The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-05-13
The Blind Hen" Of the London Post
Office.

From an English publication, "The
Leisure Hour" we obtain the following
interesting description of the peculiar du-
ties of the "bliud men" in the General
Post Office, London: .,f
The table of the ablind man" IS the
calmcst spot in the building. Theirs is
no work Of mere mechanical dexterity
that can be brought by constant practice
to dazzling rapidity of execution. II
requires much searching in dictionaries,
much guessing, much mental effort, to
solve nlpst of the riddles in writing and
spelling that come upon their table. go.
The irregular combinations of the al
phabet alone present boundless field of
variety to the Ignorant aud the persever-
ing; aud when the combinations of Chris
tian names and suruames, names of towns,
and names Of counties, a. we'll as the
forms of letters, and the parts of letters
proper superscription; some to be added,
arithmetic can hardly convey the result.
1t is to this table that all those riddle let.
ters lind their way, upon whose surface
lslington is spelt and written ''East Lin
TOM and the late Iron Duke is addressed,
long after his death, as the "Duk hor
wcllenton, Ia ark corner London englent,
or huiswear."
The "blind men" are often called upon
to decipher such directions US the follow
ing, conveyed in the most undecided of
houdwritings: "To Mrs. Slater to the
Prince OF wales in itz Roy place Kintes-
ton London paid" The "blind men"
decide that this means the "Prince of
Wales public house, Fitzr1y Pla,e, Ken
fish town and their verdict is final.
Sometimes comic boys address their
relatives in London, in the rudest picto-
rial form, giving good deal of trouble to
the "bliud men, A picture of garden
aud street, with fancy portrait of the
person for whom this letter is intended.
drawn outside the note by not very
artistic youth of seven years Of age,
is not calculated to ease the sorting labur
of the central post-ctics, addressed to
"My Uncle Jon, in London" "Wilm
Stratton, commonly called teapot Weelia;"
"Mary Ann Street, Red Rive lane Luke
ST., next door to the ocean - "To No. 3
Cros babry Row for the Female with the
Infant up Bromley Stairs )" Gam Poror
at Mrs. Winhursis No. "a Next door to
two to one;' "Mikell Goodliff at St. Nouts
Prints to Shoe Maker Mis- his name
not known Mrs. Cooper is grandmother
to the Lad )" "eliza clarck saxton hotel
saint luord hon se;' and "thc fanks
Taghe Warkitt ill Wise Comse Vile of
Wythe;" with many more like them have
come and are constantly coming under the
notice of this branch Of the sorting de-
partmcnt.
The "blind men feel professional ar
tistic pride in mastering every difficulty,
although the difficulty is to be taken to
the lands end for the small charge of
penny. Failing all attempts t. make
clear that which is never to be read in
this world, the interior CATER the proper
forms have been observed) is at last looked
into, only to present larger and more
enigmatic surface still. The only colora.
BILE explanation that can be given of the
mystery, based upon the average number
of riddles that come before tho sbliud
men," is, that some Irish hop picker, pass
ing through London on his road to Kent,
is anxious to communicate with relative
in some part of his native country.
The sorting office for newspapers and
packets is upon an upper floor, and is
reached by an endless staircase, worked
by machinery, which revolves and ascends,
like the spokes of treading mill. The
business in this department is very similar
to that below, except that the sorting pro.
ceeds mole slowly, and the packets, while
fewer, are much larger.
The "bliud maa' here is chiefly engaged
with the newspapers whose moist address.
es have either come of or been partially
torn, and this work, like that of the lower
department, is the heaviest on Friday
night, the great newspaper despatch night
Of the week. He employs himself good
deal in guessing the kind of newspaper
which would probably go to certain iudl-
viduuls, when he fuds himself with q
plumber OF addresses wihout papers, and
number of papers without addresses.
No disappointment is so bitter to the
country resident as to miss his weekly
budget of news and reading, when he
CONES down to breakfast on u Saturday
morning, or to tear open q cover aud lind
ii Tory organ, which he hates, in the place
of the Wing organ, which he loves. The
newspaper "blind man. performs his work
as carefully as he can, and if he does make
an occasional mistake in sending the
wrong paper to the wrong man, bis coun-
trymen must forgive him, when they know
the difficulties with which he has to COD
tend.
SUCCESS IN LIFE-keen the law of