THOUGH IT’S true that most early direct mail was junk, one does stumble from time to time upon a gem-a letter that casts light not only on the mailer’s art but on American life.
One such piece was sent by New York’s Bowery Mission in 1907. The letter, featuring a photo of Mrs. Sarah J. Bird (“The Mother of the Bowery, who gave up her beautiful home in the country to live among and minister to the poor of the East Side”), was, well, divine:
“Dear Friend:
“The Bowery Mission and its famous Bread Line are favorably known throughout the length and breadth of our beloved land. In every State and in every county may be found those who, once stranded in the great Metropolis, homeless, friendless and penniless, found, in the time of their direst need, and in the Bowery Mission, a City of Refuge and a Haven of Rest.
“Here kind friends interested themselves in their welfare, fed them and housed them, exchanged their shabby clothes for better ones, secured for them employment or restored them to their distressed families in the country, which they had left in the hope of winning fame and fortune in the Empire City.
“It is only necessary to read some of its daily correspondence to become convinced that the Bowery Mission is indeed a National Institution. From sorrowing homes, North, East, South and West, come messages of affection and forgiveness for wandering loved ones who have met shipwreck on the sea of life, and who, it is surmised, will ultimately be found among the throngs that gather nightly under the hospitable roof of the Bowery Mission.
“Hence, parents write us in behalf of sons, wives in behalf of husbands, and children in behalf of fathers and brothers, and it is marvelous how many of these messages are actually delivered into the very hands for which they were destined.
“To carry on a work of such national importance requires more than local assistance, and it is this that emboldens us to appeal to you for help. Think of a thousand homeless men and boys, in line every midnight for coffee and rolls. Think of the clothing, the shoes, the underwear and the linens necessary to give the shabby men a respectable appearance that they may have a better show when seeking work! Think of the thousands of aged and feeble ones who must be sheltered from the wintry blasts in clean and wholesome beds!
“All this requires funds. Among the quarter of a million that crowded into the Bowery Mission during the year just closed, only a small percentage were New Yorkers; indeed, nearly all were from the country, and for these stranded, helpless, homeless men and boys, who have drifted upon us from every State in the Union, we implore your help. Give what you can, and give quickly, and may the blessing of Him who says, ‘Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye do it unto me,’ be your recompense and your reward.”
Oh, yes, the package also contained a business reply envelope addressed to the Mission. I feel like putting in a check and mailing it right now.
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