reduced in the last half-century, tuberculosis still takes fifth place as the cause of death in New Zealand, and disables temporarily or permanently many more than it kills. Of 699 deaths from tuberculosis last year 569 were assigned to pulmonary tuberculosis and; 130 to other forms of this disease, comprising tuberculosis, meningitis, and peritonitis, and tuberculosis of the bones, joints, glands, etc. A distressing feature of this disease of adult—often early adult—life, and one which frequently assumes economic importance owing to the involvement of breadwinners in the process, is the protracted convalescence. Modern sanatorium practice is to retain cases in such an institution for long periods, owing to the frequency of relapses following short courses of treatment. The movement has the cordial support of the Postmaster-General (the Hon. J. B. Donald) and the Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department (Mr G. M'Namara), the latter being the first to suggest the issue of the Christmas Seal in New Zealand. Children’s Health. As New Zealand is now about to adopt the Christmas Seal, it may be well to give a sketch of the initiation and development of the movement. Twenty-two years ago a young mail clerk in a small post office in Denmark was working into the night on Christmas Eve distributing holiday greeting cards and letters. He saw that as a rule they would go to comfortable homes, housing vigorous families. But he knew, too, that where kind Christmas deeds were most needed there likely would not come even a brief word of greeting. An inspiration seized him. Why not spend this money to alleviate the conditions of the unfortunate ? In many aspects of social and humane legislation Denmark has been a pioneer land, and in many directions private initiative in this respect has been more pronounced in its development than in most other counties. This is also true of the campaign against tuberculosis. Private initiative took up the preparatory work, and then followed the comprehensive tuberculosis legislation, which is doubtless still the most far-reaching and humane in Europe. Dream Becomes a Reality. The fertile imagination of the young Danish mail clerk soon pictured a device to encourage the practice of sending greeting cards at Christmas, part of the revenue from which would go towards the humane object he had in view. Now let Elinai' Holboell, the mail clerk, tell the story of the evolution of his dream into reality. “The people of Denmark regard Christmas as the greatest holiday of the year,” stated Mr Holboell, now postmaster at Charlotenbund. “Everybody observes it, and all hearts and hands are open at this season.

“I saw at once that the Christmas stamp ought to be sold at post offices, and should cost only a trifle, so that everyone could afford to buy it. The well-to-do, who send many letters, could have the pleasure of helping would spend more moffey, but the poor too.

A committee of men of distinction was formed, and through their influence I obtained permission of the Minister to sell the stamps at post offices for the benefit of a fund to erect a hospital for tuberculosis children. So, a year* after the idea came to me, the first tuberculosis Christmas stamps were sold in 1904. The return far exceeded our expectations. Our committee has erected a hospital accommodating 165 tuberculosis children, and since it has opened a total of over 3000 little boys and girls have gone to the institution and have been healed. We have now three homes for weak and under-nourished children, and besides have contributed generously to societies which aim to help sick and poor children in various ways.” Over a Million Pounds. The first sale of Christmas Seals in the United States was in 1907,

when Miss Emily P. Bissell, of Wilmington, Delaware, adopted the idea to raise funds to maintain a tuberculosis shack of eight beds on the banks of the Brandywine River, securing £6OO. She, in turn, had read a magazine article by the great philanthropist Jacob A. Riis, describing the Danish tuberculosis stamp he had received on a letter from the city of his birth—Copenhagen. Miss Bissell next aspired to extend the work by a national campaign, and interested the American Red Cross. The first national Christmas Seal sale occurred in 1908, and brought in £27,000. Eeach year since the sum has increased, just as it has in Denmark. Last year the national seal sale in the United States realised over a million pounds. Einar Holboell, the originator of the Christmas Seal, could not possibly have foreseen its magic health value to-day, not only in raising funds to continue the work, but in carrying to millions of people the stimulas to guard against disease. These tiny pieces of paper, multiplied a billionfold, have had an inestimable part in teaching the public that tuberculosis can be prevented—can be cured. The double-barred cross which each one bears is the emblem of the anti-tu-berculosis work throughout the world. The Christmas Seal has carried to the furthermost parts of America the news that people need not die from tuberculosis. During the period the seal has been in existence, the deathrate from the disease has fallen from 198 per hundred thousand population to 95, a saving of over 100,000 lives during the past year. Who would have guessed that Mr Holboell’s little penny. Christmas Seal could grow to be so big ? New Zealand Children. It has now been decided that the Christmas Seal shall be adopted in New Zealand, and it is intended that the extra penny stamp shall be devoted to furthering war against tuberculosis. Persons purchasing stamps for their Christmas correspondence may put an extra penny Christmas Seal on their letters, the penny for the seal being devoted to some special anti-tuberculosis measure, possibly children’s health camps. From the medical examination of New Zealand school children it is ascertained that approximately 10 percent. suffer from subnormal nutrition. This does not mean that 10 per cent of the children in schools have an inadequate food supply, but it does mean that a definite number do not attain the maximum of physical wellbeing. The causes of this failure are various, but it is known that undoubtedly a fair proportion of children classified as of subnormal nutrition have latent tuberculosis. Since early recognition of the disease and prompt treatment will result in a restoration to sound health, it is essential that such children be placed at once in a suitable environment. “Works Like a Charm.” In the health camps the children enjoy the benefit of a simple routine permitting of plentiful sunlight and fresh air, suitable food, appropriate exercise and work, and adequate rest. This is carried out under medical supervision. Such a regime works like a charm in converting the undernourished into robust, happy, alert children. Experience proves that the impetus toward health received! at such camps is as a rule progressive, and the children who have once enjoyed the benefits of camp life are' found in nearly all cases to have definitely begun the journey toward permanent physical well-being. Since the needs of children must always awake in any civilised community a generous response, and judging by the success of the Christmas Seal in other countries, it seems certain that thus ample funds will be made available for the establishment of health and holiday camps in New Zealand. The money thus expended will bring a return not only in the added vigour and freedom from dissease of the children concerned, but will afford them throughout life a series of happy memories.