Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1887 — THE POSTAL SERVICE. [ARTICLE]

THE POSTAL SERVICE.

A Review of Its Slow But Progressive Growth. The American postal system has been of such growth that the successive phases of its development have not impressed themselves deeply on public attention. A succinct and able article by John M. Bishop, in the Magaaineof American History,recounts the history of this growth, leaving the reader astounded by the extent, precision, thoroughness and prbgressive changes of the service. In 1677 the Court of Boston appointed John Hayward to carry and deliver letters. In 1710 Parliament, established a Post Office for the Colonies—New York being the chief office. The rates for sixty miles’ carriages were; for single letters, 4d, for double, Bd, and for one ounce, lsjd. In 1T53 Benjamin Franklin was appointed Deputy Postmaster •eneral for the Colonies. He originated the first fast mail, consisting of a line of stage-coaches from Philadelphia to Boston, to run every week. They were the wonder of the age. The postal rates at the close of the last century were 6c for less than thirty miles; 8c for under sixty; 10c for less than 100; and so on up to 20c for 300 miles, and 2ia for a carriage of over 450 miles. A single sheet of paper constituted a lettet, two sheets two letters', three sheets three letters. They wer e invariably folded without envelopes. A sheet, owing to this cojmt, was generaaliy written in the finest penmanship, and not seldom the written page was written across, so that each single sheet had eight pages of writing. Newspapers were charged lc for 100 miles. Postage-stamps were introduced in 1847, before which time all letters were paid for in cash, either at the office of mailing or that of delivery. One hundred and sixty Borts of stamps have been issued since 1847. Tn 1798 the whole Postal Department at Washington was conducted by the Postmaster General and Assistant and one clerk. The first locomotive used by the mail service was on the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company’s road in Pennsylvania in 1829. The South Carolina Railroad Company followed soon after. But as a regular carrier of the mai} the railroad did not become a factor till 1835, when the read from Washington to Baltimore was opened. But so short were the|lines of road,and so disconnected. that it remained for a long time % problem whether the stage coach was »ot more serviceable. The speed obtained was inferior, and the delays very vexatious. But these troubles were steadi'y overcome as lines of road became consolidated. In 1851 occurred the famous reduction of postage to 3c for all distances less than 3000 miles. Mail agents were appointed as early as 1840; but this branch of the system grew into form very slowly. In 1862, however, began the absolute revolution of our whole system of mail service. It was the de.vice and wit of a Missouri clerk in the office at St. Joseph—Wm. 11. Davis. He devised and was allowed to operate the first post office car ever used. . The slow and tedious distribution and forwarding of letters from general offices now ceased. The work was done on the car, arnl letters flew across the continent like shuttles. No branch of public service ever before existed which demanded such a combination of general information- with minute knowledge. The clerk in charge of a car must know not only all the offices on his route, but all the offices in the United States in his division, and he must know the shortest routes to the same. The remarkable growth and success of the postal servioe is startling, as beiDg an example of the power of the State in competition with individual enterprise.

Curious. Chinese Advertisements. The North China Herald gives one or two very curious specimens of the advertisements which appear in the Chinese papers. One is from a mother to her son, who has run away from home,, and it is worded as follows: “Take care that you are not struck by lightning. Your mother weeps bitterly for you as she pens these lines in order that they may be read by her son. When you ran away from home on the 30th of the eighth moon the people of the shop came and asked us what had become of you. It was thus that we learned of your flight. I nearly died of fright, and since then my food and sleep have benefitted me but little. I am still crying and moaning. I have received your letter which has come from behind the horizon, but it does not tell me where I can find you. lam now almost at the last extremity, and opr family has had to pUt up with cruel insults from strangers. If you do not return I can stand all this no longer and shall assuredly put an end to my existence, in which case you would be in danger of being struck down by lightning. If you return, no matter in what wav,all will be arranged. I have even invented a plan by which your father will know nothing' about your escapade. My life or death is a question of only a few more days. I entreat all well persons lo spread abroad the advertisement, so that it may,be read by all waomit mav concern. They will thus earn a profusion of hidden merit. Written by a woman of Sop-cho. Take care that you i are not Btruck down by lightning!;’ A second advertisement is from a husband

