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The Christmas Seals
The Journal of the American Dental Association 58 East Washington St., Chicago, Illinois.
C. N. J ohnson, Editor. Published by the American Dental Association. A ll expressions of opinions and all statements of supposed facts are published on the authority of the writer over whose signature they appear, and are not to be regarded as expressing the views of the American Dental Association, unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the Association. Communications intended for publication in the scientific or literary pages of T h e J o u r n a l should be addressed to the Editor. A ll advertising matters should be sent to the Advertising Manager. Subscription is included in the annual membership dues. To nonmembers living in the United States or its possessions, the price is $2.50 a year in advance; Canada, $3.00; Australia, $4.00; other countries, $3.25. A ll foreign subscriptions are to be paid in United States money. Entered as second-class matter, March 22, 1915, at the post office at Huntington, Indiana, under the act of August 24, 1912. Published monthly.
Editorial THE CHRISTMAS SEALS Aside from all the relief that comes to our dependent fellow members through the sale of the Christmas Seals, there is another incentive to make us respond one hundred per cent when the seals are received. No man ever sent a dollar for these seals without getting more than value received in the consciousness that he had done a worthy and helpful thing. There is a glow in the human heart when the floodgates of sympathy are opened and the light of benevolence is let in. Last year, the sale of seals exceeded by far that of any previous year, and this Christmas we look for it to go much higher. It really should go higher because of the increasing interest in relief work, and the fact that so much more of it is being done, and also because of our larger membership. It is true that, in rare instances, there is a very good reason why the money cannot be sent. The world knows little of the 2281
2282
T h e Journal o f the Am erican D ental Association
intimate history of many a life—a concrete example of which came to the Editor’s attention a short while ago. He received the following letter:
Dr. C. N. Johnson, Editor, Journal. D ear D octor: I am sending you a check for two dollars— it is for two years I failecf to send check for the Christmas Seals— belated— I’ll admit, but there was a reason. My wife succumbed to T . B.— three children left— ages 9-12 and a baby seven—• now two years later, children are well— doing fine in school— oldest a boy senior in high school— I am getting along, can afford to send two dollars— in fact— cannot afford not to after reading your “Open letter to one of our members” that appeared in the Jan. 26 J ournal . O f course this letter is for your eyes alone. Thank you for the letter in the Journal. Sincerely.
This letter so appealed to the Editor that he ventures to publish it even in the face of the plea that it is only a personal note. It has such an altruistic ring, and there is such a wealth of pathos in it; it is so genuine, so frank, so honest, so spontane ous; it goes so straight to the heart of the real issues of life, to the sublimity of true brotherhood, to the heights and depths of hu man sentiment and emotion, that it is felt that- every one of our members will want to read it. In all the letters received each year in connection with the Christmas Seals—many of which might profitably be published—none is recalled with a finer spirit than this, and the conviction is herewith expressed that when these two dollars finally find their way to the bedside of some needy brother, or to a place by his arm chair, they will carry with them a special blessing and an unusual degree of com fort and happiness. Christmas brings with it a precious balm to the wearied a n d hungry hearts of humanity. It is the time w h e n good deeds m a y be d o n e W ith a s w e e t e r f la v o r t h a n at any o t h e r p e r io d o f t h e year, w h e n the better impulses of our nature h o ld sway, wTh e n to do a mean act or to think an ungracious thought is so foreign to the general scheme of things that it would stand out with mon
Editorial D epartm ent
2283
strous incongruity. There is no place in the world for narrow ness, or selfishness, or deceit, or envy, or distrust; no place for all that miserable train of small meannesses that bombard us so frequently through the rest of the year. The heart expands with a glorious generosity, a spontaneity of good will, an outburst of overflowing affection, a deep and abiding love for all mankind. It is a blessed time of rejoicing, when the precious children are in their greatest glee, and when for once the grown folks become children themselves. It is the fairy season of makebelieve, when the sordid world is swept aside, and the hallowed portals of the home become the pearly gates of heaven. The hearthstone is a sacred shrine, and the flickering lights from the fireside transform the familiar walls into vast cathedral domes. No longer do we think of the barter of the marts, or the strife of the street—no longer do we measure values with the yard stick of money. We are living in a noble world, a blessed world of charity and cheer, where hopefulness and heartiness and benevolence abound. And in the days like these when men love men and all the world is kin, we think of those whose lives are cast in a minor mold, and who sit despondent beside the smoldering embers of ad versity. The hearts of humanity go out to suffering fellowmen, and the impulse is to bring the warmth and glow of the Christmas Tide to every lonely life. And thus the Christmas Seals are sent on their mission of mercy and good will, to bring from generous and fortunate men the aid which is so greatly needed for those who have fallen by the wayside. Let the response this year be spontaneous and prompt from all of our membership. If it is, the relief fund will be carried beyond the $200,000 mark, and the income from this sum will bring joy and cheer to a wide circle of our needy members. When the seals are received, do not wait for a convenient time to re mit—the most appropriate time is the very day they are delivered to your office. Let us reach out, and through the seals touch hands with every needy brother in our ranks.
