Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1917 — Evolution of Envelope. [ARTICLE]

Evolution of Envelope.

There are many persons now living who. cun remember the days when letters went through the mails in the form of a folded sheet of paper sealed at one edge, for envelopes were not in common use until about 1855. In that year a machine was pattmtcd for producing these now indispensable covers for epistolary correspondence—a machine which, as compared with hand labor, did the work of five girls. A better machine was produced in 1862, which performed the work of seven girls. Three years later came the machine with a device for gumming the flap of the envelope, which did the work of ted girls, ;Next carat* another machine of American device, which did the work of 20 girls, and still largely used. This has a rival in an invention which gums, prints, folds and counts the envelopes, and binds them with a Raper bind In packets o| 25. This machine supplants the la hor of 30 girls-