whose wife had run away with a man whom*Bhe had met in a tea house. The advertisement sets out at great length the circumstances attending this elopement, and offers a reward of s2fl to any one giving him information as to her whereabouts: Indian Progress. A correspondent of the Springfield Republican writes: “During tho two days which I spent at Pine Ridge Agency I talked much with the Rev. Mr. Robinson, the Episcopal missionary, regarding the present and future welfare of the Indians upon the reserve. His opinions are entitled to consideration, certainly, for he has been sixteen years engaged in missionary work among these Indians. Mr. Robinson told me that ptobably five-eighths of the 6,000 Indians living on the Pica Ridge Reserve are to-day ready to take land in severalty. Under Dr. McGillicuddy’s management the whole condition of the people has largely changed during the past five or six years.'’ The great camp of idle wild people who formerly clustered about the agency has been broken up, and the Indians who composed it have moved out in every direction over the wide stretch of country which is comprised in the reserve. They have made their locations upon the arable land which skirts the stream where timber and water are accessible. What they now need is permanent possession of the land which thev have already chosen as their homes in sufficient quantities of grazingknd farming land to insure support to each individual. They need „ precisely what Senator Dawes’ land in severalty bill will give them when its provisions are applied to this reservation. I learned upon very excellent authority that Dr. Bland had tried to raise from the Indians at Pine Ridge and Rosebud the sum of $2,000 to enable him to defend their rights and to look after their interests.”

An American Aristocrat. Washington letter. “Whoa! Glang!” was the curious formula which I heard another farmer use one day this week. He was driving a pair of Norman-Percheron mules to a wagon loaded with brick, and as he shouted to them he whacked them rhythmically with a broken lath upon the after deck. Him I knew by sight. Washington is pretty well acquainted with His contour. It was Lord Fairfax, so he is playfully called by his acquaintances, and there is a good deal of curiosity expressed about him. The fact is that he is an aborted lord. He is a direct descendant in the oldest son line of that distinguished led, Thomas Fairfax, who did so much to assist the settlement of Virginia—the Lord Fairfax who gave Washington his first commission, who established the grand manor of Greenway Court in the Shenandoah valley, who remained true to his king through all, and who, when he heard that G. W. had captured Lord Cornwallis, remarked: “Sam, put me to bed; it is high time I should die”—and immediately 'died. G -eenway Court perished long ago, hut the Fairfax family has retained much land in the vicinity of Fairfax Court House, and they still remain strongly attached to the soil; like them of the collateral line, the Fairfaxes of England. This man of the mule team is interesting, because he.hasonly to go to England, prove title, take the ironclad oath, and be reconstructed, to sit in the House of Lords.

Senator Sherman's Daughter. rmiaaeipma news. There is a paragraph going the rounds that Senater John Sherman’s one child is a daughter named Mary, who last year for the first time entered society in Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Sherman have np children of their own and never had. The circumstances of the adoption many years ago of this young gin were somewhat remarkable. The Senator and his wife one day were visting an orphan asylum, when this little child, then almost , an infant, seemed to take a great fancy to the Senator, and would hardly consent to have him go away. This touched a man who is naturally stern and cold in his manner.

The result was a sudden resolve to adopt her, and the Senator and his wife took the child home with them, where she has ever since been treated as their own daughter. v Man the Yards. Billy, who has been continuing his sea stories by reading the great naval review at Portsmouth: “Dad, ma wants you to man the yards.” “Man what?” “Man the yards.” “William, I’m about to man my spanker boom.” “No, dad, no; I was just suggesting that ma thinks you’d better give the lawn-mower another jog.” __ What Is Left. Puck. t . ■ ‘ The Reverend Dr. Edward McGlynn. The Reverend Dr. McGlynn. Reverend Dr. McGlynn. Doctor MqGlynn.Mr. McGlynn. McGlynn. “Mac.” To drive away ants, scrub the shelve or drawers they frequent with strong carbolic soap, after which sprinkle red pepper in every crevice.