C. N. J ohnson, Editor. Published by the American Dental Association. A ll expressions of opinions and all statements of supposed facts are published on the authority of the writer over whose signature they appear, and are not to be regarded as expressing the views of the American Dental Association, unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the Association. Communications intended for publication in the scientific or literary pages of T h e J o u r n a l should be addressed to the Editor. A ll advertising matters should be sent to the Advertising Manager. Subscription is included in the annual membership dues. To nonmembers living in the United States or its possessions, the price is $2.50 a year in advance; Canada, $3.00; Australia, $4.00; other countries, $3.25. A ll foreign subscriptions are to be paid in United States money. Entered as second-class matter, March 22, 1915, at the post office at Huntington, Indiana, under the act of August 24, 1912. Published monthly.
Editorial THE CHRISTMAS SEALS Aside from all the relief that comes to our dependent fellow members through the sale of the Christmas Seals, there is another incentive to make us respond one hundred per cent when the seals are received. No man ever sent a dollar for these seals without getting more than value received in the consciousness that he had done a worthy and helpful thing. There is a glow in the human heart when the floodgates of sympathy are opened and the light of benevolence is let in. Last year, the sale of seals exceeded by far that of any previous year, and this Christmas we look for it to go much higher. It really should go higher because of the increasing interest in relief work, and the fact that so much more of it is being done, and also because of our larger membership. It is true that, in rare instances, there is a very good reason why the money cannot be sent. The world knows little of the 2281
2282
T h e Journal o f the Am erican D ental Association
intimate history of many a life—a concrete example of which came to the Editor’s attention a short while ago. He received the following letter:
Dr. C. N. Johnson, Editor, Journal. D ear D octor: I am sending you a check for two dollars— it is for two years I failecf to send check for the Christmas Seals— belated— I’ll admit, but there was a reason. My wife succumbed to T . B.— three children left— ages 9-12 and a baby seven—• now two years later, children are well— doing fine in school— oldest a boy senior in high school— I am getting along, can afford to send two dollars— in fact— cannot afford not to after reading your “Open letter to one of our members” that appeared in the Jan. 26 J ournal . O f course this letter is for your eyes alone. Thank you for the letter in the Journal. Sincerely.
This letter so appealed to the Editor that he ventures to publish it even in the face of the plea that it is only a personal note. It has such an altruistic ring, and there is such a wealth of pathos in it; it is so genuine, so frank, so honest, so spontane ous; it goes so straight to the heart of the real issues of life, to the sublimity of true brotherhood, to the heights and depths of hu man sentiment and emotion, that it is felt that- every one of our members will want to read it. In all the letters received each year in connection with the Christmas Seals—many of which might profitably be published—none is recalled with a finer spirit than this, and the conviction is herewith expressed that when these two dollars finally find their way to the bedside of some needy brother, or to a place by his arm chair, they will carry with them a special blessing and an unusual degree of com fort and happiness. Christmas brings with it a precious balm to the wearied a n d hungry hearts of humanity. It is the time w h e n good deeds m a y be d o n e W ith a s w e e t e r f la v o r t h a n at any o t h e r p e r io d o f t h e year, w h e n the better impulses of our nature h o ld sway, wTh e n to do a mean act or to think an ungracious thought is so foreign to the general scheme of things that it would stand out with mon
Editorial D epartm ent
2283
strous incongruity. There is no place in the world for narrow ness, or selfishness, or deceit, or envy, or distrust; no place for all that miserable train of small meannesses that bombard us so frequently through the rest of the year. The heart expands with a glorious generosity, a spontaneity of good will, an outburst of overflowing affection, a deep and abiding love for all mankind. It is a blessed time of rejoicing, when the precious children are in their greatest glee, and when for once the grown folks become children themselves. It is the fairy season of makebelieve, when the sordid world is swept aside, and the hallowed portals of the home become the pearly gates of heaven. The hearthstone is a sacred shrine, and the flickering lights from the fireside transform the familiar walls into vast cathedral domes. No longer do we think of the barter of the marts, or the strife of the street—no longer do we measure values with the yard stick of money. We are living in a noble world, a blessed world of charity and cheer, where hopefulness and heartiness and benevolence abound. And in the days like these when men love men and all the world is kin, we think of those whose lives are cast in a minor mold, and who sit despondent beside the smoldering embers of ad versity. The hearts of humanity go out to suffering fellowmen, and the impulse is to bring the warmth and glow of the Christmas Tide to every lonely life. And thus the Christmas Seals are sent on their mission of mercy and good will, to bring from generous and fortunate men the aid which is so greatly needed for those who have fallen by the wayside. Let the response this year be spontaneous and prompt from all of our membership. If it is, the relief fund will be carried beyond the $200,000 mark, and the income from this sum will bring joy and cheer to a wide circle of our needy members. When the seals are received, do not wait for a convenient time to re mit—the most appropriate time is the very day they are delivered to your office. Let us reach out, and through the seals touch hands with every needy brother in our ranks.