THE CHAIN LETTER DEVICE.
By Editor
A FRIEND sends us a copy of that chimerical scheme, a chain letter, which has in it the possibility (but not the probability, as there is in the world still people of common sense) of wrecking the world financially. This one in question is to gather stamps for the building of a ward in a hospital in "Hearst's Ville, Hurlfield, near New South Wales." It probably means Hearst's Ville, near Hurlfield, New South Wales. New South Wales is like the chain letter, quite extended, and to be near that, is excessively indefinite. Somebody for a million stamps is going to build the ward; and so the chain letter scheme of 180 links is devised. It starts with one, who writes to three, numbering his letter "1" requesting each of these three to write to three persons, the first three numbering their letters "2," and so on to 180. Think of it, if it were carried out. Each person takes twenty minutes of time (for he could not do it in less) to write three letters and copy the original, and also incloses stamps to the originator, thus using eight cents in stamps, besides envelopes and paper. The first person of the first link would write to three others; these three would write to nine; the nine—the third link—would write to twenty-seven; the twenty-seven would write to eighty-one; the eighty-one would write to 243, the number in the sixth link. But it is in the plan that this multiplication by three shall go on till the number of links shall reach 180. The product is beyond calculation. Link 10 if common sense and Christian dignity did not ignore the chain, and so break it, would reach 19,683 persons, and collect in the tenth circle and those gone before 196,830 canceled stamps. They would have used in good postage stamps at United States rate $1,584 worth. Link 14 would ring in 1,564,323. Link 20 would catch 1,162,261,467. Link 25 would enchain 309,429,539,481, or 200 times the population of the entire earth. Link 36, only one-fifth of the required number, would, if carried out as devised, lead by the nose fifty-four quadrillion, eight hundred nine trillion, five hundred twenty-six billion, nine hundred seventy-four million, four hundred thirty-one thousand, seven hundred seven (54,809,526,974,431,707), if we have made no mistake in our hurried multiplication, or three and one-half million times more people than the earth contains. Each one would have to repeat this three and one-half million times to extend the chain to the thirty-sixth link, or rather to meet the wishes of the thirty-fifth linkers. They would expend in stamps alone more than four quadrillion dollars! Think, then, of the mountainous burden, the colossal, utterly uncomprehensible numbers if the chain were carried to link 180. This letter before us is numbered 108. It is probably the only single fiber that has survived; we sincerely hope this to be the case. If the thing were carried through as originally planned it would exhaust all the inhabitants of all the planets, and would bankrupt the solar system. It is a guileful, despicable way of raising money. Let every reader of the SIGNS frown it down.