Chain - Letter Madness.

The chain letter very likely dates from the time an inquisitive mathematician, interested in the power of a geometrical progression, attempted to see how quickly he could flood the mails. Perhaps the first example of a widely spread chain letter in the years since the war was the "Good Luck" letter, based on the "magic seven," which was supposedly started by an arthy officer in Flanders. People received from one of their friends a letter which instructed them to make seven copies and mail them to seven friends within seven days. Their only reward was the good luck which would follow their compliance with the instructions, or the bad luck which would arrive in case they tossed the letter into the wastebasket.