Collecting Stamps for Mission Funds
By A. T. Benjamin
[Brother Benjamin has had exceptional success in turning stamps into money for missions. The Mission Board commends his enterprise, which is wholly a labor of love for the missionary cause.— ED.] WILL you help us to raise more money to support our foreign missions by collecting canceled postage-stamps? Few know that old stamps have any value, but the fact is that every stamp has some value, and by collecting them in as great numbers as possible good sums can be secured for our work. To make this a success, we need the support, not only of our foreign workers, but also of the members, and especially the young people, in these fields, and this article is a call for you to help us as much as you can. It will not take much time or labor, and to guide you we give the following rules:— Collect all the old stamps you can get from all letters and parcels and save them in a convenient box on your desk; always leave a wide margin of paper around the stamp, and never cut the stamp, and never cut off the perforated edges; do not soak the stamps to remove the paper; do not sort them, and finally, do not tie them in bundles. Do it the easiest way, tearing or cutting stamps from covers with good margins. Remember that soaking ruins many stamps. As soon as a small parcel is collected, send direct by parcel-post to the address given below, and as soon as the stamps are sold you will be notified by card of the amount realized, and the money will be sent to the General Conference treasurer, credited in your name and field for missions, and where so requested, will be forwarded to your own field for special work. Packets thought to be quite valuable should be registered, especially those from South America and from such foreign points as have unreliable postal service. On a convenient corner of the parcel write your own address as the sender, and also state that the parcel contains old stamps only. Many workers have been helping in this work, sending in parcels selling for several dollars each. Not all bring so much, but the aggregate of the small packets is considerable. We have had several single stamps that sold for one dollar each and one for two dollars. The Syrian Mission has been raising money for its poor fund; Bahama Islands for a new church; the Singapore Sabbath-school for a church library; both China and Cuba for school enterprises; others for missions alone. We need your help. Address the undersigned at 35 Wenham Building, Grand Rapids, Mich., U. S. A.